Hispanics and Latinos in New Jersey Last updated October 05, 2025  Ethnic groups in New Jersey, US
New Jersey  is home to significant and growing numbers of people of Hispanic  and Latino  descent, who in 2018 represented a Census -estimated 20.4% of the state's total population (nearly 1.8 million). [ 1]   [ 2]   New Jersey's Latino population comprises substantial concentrations of Dominican Americans , Puerto Rican Americans , Cuban Americans , Mexican Americans , Central Americans , Peruvian Americans , Colombian Americans , and Ecuadorian Americans . [ 2]   New Jersey is also home to a large Brazilian American  and Portuguese-speaking population. [ 3]  
The state has multiple municipalities with Hispanic-majority populations . [ 4]   Latinos and Hispanics form one-third of the population in the largest city, Newark  settling in the Forest Hill , Broadway  and Mount Pleasant  neighborhoods which comprise mostly of Puerto Ricans  and Dominicans . The northern part of Hudson County  has been nicknamed  Havana on the Hudson    for the large number of Cuban exiles and émigrés  living there.  Little Lima   , in Paterson , is the largest Peruvian  enclave outside of South America. 
Many Latino and Hispanic people have been elected to public office in New Jersey, at both the state and local levels.
Places and populations  Bar Chart of Race & Ethnicity in New Jersey (2015)  Municipalities of New Jersey with majority Hispanic populations as of the 2010 United States census  are: [ 5]   [ 6]   [ 7]  
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs  Center for Hispanic Policy, Research and Development is designed to empower the Hispanic community of New Jersey by administering grant  dollars and providing other assistance to Hispanic community-based organizations, creating training and employment opportunities for Hispanic college interns, conducting and supporting research on New Jersey's Hispanic community, and ensuring Hispanic access to services and programs. [ 8]  
Public officeholders There are officeholders of Latino background throughout the state. [ 9]   [ 10]  
US Congress  Bob Menendez  State Legislators  Marlene Caride  (1963), 36th Legislative District .  Gabriela M. Mosquera , State Assemblywoman, 4th Legislative District  Nilsa Cruz-Perez , State Senator, 5th District  Maria_Rodriguez-Gregg , State Assemblywoman, 8th Legislative District  Annette Quijano , State Assemblywomen 20th Legislative District  Teresa Ruiz , State Senator, 29th Legislative District  Eliana Pintor Marin , State Assemblywomen 29th Legislative District  Vincent Prieto , State Assemblyman  32nd legislative district , Speaker of Assembly  Angelica M. Jimenez , State Assemblywomen 32nd Legislative District  Ruben J. Ramos , State Assemblyman , 33rd legislative district    Caridad Rodriguez , State Assemblywoman  33rd Legislative District   [ 14]    Nellie Pou , State Senator, 35th Legislative District  Location map of Hudson County, New Jersey   Kristin Corrado , State Senator, 40th Legislative DistrictNewark The percentage of Latinos in Newark , the most populous city in New Jersey, grew considerably between 1980 and 2010, from 18.6% to 33.8%;  that of blacks has slightly decreased from 58.2% to 52.4%.  Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 33.83% (93,746) or one-third of the population, [ 16]   of which 13% of the total population was Puerto Rican . [ 17]   While municipal elections have seen black-Latino coalitions, voting tends to remain racially polarized. [ 18]   [ 19]   [ 20]   [ 21]  
Demographics Ancestry by origin [ 28]   Number % Mexican 217,715 Puerto Rican 434,092 Cuban 83,362 Dominican 328,092 
