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Bars in New Jersey

How many bars exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 18 New Jersey counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Bars & taverns · Pubs & brewpubs (drinking-focused) · Cocktail & wine bars · Taprooms. Counted together because official statistics use one 722410 code.

State verdict (covered counties): Well below the U.S. rate — 45% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in New Jersey

Bars

495

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

0.5

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

1.0

per 10,000 present

State index

45%

vs. U.S.

Residents

9,064,682

in covered counties

Workers

3,583,057

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 18 New Jersey counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing bars and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in New Jersey

City	County	Bars	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Jersey City	Hudson County	89–105	718,323	250,911	1.1	105–114%	Above average
Wayne	Passaic County	48–102	531,700	145,770	0.8	79–141%	Range spans bands
Vineland	Cumberland County	13–43	156,846	48,353	0.7	71–214%	Range spans bands
Atlantic City	Atlantic County	23–77	273,874	107,989	0.7	70–209%	Range spans bands
Newark	Essex County	62–110	863,415	293,932	0.6	61–102%	Range spans bands
Union	Union County	42–86	602,051	207,358	0.6	59–110%	Range spans bands
Freehold	Monmouth County	46–136	661,305	260,563	0.6	58–155%	Range spans bands
Princeton	Mercer County	23–73	395,671	210,496	0.5	46–117%	Range spans bands
Camden	Camden County	29–89	542,442	196,253	0.5	45–125%	Range spans bands
Edison	Middlesex County	47–119	863,519	412,014	0.4	44–97%	Range spans bands
Parsippany	Morris County	17–117	492,888	294,077	0.3	26–166%	Range spans bands
Newton	Sussex County	4–50	147,069	29,529	0.2	25–233%	Range spans bands
Mount Laurel	Burlington County	11–71	463,909	198,662	0.2	19–125%	Range spans bands
Flemington	Hunterdon County	3–55	133,199	43,352	0.2	19–262%	Range spans bands
Lakewood	Ocean County	13–69	653,364	171,260	0.2	17–87%	Range spans bands
Somerset	Somerset County	6–60	314,362	174,691	0.1	15–128%	Range spans bands
Paramus	Bergen County	16–148	962,316	439,299	0.1	13–117%	Range spans bands
Swedesboro	Gloucester County	3–51	288,429	98,548	0.1	9–150%	Range spans bands

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

105%

79%

71%

70%

61%

59%

58%

46%

Most competitors per capita

13%

15%

17%

19%

19%

25%

26%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few bars may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.