Mercer County, New Jersey

NJ · FIPS 34021 Democrat

Located in New Jersey, Mercer County has a population of 385,864 residents and a median age of 39.5 years, making it the #193 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 10.3%. The median home value is $377,700, and the median household income is $100,645, which is 34% above the national median.

385,864
Population
#193 of 3,222
$100,645
Median Income
+33.9% #166 of 3,222
39.5 years
Median Age
+1.5% #2,265 of 3,222
10.3%
Poverty Rate
-18.5% #855 of 3,222

Demographics

Mercer County has a population of 385,864, making it the #193 most populous county in the US. The median age is 39.5 years, which is 1.5% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

73.0%
Native Born
27.0%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Mercer County is $100,645, ranking #166 out of 3,222 counties — 33.9% above the national median. The poverty rate is 10.3% and unemployment stands at 6.3%.

Income#166
$100,645
+33.9%
vs nation
95th percentile
Per Capita#147
$53,765
+30.3%
vs nation
95th percentile
Poverty#855
10.3%
-18.5%
vs nation
73th percentile
Unemployment#2,626
6.3%
+18.8%
vs nation
19th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Mercer County is $377,700 (+34.0% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,623/mo and the homeownership rate is 62.2%.

Home Value#346
$377,700
+34.0%
vs nation
89th percentile
Rent#173
$1,623
+39.6%
vs nation
95th percentile
Homeownership#2,897
62.2%
-3.5%
vs nation
10th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Mercer County, 45.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 34.8% above the national average, ranking #167 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
45.4% +34.8% vs nation
Rank #167 of 3,222
95th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Mercer County is 78.4 years. 14.8% of adults report poor or fair health and 8.7% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#548
78.4
+4.3%
vs nation
82th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#491
14.8%
-24.3%
vs nation
84th percentile
Diabetes#476
8.9%
-20.0%
vs nation
85th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,417
37.0%
-0.8%
vs nation
55th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#937
5.3
-5.5%
vs nation
70th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#547
3.8
-14.8%
vs nation
83th percentile
Uninsured Rate#1,399
8.7%
-16.7%
vs nation
56th percentile
Physical Inactivity#704
22.4%
-15.1%
vs nation
78th percentile
Food Insecurity#242
9.7%
-32.7%
vs nation
92th percentile

Substance Use

10.4% of adults in Mercer County smoke , 30.7% are obese , and 17.4% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 35.4 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#66
10.4%
-42.1%
vs nation
98th percentile
Adult Obesity#224
30.7%
-19.0%
vs nation
93th percentile
Excessive Drinking#678
17.4%
-12.3%
vs nation
79th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,416
35.4
+9.4%
vs nation
33th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Mercer County is 8.3 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 7.2 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 7.0 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#1,028
8.3
+3.6%
vs nation
33th percentile
Suicide Rate#28
7.2
-63.5%
vs nation
99th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#293
9.0
-49.5%
vs nation
88th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#100
7.0
-65.6%
vs nation
97th percentile

Families & Children

13.1% of children in Mercer County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 5.1 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 13.7 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#301
5.1
-25.3%
vs nation
78th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#771
13.7
-37.4%
vs nation
74th percentile
Child Poverty#794
13.1%
-31.0%
vs nation
75th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Mercer County is 70.4%. The mean commute time is 29.7 min, which is 7.6% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
70.4% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
29.7 min +7.6% vs nation
Rank #929 of 3,222
71th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Mercer County voted Democratic with a margin of 33.9%. The vote was 65.9% Dem / 32% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 6.1 toward Republicans .

2024 DEM +33.9%
65.9% 32%
Dem 163,270 votes Rep
2020 DEM +40.0%
69.1% 29.1%
Dem 177,223 votes Rep
2016 DEM +36.2%
66.3% 30.1%
Dem 141,332 votes Rep
2012 DEM +36.8%
67.8% 31%
Dem 139,064 votes Rep
2008 DEM +36.0%
67.4% 31.4%
Dem 160,039 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Mercer County, New Jersey

Mercer County, New Jersey has a total population of 385,864, making it the 193rd most populous county in the United States. The median age in Mercer County is 39.5 years, which is 1.5% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Mercer County is $100,645, which ranks #166 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 33.9% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 10.3%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 6.3%.

The median home value in Mercer County is $377,700, 34.0% above the national median. Renters in Mercer County pay a median gross rent of $1,623 per month. The homeownership rate is 62.2%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Mercer County, 45.4% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 34.8% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 92.1% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 29.7 min.

Mercer County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 42.7% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (23.1%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (17.9%).

All data for Mercer County, New Jersey comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.