References  ↑    "QuickFacts New Jersey" . United States Census Bureau  . Retrieved May 7,  2019 .  1  2    "HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY SPECIFIC ORIGIN 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates" . United States Census Bureau . Archived from the original  on February 13, 2020. Retrieved May 7,  2019 .  ↑    "Ethnic food NJ Brazilian" . EthnicNJ.com. Archived from the original  on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7,  2019 .  ↑   Sen-Yuan Wu, "Growing New Jersey Minority Population Reaches Majority in Some Municipalities"  Archived   2014-11-12 at the   Wayback Machine    ↑    "Census data shows Hispanics as the largest minority in N.J."  February 4, 2011.  ↑    Census factinder for 2010 census  retrieved 2014-07-13  ↑    "Census report on Hispanic population based on analysis of 2010 U.S. census"  (PDF) .  ↑    "NJ Department of Community Affairs" . Archived from the original  on February 8, 2010. Retrieved July 25,  2014 .  ↑    "The 51 Most Influential Latinos in N.J. Politics, Elected and Nonelected" .  The New York Observer   . September 29, 2015.  ↑   Gray, Jerry (February 23, 1991). "Hudson County a Harbinger of a New Hispanic Influence" . The New York Times .  ↑    "Hometown advantage: Menendez maintains support in Hudson County – News – NorthJersey.com" . Archived from the original  on April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 4,  2015 .  ↑    "Robert Menendez, a Politician Even at 20"   The New York Times   , December 10, 2005  ↑   Wayne Parry, Associated Press  (via the San Francisco Chronicle ), Menendez Inspires Pride in Cuban-Americans , December 8, 2005  ↑    "Candidates for November 3, 2009 General Election" . Hudson County Clerk. Archived from the original  on July 18, 2011. Retrieved April 5,  2010 .  ↑    "María DeCastro Blake Community Service Award 2007 Honoree" . The Newark Public Library. 2007. Archived from the original  on July 16, 2011. Retrieved April 5,  2010 .  ↑   Suarez, Monica (November 4, 2013). "Luis Quintana sworn in as Newark's first Latino mayor" . NBC Latino. Archived from the original  on July 4, 2014. Retrieved November 29,  2013 .  ↑    "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Newark city, Essex County, New Jersey" . Census 2010 . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original  on February 12, 2020. Retrieved December 2,  2013 .  ↑   Perry, Ravi K (editor); Gillespie, Andra (2013), "Beyond Booker: Assissing the Prospect of Black and Latino Mayoral Candidates in Newark, New Jersey" , 21st Century Urban Race Politics: Representing Minorities As Universal Interests , Emerald Group Publishing, ISBN     978-1-78190-184-7   ↑   Gillespie, Andra (2012), The New Black Politician: Cory Booker, Newark, and Post-Racial America ISBN     978-0814732441   ↑   Giambusso, David (September 22, 2013). "With Newark council president vote, Ras Baraka could win Latino support" . The Star-Ledger . Retrieved December 4,  2013 .  ↑   Wharton, Jonathon L. (2013). A Post-Racial Change Is Gonna Come Newark, Cory Booker, and the Transformation of Urban America ISBN     978-1-137-27771-8 the original  on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 5,  2013 .  ↑    Archived   February 18, 2012, at the   Wayback Machine    ↑   Llorente, Elizabeth (October 7, 2013). "In One New Jersey Town, Latinos Dominate Council, Bucking National Trend" . Fox News Latino. Retrieved November 11,  2013 .  ↑    "Union County Freeholder Is 1st Latino To Serve As NJTPA Chairman" . Cranford, New Jersey Patch . January 23, 2018.  ↑   Rohan, Virginia. "Former fan now in charge of 'Sesame Street'"  [  permanent dead link  ]  The Record (Bergen County)   , August 13, 2007. Accessed August 13, 2007.  ↑   Levine, Daniel Rome. "Triunfador Franck de Las Mercedes" , ABC News , August 16, 2007. Accessed August 18, 2008.  ↑   Mifflin, Lawrie. "Doing a Star Turn for the Home Team, at Last" ,  The New York Times   , August 18, 1996. Accessed January 7, 2008.  ↑    https://data.census.gov/table?q=Hispanics+New+Jersey&tid=DECENNIALSF12010.PCT11  [  bare URL  ]  This page is based on this 
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