Demographics · NJ
Paterson, NJ demographics: 158,735 residents, with a median age of 33.3 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).
158,735 people live in Paterson, at a median age of 33.3 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
Median age 33.3 years — younger than the U.S. median of 38.9.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)
In Paterson, the largest race group is Some other race (37.7%); 64.5% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 44.6% were born outside the United States.
ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002
The median age in Paterson is 33.3 years (±0.6), younger than the U.S. median of 38.9 years. The population is 49.2% male and 50.8% female. The largest age band is 5 to 17 at 19.7%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 12,627 | 8.0% | ±799 |
| 5 to 17 | 31,271 | 19.7% | ±1,278 |
| 18 to 24 | 15,737 | 9.9% | ±956 |
| 25 to 34 | 23,206 | 14.6% | ±913 |
| 35 to 44 | 20,375 | 12.8% | ±1,096 |
| 45 to 54 | 18,855 | 11.9% | ±892 |
| 55 to 64 | 17,377 | 10.9% | ±1,066 |
| 65 to 74 | 11,877 | 7.5% | ±910 |
| 75 and over | 7,410 | 4.7% | ±718 |
Median age by sex: 32.4 (male) · 34.4 (female).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B01001 sex by age, B01002 median age) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B02001 / B03003
The largest race group in Paterson is Some other race at 37.7% of the population. Separately, 64.5% of residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Race and Hispanic origin are two different questions on the census form, so their shares are reported separately and are not additive.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 17,315 | 10.9% | ±1,463 |
| Black or African American alone | 35,947 | 22.6% | ±1,680 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 812 | 0.5% | ±311 |
| Asian alone | 6,599 | 4.2% | ±985 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 36 | 0.0% | ±37 · low precision |
| Some other race alone | 59,765 | 37.7% | ±3,202 |
| Two or more races | 38,261 | 24.1% | ±3,018 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 102,436 | 64.5% | ±2,161 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B02001 race, B03003 Hispanic or Latino origin) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B11001 / B25010
Paterson has 49,865 households. 73.2% are family households and 22.1% are people living alone. The average household holds 3.15 people.
Total households
49,865
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001
Avg household size
3.15
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.06
Family households
73.2%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
22.1%
Share of all households · B11001
| Household type | Households | ± margin |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 49,865 | ±989 |
| Family households | 36,490 | ±844 |
| Nonfamily households | 13,375 | ±1,014 |
| Householder living alone | 11,024 | ±901 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B11001 household type, B25010 average household size) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B05002 / C16001
44.6% of Paterson residents were born outside the United States. 32.7% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Spanish (58.0%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born share | 44.6% | 70,851 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 32.7% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 58.0% | Spanish · 84,759 speakers · C16001 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B05002 place of birth, C16001 language spoken at home) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B15003
11.8% of adults age 25 and over in Paterson hold a bachelor's degree or higher (the U.S. share is about 35%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 11.8% | B15003 lines 22–25 over line 1 · place-grain |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B15003 educational attainment, population 25+) · place-grain · methodology →
Sources · provenance
The GEOID for Paterson is 3457000. Every figure on this page is a place-grain American Community Survey 5-Year 2020–2024 estimate (ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)) shown with its margin of error. Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.