Census-designated place · Essex County, New Jersey

Watsessing, New Jersey

Watsessing is a census-designated place in Essex County, New Jersey, part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. It has 8,232 residents. Watsessing, New Jersey has a quality-of-life score of 76 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,833 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Jersey it ranks #329 of 552 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an emergency room (low), distance to an airport (low) and depression (low). It ranks worst on effective property tax rate (high), average commute time (high) and child care cost burden (high).

76High

Quality-of-life score: #3,833 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Jersey: #329 of 552 in NJ
Population: 8,232 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 13,305.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 3477750

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety48#8,102/15,637
Economy73#4,151/15,631
Housing47#7,988/14,977
Health85#2,319/15,609
Healthcare74#4,004/15,650
Environment50#7,779/15,453
Education72#4,395/15,649
Infrastructure77#3,534/15,650
Community60#6,321/15,651
Leisure & amenities59#6,440/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Watsessing, New Jersey ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Essex County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Distance to an emergency room · low1.5 mi
100/100New Jersey 3.9 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesEssex County value
Distance to an airport · low6 mi
100/100New Jersey 21 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauEssex County value
Depression · low14.9%
99/100New Jersey 15.6%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Public transit commuters · high12.4%
98/100New Jersey 8.1%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Distance to an Amtrak station · low4 mi
98/100New Jersey 11 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauEssex County value
Access to exercise opportunities · high99.5%
98/100New Jersey 95.9%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEssex County value

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high2.69%
1/100New Jersey 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Average commute time · high33.6 min
6/100New Jersey 30.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Child care cost burden · high41.0%
7/100New Jersey 34.2%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEssex County value
Comfortable days · low23.6%
16/100New Jersey 24.9%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationEssex County value
Voter turnout · low57.9%
17/100New Jersey 67.2%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionEssex County value
Drug overdose deaths · high24.6 /100k
18/100New Jersey 15.8 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataEssex County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
7,094 (2016-2020) → 8,232 (2020-2024)
+16%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Public transit commutersWorsening
25.1% (2016-2020) → 12.4% (2020-2024)
−13 pts4 yearsCensus table B08301US 4.6% → 3.2%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
49.6% (2016-2020) → 40.4% (2020-2024)
−9.2 pts4 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.1% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$72,681 (2016-2020) → $103,378 (2020-2024)
+42%4 yearsCensus table B19013US $67,340 → $81,604
Child poverty rateImproving
11.0% (2016-2020) → 6.2% (2020-2024)
−4.7 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 15.7% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
29.8% (2016-2020) → 26.9% (2020-2024)
−2.9 pts4 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.6% → 30.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

There is not enough history to compare Watsessing, New Jersey over five years.

Cities and towns like Watsessing, New Jersey five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Watsessing, New Jersey in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Watsessing, New Jersey five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

8,232 residents (±765)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

8,232 residents (±765)

Watsessing, New Jersey
New Jersey share

White30%2,432
Black30%2,434
Hispanic or Latino23%†1,901

Education

6,027 residents (±496)

Watsessing, New Jersey
New Jersey share

No high school diploma8.6%†521
High school or GED18%1,064
Some college12%743

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,626 households (±317)

Watsessing, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $25k9.8%†354
$25k–50k9.6%†348
$50k–75k15%†530
$75k–100k15%535
$100k–150k25%896
$150k–200k11%†396
$200k or more16%†567

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,626 households (±317)

Watsessing, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Own32%1,157
Rent68%2,469

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

2,308 households (±343)

Watsessing, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $7503.9%†91
$750–1,0005.5%†128
$1,000–1,50019%†443

Home values

1,157 homes (±219)

Watsessing, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $150k2.2%†25
$150k–250k2.5%†29
$250k–400k30%†350

Age of homes

3,677 homes (±322)

Watsessing, New Jersey
New Jersey share

2010 or later20%725
2000–20093.9%†143
1980–19995.4%†197

Size of homes

3,677 homes (±322)

Watsessing, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Studio11%†396
1 bedroom28%1,017
2 bedrooms30%1,117

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

5,360 workers (±658)

Watsessing, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Drive alone50%2,666
Carpool7.8%†418
Public transit12%†663
Walk2.8%†149
Bike0.0%0
Work from home27%1,429
Other0.7%†35

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

3,931 workers (±563)

Watsessing, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under 15 min9.3%†365
15–29 min30%1,195
30–44 min36%1,418

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Essex County, the county holding most of Watsessing's residents.

Essex County has 19,392 employer establishments, 223 for every 10,000 residents (0.90× the US rate of 248; 0.88× New Jersey's), with 295,575 paid employees at an average annual pay of $75,582. The Census Bureau also counts 92,261 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 19,392; 92,261 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 223; US 248 · New Jersey 253
Paid employees: 295,575
Average annual pay: $75,582; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Essex County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	1,941	22.3	1.07×About typical	20,823	$65,526	4,826
Restaurants and other eating places	1,460	16.8	0.91×About typical	17,661	$27,354	624
Specialty trade contractors	954	11	0.71×Fewer than typical	7,789	$77,484	3,580
Lessors of real estate	924	10.6	0.86×About typical	4,340	$61,328	9,842
Construction of buildings	753	8.6	1.14×About typical	3,198	$70,189	2,615
Offices of physicians	743	8.5	1.32×More than typical	6,049	$104,182	826
Limited-service restaurants	626	7.2	0.90×About typical	7,551	$23,151	239
Full-service restaurants	622	7.1	0.93×About typical	8,361	$32,364	265
Personal care services	587	6.7	1.41×More than typical	2,965	$26,829	4,342
Legal services	574	6.6	1.23×About typical	5,890	$150,118	976
Truck transportation	501	5.8	1.14×About typical	4,080	$60,198	2,692
Management, scientific and technical consulting	470	5.4	0.80×About typical	2,922	$104,779	3,541

Rank places for an industry Open Essex County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 871,153 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $97.3K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Watsessing, New Jersey: $11.82 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $97.3K; +76% vs FY2025
Per resident: $11.82; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 58%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$43K44%
Departmental Offices$21.5K22%
Defense Logistics Agency$20.4K21%
Federal Prison Industries / Unicor$7,0027.2%
United States Mint$3,0243.1%
Agricultural Research Service$2,3652.4%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

86.7KFY2017
46KFY2018
67.2KFY2019
45.8KFY2020
103.7KFY2021
58.7KFY2022
95.8KFY2023
81KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$43K44%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$24.5K25%
Hardware manufacturing · 3325$6,5626.7%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$5,4895.6%
Fabric mills · 3132$3,5363.6%
Textile and fabric finishing and fabric coating mills · 3133$3,466

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Watsessing, New Jersey, so they do not add up across cities.

Watsessing, New Jersey's figures are part of those of Essex County, NJ ($771.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Watsessing is mostly in Essex County.

See federal money in Essex County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Watsessing, New Jersey is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Essex County63100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ68

Other cities and towns in Essex County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3477750

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Cities and towns like Watsessing, New Jersey five years ago that improved