Carteret is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 25,326, an increase of 2,482 (+10.9%) from the 2010 census count of 22,844, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,135 (+10.3%) from the 20,709 counted in the 2000 census.
History
Carteret was originally created as the borough of Roosevelt on April 11, 1906, from portions of Woodbridge Township, based on the results of a referendum approved on May 22, 1906. The name was changed to Carteret as of November 7, 1922. The borough was also called Carteret during the period from December 19, 1921, to January 16, 1922. The borough was named after Sir George Carteret, one of the first proprietors of New Jersey, and his son Philip Carteret, the first royal governor of New Jersey.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 4.96 square miles (12.86 km2), including 4.39 square miles (11.37 km2) of land and 0.57 square miles (1.48 km2) of water (11.53%).
The Rahway River forms the northern boundary of Carteret, with Linden on the other side of the river in Union County. Joseph Medwick Park is a greenway of parkland along the banks of the river. The Arthur Kill is the eastern boundary with Staten Island, New York City, New York on the opposite side. Woodbridge Township borders Carteret on all land-based boundaries.
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Canda, Chrome (in the borough's southeast), East Rahway, Lamar, Silvan Beach, South Carteret, West Carteret (the portion west of the New Jersey Turnpike) and West Chrome.
Demographics
Carteret's Sikh community, variously estimated at 1,000 to 2,500, is the largest concentration of Sikhs in the state. The Gurudwara Singh Sabha Sahib, the borough's first gurudwara, had rented a location in Carteret in 1998 before moving to a permanent location in the nearby Port Reading section of Woodbridge Township in 2005.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 22,844 people, 7,591 households, and 5,686 families in the borough. The population density was 5,171.1 per square mile (1,996.6/km2). There were 8,148 housing units at an average density of 1,844.4 per square mile (712.1/km2). The racial makeup was 50.68% (11,577) White, 14.85% (3,393) Black or African American, 0.35% (80) Native American, 19.04% (4,349) Asian, 0.05% (12) Pacific Islander, 11.18% (2,553) from other races, and 3.85% (880) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30.93% (7,066) of the population.
Of the 7,591 households, 37.1% had children under the age of 18; 50.1% were married couples living together; 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 25.1% were non-families. Of all households, 20.7% were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.51.
25.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.0 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $58,614 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,733) and the median family income was $69,192 (+/− $10,119). Males had a median income of $47,405 (+/− $4,676) versus $42,971 (+/− $4,266) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,346 (+/− $2,095). About 11.8% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 20,709 people, 7,039 households, and 5,208 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 7,320 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 50.7% White, 14.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 19.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 11.2% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.4% of the population.