View the full Camden County Spotlight (PDF File)
Report Preview
Population
The population of Camden County declined by 0.5 percent from 2010 to 2015, dropping from 513,678 to 510,923.
Race and Ethnicity
• White: 65.4%
• Black: 21.3 %
• Asian: 6.2 %
• Hispanic: 15.4 %
• Two or more races: 3.0 %
• Other: 9.4 %
Registered Voters and Turnout
As of 2016, 44 percent of Camden County’s registered voters are Democrats, 14 percent are Republicans and 41 percent are Unaffiliated. In both 2012 and 2016, Camden County’s voter turnout (60 percent both years) was lower than the regions and New Jersey. The 2012 voter turnout in South Jersey and New Jersey was 67%, while the 2016 turnout was 68 and 69 percent respectively.
Highest Level of Educational Attainment (people 25 years or older)
• Non High School Graduated: 11.2%
• High School Graduate: 29.9%
• Some College, No Degree: 20.1%
• Associate’s Degree: 7.0%
• Bachelor’s Degree: 20.2%
• Graduated or Professional Degree: 11.7%
Projected Employment Change by Sector, 2014-2024 (percent change)
Highest Increases:
• Management of Companies and Enterprises: 25.8%
• Utilities: 22.6%
• Construction: 17.6%
• Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation: 16.3%
• Administrative and Waste Services: 10.9%
Largest Decreases:
• Finance and Insurance: -16.4 %
• Manufacturing: -8.7 %
• Information: -6.8 %
• Government: -5.8%
Unemployment Rate
Camden County’s unemployment rate has seen a steady decline between 2014 and 2016, going from 7.7 percent to 4.6 percent. Comparably, the downward trend in unemployment rates matches that of the region (8.0% to 4.9%), New Jersey (6.7% to 4.1%), and the nation (6.2% to 4.9%). Camden County’s unemployment rate was lower than the regions but higher than the state from 2014 to 2016.
Poverty Rate
The poverty rate in Camden County has decreased from 15.0 percent in 2013 to 13.2 percent in 2015. Despite the improvement, it has remained in the double digits over the period, and considerably higher than the rates for the region and that of the state, both exhibiting considerable improvement between 2013 and 2015 (12.1 to 11.0 percent, and 11.4 to 10.8 percent).
Median Household Income (in current dollars)
The median household income for Camden County has increased between 2013 and 2015. In 2013 the median household income was $58,006, rising to $62,330 in 2014, and reaching a 3-year high of $65,025 in 2015. Camden County’s median household income was lower than New Jersey and the regions from 2013 to 2015. New Jersey’s median household income from 2013 to 2015 was $70,165, $71.919, and $72,222. The average median household income in South Jersey counties from 2013 to 2015 was $60,949, $62,689 in 2014, and $64,059.
Crime
The nonviolent crime rate in Camden County decreased from 32.0 to 26.5 from 2010 to 2014. In addition, there were decreases in the violent crime rate (6.0 to 5.0) and total crime rate (38 to 30). Camden County’s crime rates far outpaced New Jersey’s in 2014. New Jersey’s crime rates in 2014 were: nonviolent rate of 17.0; violent rate of 3.0; and total crime rate of 20.0.
Land Use
In 2015, Camden County had a much higher non-residential parcel value as a percentage of total value than the average New Jersey county (21.5 to 4.2 percent).
Housing Affordability (paying 30% or more of income on housing cost)
In 2015, 36.5 percent of homeowners in Camden County lived in housing that was unaffordable, lower than South Jersey (40.1 percent) and New Jersey (43.6 percent) homeowners. The percentage of renters who paid 30 percent or more of their income on housing cost was 56.5 higher than the region (55.8 percent) and the state (53.9 percent).
Foreclosure Rates
As of April 2016, the foreclosure rate in Camden County was 3.6 percent, higher than both the region (2.7 percent) and the state (2.5 percent).
Median Housing Value
The median housing value in Camden County was $189,900 in 2013, climbed to $194,300 by 2014, but then dipped back down slightly to $193,800 in 2015. In 2013 the average median housing value of South Jersey counties was $221,313 and dropped to $220,463 the next year before increasing to $225,725 in 2015. The median housing value in New Jersey increased every year between 2013 and 2015 and is much higher than both Camden County and the South Jersey region ($307,700, $313,200, and $322,600).
Property Tax
The average property tax paid in Camden County was $5,957.31in 2013, rising marginally to $6,098.60 in 2014, and even further to $6,198.70 in 2015. The average property tax paid in the South Jersey region increased every year between 2013 and 2015 ($5,373.66, $5,534.44, and $5,662.40). The amount paid on average in New Jersey in 2013 was $7,408.36, and increased to $7,592.25 in 2014 and $8,353.45 in 2015.
Housing Occupancy
Camden County has a 90 percent occupancy rate with 63 percent of its unit’s owner-occupied and 37 percent renter-occupied.
Kids Count Rankings
From 2015 to 2016 Camden County rankings in child poverty improved from 15th to 14th while a decrease in juvenile arrest rate led to a jump in rankings from 20th to 18th among New Jersey counties. The county it dropped from 18th to 19th in the percentage of births to girls 10-19 and 19th to 20th in infant mortality rate. The county’s overall Kids Count rankings in 2013 was 16th, dropped to 18th in 2014 before improving to 17th in 2015 and 2015.
County Health Rankings
Health Outcomes Rankings
In the category of Health Outcomes (based on variables used to determine length and quality of life), Camden County was ranked 17th in 2014, then dropped to 19th in both 2015 and 2016.
Health Factors Rankings
In the category of Health Factors (based on variables used to determine health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment), Camden County was ranked 16th in 2014, then dropped one position to 17th in 2015 before ranking 15th in 2016.
Social and Economic Factors Rankings
In the category of Social and Economic Factors Rankings (based on high school graduation, some college, unemployment, children in poverty, income inequality, children in single-parent households, social association, violent crime, and injury deaths), Camden County was ranked 16th in both 2014 and 2015, and then improved to 15th in 2016.