Economic Indicators Report The Ironbound Community Newark, New Jersey

The Ironbound community in Newark, New Jersey, is a vibrant immigrant neighborhood facing significant economic distress, characterized by low median household incomes, high housing cost burdens, and a job market dominated by low-paying service and logistics roles. While employment and average wages have grown since 2015, the community suffers from a mismatch where high-paying jobs are largely filled by non-resident commuters, and residents often work in low-barrier 'Tier 3' occupations that do not provide a living wage. The area also faces environmental burdens from chemical contamination and diesel truck traffic, compounding the social and economic isolation of its residents.

• The Ironbound community is characterized by a high proportion of immigrants and multilingual residents; 39 percent of the 69,400 residents are non-U.S. citizens and 16 percent are naturalized U.S. citizens.
• Ironbound exhibits high levels of economic distress compared to New Jersey, primarily driven by high poverty levels, joblessness, and uninsured rates, with the highest distress found in areas bordered by Interstate 95 and US-1 Local highways.
• Median annual household incomes in Ironbound are significantly lower than state and national averages, with North Ironbound at $48,863 and South Ironbound at $25,042, both of which fall below the living wage for two-child families in Essex County.
• Housing affordability is a major challenge, with 48 percent of both renters and homeowners spending at least 35 percent of their income on housing costs.
• There is a significant mismatch between local residents and the available job market; non-resident workers outnumber resident workers by at least three to one, and residents frequently commute out of the region for lower-paying jobs.
• The local economy is dominated by the Tourism, Hospitality, and Recreation and Logistics industry clusters, which provide the most jobs but often fail to meet the annual salary standards required to sustain local families.
• Job quality is generally low, with 50 percent of jobs categorized as 'Tier 3' (lowest paying, lowest barrier to entry). While overall employment grew by 8.5 percent between 2021 and 2022, this growth was largely driven by these low-paying Tier 3 roles.
• Educational attainment in the community is low, with 75 percent of residents holding a high school diploma or less, and only 12 percent holding a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 42 percent for New Jersey residents.
• The community faces severe environmental and health burdens resulting from a history of chemical manufacturing and current heavy diesel truck traffic serving the Port of Newark.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2024). Economic Indicators Report The Ironbound Community Newark, New Jersey. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/12131555/ironbound-economic-report.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Economic Indicators Report The Ironbound Community Newark, New Jersey. 2024. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/12131555/ironbound-economic-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Economic Indicators Report The Ironbound Community Newark, New Jersey |date=June 2024 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/12131555/ironbound-economic-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2024economic, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Economic Indicators Report The Ironbound Community Newark, New Jersey}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2024}, month = jun, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/12131555/ironbound-economic-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }