Burlington County, New Jersey


Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by land area in New Jersey and ranks second behind neighboring Ocean County in total area. Its county seat is Mount Holly. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 11th-most-populous county, with a population of 461,860, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 13,126 from the 448,734 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn had reflected an increase of 25,340 from the 423,394 enumerated at the 2000 census. The United States Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program estimated a 2024 population of 475,515, an increase of 13,655 from the 2020 decennial census. The most populous place in the county was Evesham Township with 46,826 residents as of the 2020 census. Washington Township covered, the largest area of any municipality in the county. The county is part of the South Jersey region of the state.
Burlington County is located east of the Delaware River and borders Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-largest city. It is part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD combined statistical area, also known as the Delaware Valley. However, the county stretches across the state, and its southeast corner reaches tidal estuaries leading to New Jersey's Great Bay, which separates the county from the Atlantic Ocean.

Etymology

Anglo-European records of Burlington County date to 1681, when its court was established in the Province of West Jersey. The county was formed on May 17, 1694, "by the union of the first and second Tenths." The county was named for Bridlington, a town in England.

History

Burlington County, originally the seat of government for the Province of West Jersey, merged with East Jersey in 1702 to form the Province of New Jersey. At its inception, Burlington County was considerably larger but was subsequently partitioned to form additional counties in response to population growth. Specifically, in 1714, a partition to the north led to the creation of Hunterdon County. Hunterdon County itself was further divided over time, resulting in the formation of three additional counties: Morris, Sussex and Warren.
Initially, the county seat was in Burlington. However, as the population began to increase and spread toward the interior of the province, away from the Delaware River, a more central location became necessary. Consequently, the seat of government was relocated to Mount Holly in 1793.
The period of industrialization saw significant improvements in transportation within Burlington County, which in turn enhanced the profitability of its agricultural sector. Concurrently, a population surge in the coastal communities, fueled by flourishing international trade and ship repair industries, necessitated extensive road improvements throughout the county.

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, as of the 2020 Census, the county had a total area of, of which was land and was water.
Most of the county's land is coastal and alluvial plain, with little topographic relief. There are a few anomalous hills, such as Apple Pie Hill and Arney's Mount, the highest of the county and among the highest in South Jersey at approximately above sea level. The low point is sea level along the Delaware and Mullica rivers.
Most of the land is dotted with rivers, streams, and wetlands. Some of the largest and most important rivers in Burlington County include Rancocas Creek, Assiscunk Creek, Pennsauken Creek, Mullica River, Batsto River, and Wading River.
Average temperatures in the county seat of Mount Holly have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in February 1934 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in August. According to the Köppen climate classification, Burlington County has a humid subtropical climate, with relatively cool to cold winters and hot summers.
Severe weather is common in the warm months. Hurricanes have struck Burlington County on occasion, but tornadoes are uncommon. Severe thunderstorms, however, are common during the warm season. Snowfall is typical in the winter, with the snowfall averages in the county ranging from about 18 to 22 inches. The nearby Atlantic Ocean moderates Burlington County's climate, and rain is common year-round. The county seat receives about 41 inches of rain per year.
Another weather phenomenon that occurs in Burlington County is radiative cooling in the Pine Barrens, a large pine forest and reserve that takes up a good portion of Southern and Eastern Burlington County. Due to sandy soil, on clear and dry nights these areas might be colder than the surrounding areas, and there is a shorter frost-free season in these places. The sandy soil of the Pinelands loses heat much faster than the other soils or urban surfaces in the region, and so achieves a much lower temperature at night than the rest of the county. This effect is far less pronounced on moist, cloudy, or windy nights, as these three factors greatly reduce the radiative cooling of the sandy soil.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 461,860. The median age was 41.6 years. About 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.9 males age 18 and over. Additionally, 90.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 9.8% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 65.6% White, 16.8% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.5% from some other race, and 8.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.7% of the population.
There were 174,560 households in the county, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.08.
There were 184,775 housing units, of which 5.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.8% were owner-occupied and 26.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.0%.
The county's median household income was $88,797, and the median family income was $105,488. About 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 448,734 people, 166,318 households, and 117,254 families in the county. The population density was. There were 175,615 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup was 73.84% White, 16.60% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 4.32% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.05% from other races, and 2.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.42% of the population.

Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis calculated that the county's gross domestic product was $27.4 billion in 2021, which was ranked 10th in the state and was a 5.9% increase from the prior year.
In 2015, the county had a per capita personal income of $55,227, the tenth-highest in New Jersey and ranked 228th of 3,113 counties in the United States. The Bureau of Economic Analysis ranked the county as having the 158th-highest per capita income of all 3,113 counties in the United States as of 2009.

Government

County government

Burlington County is governed by a board of county commissioners composed of five members elected at-large by the voters in partisan elections that serve staggered three-year terms, with one or two seats up for election each year in a three-year cycle. Burlington County Board of County Commissioners have both administrative and policy-making powers. Each Burlington County Commissioner oversees a particular area of service: Administration & Natural Resources; Education & Justice; Public Works & Veteran Services; Public Safety & Health and Human Services; and Hospital and Medical Services & Elections. In 2016, commissioners were paid $10,553 and the commissioner director was paid an annual salary of $11,553; the commissioner salaries are the lowest of the state's 21 counties.
, Burlington County's Commissioners are :
CommissionerParty, Residence, Term
Director Felicia HopsonD, Willingboro Township, 2027
Deputy Director Tom PullionD, Edgewater Park, 2026
Tyler BurrellD, Delran Township, 2027
Allison EckelD, Medford, 2025
Balvir SinghD, Burlington Township, 2026

Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the New Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers." These officers are the County Clerk and County Surrogate and the County Sheriff. Burlington County's Constitutional Officers are:
TitleRepresentative
County ClerkJoanne Schwartz
SheriffJames H. Kostoplis
SurrogateBrian J. Carlin

The Burlington County Prosecutor is LaChia L. Bradshaw of the Columbus section of Mansfield Township who was nominated by Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy and sworn into office in July 2022 after confirmation by the New Jersey Senate. Burlington County constitutes Vicinage 3 of the New Jersey Superior Court and is seated at the Burlington County Courts Facility and County Office Building in Mount Holly, with additional space in the Olde Courthouse and Rancocas Building, also in Mount Holly; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 3 is Ronald E. Bookbinder.
In the 2012 general election, Democrats Aimee Belgard and Joanne Schwartz won the election as Freeholders over Republican incumbents Bruce Garganio and Mary Ann O'Brien, despite being outspent by a six-to-one margin. However, in 2014, both Garganio and O'Brien were successful in winning back seats on the Freeholder board, while Aimee Belgard lost her bid for U.S. Congress, losing the popular vote in both Ocean and Burlington counties. In 2015, Republican newcomers Kate Gibbs and Ryan Peters ousted Belgard and Schwartz, again giving the Republican Party full control on the Freeholder Board. In 2017, Democratic newcomers Tom Pullion and Balvir Singh defeated Republican incumbents Bruce Garganio and Linda Hughes, winning the county election for Democrats for the first time in a non-presidential election year in decades.
In 2018, Democrat Joanne Schwartz defeated Republican incumbent Tim Tyler in the County Clerk election. In the freeholder elections, Democrats Felicia Hopson and George Youngkin defeated Republican incumbents Kate Gibbs and Linda Hughes. This gave Democrats a 4-1 majority, gaining control of the Freeholder Board for the first time since 1975. George Youngkin won despite having suspended his campaign due to a past domestic violence charge that was later dropped. He resigned on January 2, the day after being sworn in. Democrats appointed Daniel J. O’Connell to replace him, until a special election could be held on November 5, 2019. In 2019, Democrat Anthony Basantis defeated Republican Michael Ditzel in the Sheriff election, replacing retired Republican Sheriff Jean Stanfield, who was elected to the State Assembly. In the regular election for one freeholder position, Democrat Linda A. Hynes defeated Republican Incumbent Latham Tiver. In the special election for the remaining 2 years of George Youngkin's term, incumbent Democrat Daniel J. O’Connell, who had originally been appointed to the seat, defeated Republican Lee Schneider. The election gave Democrats control over every county-wide office, except the Surrogate, which they won in 2021. Republicans have not won a county-wide race since 2016. However, the majority of Burlington County's state legislators are still Republicans.
In April 2022, Allison Eckel was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that became vacant after Linda Hynes resigned to take office as a New Jersey Superior Court judge. The following month, Burlington County Republicans filed suit, claiming that Eckel should be removed from office and the seat left vacant until November 2022, because the statutory timeline for the appointment was not followed.

Federal representatives

Two federal Congressional Districts cover the county. Most of the county is in the 3rd District, with a sliver in the west being in the 1st District.

State representatives

The 40 municipalities of Burlington County are part of four separate legislative districts.
DistrictSenatorAssemblyMunicipalities
6thJames Beach (D)Louis Greenwald
Melinda Kane
Maple Shade Township. The remainder of this district covers portions of Camden County.
7thTroy Singleton Balvir Singh
Carol A. Murphy
Beverly, Bordentown City, Bordentown Township, Burlington City, Burlington Township, Cinnaminson Township, Delanco Township, Delran Township, Edgewater Park, Fieldsboro, Florence Township, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Palmyra Borough, Riverside, Riverton and Willingboro.
8thLatham Tiver Brandon Umba
Andrea Katz
Bass River Township, Chesterfield Township, Eastampton Township, Evesham Township, Hainesport Township, Lumberton, Mansfield Township, Medford, Medford Lakes, Mount Holly, New Hanover, Pemberton Borough, Pemberton Township, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Springfield Township, Tabernacle Township, Washington Township, Westampton, Woodland Township, and Wrightstown. The remainder of this district covers portions of Atlantic County.
12thOwen Henry Alex Sauickie
Robert D. Clifton
North Hanover. The remainder of this district covers portions of Middlesex County, Monmouth County and Ocean County.

Law enforcement

The Burlington County Sheriff's Department is headed by a sheriff elected to a three-year term. The sheriff is James H. Kostoplis, elected in 2023. It is a member of the New York-New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force. The department has an Administrative Bureau, Operations Bureau and a Courts Bureau. An Undersheriff heads the Administrative Bureau and includes a Chief Warrant Officer, Sheriff's Lieutenant, two Sheriff's Sergeants, Sheriff's Officers and a cadre of civilian staff. The Administrative Bureau includes Community Outreach, Recruiting, Civil Process, and Internal Affairs. The Operations Bureau is headed by an undersheriff and includes a Sheriff's Sergeant. The Operations Bureau includes the Warrant/Fugitive Section, K9 Operations, Patrol, Emergency Services Unit, and Special Operations. The Courts Division is headed by an undersheriff and includes a sheriff's officer, a lieutenant, two sergeants and Sheriff's officers. This section provides security to the courts and the State Judiciary. Notable former sheriffs include William Norton Shinn, Samuel A. Dobbins, and Jean Stanfield.
The county is also home to the majority of megabase, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, the entire Air Force Activity / Headquarters of JB MDL McGuire Air Force Base, and all of the main portions of the Army Support Activity, Fort Dix and most training grounds/shooting ranges lie within the county borders in New Hanover, North Hanover, Pemberton, and Springfield townships.

Politics

While historically a swing county in federal elections until the 1990s, in state and local politics, Burlington County was a bastion of moderate suburban conservatism into the mid-2010s, however since the victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential election, Burlington County has become reliably Democratic on all levels in recent years, including in more affluent communities that have developed new residential areas, such as Medford, Mount Laurel, Moorestown, and Evesham Township that once leaned more to the Republicans. Burlington County has closely matched statewide totals in recent presidential, senatorial, and gubernatorial elections, making it an important bellwether.
As of October 1, 2021, there were a total of 353,613 registered voters in Burlington County, of whom 139,745 were registered as Democrats, 90,754 were registered as Republicans and 118,992 were registered as unaffiliated. There were 4,122 voters registered to other parties. Among the county's 2010 Census population, 65.2% were registered to vote, included 76.8% of those ages 18 and over.

Municipalities

Municipalities have their own municipal courts, which handle traffic and minor criminal and civil matters, and the New Jersey Superior Court handles more serious cases. The 40 municipalities in Burlington County are:
MunicipalityMap keyMun.
type
Pop.Housing
units
Total
area
Water
area
Land
area
Pop.
density
Housing
density
School districtCommunities
Bass River
Township
10township1,35558778.273.2275.0419.27.8Pinelands
Bass River
Harrisville
New Gretna CDP
Beverly3city2,4991,0860.780.230.554,645.41,957.7Palmyra
Beverly
Bordentown6city3,9932,0140.970.040.934,222.32,167.1Bordentown
Bordentown
Township
28township11,7914,3609.330.828.511,335.0512.1Bordentown
Burlington4city9,7434,2233.780.723.063,239.11,378.9Burlington City
Burlington
Township
31township23,9838,10513.980.5613.421,684.2604.2Burlington Township
Chesterfield27township9,4221,60121.520.1921.33360.975.0Northern Burlco
Chesterfield
Crosswicks CDP
Davisville
Cinnaminson39township17,0645,7588.060.567.502,074.5767.2Cinnaminson
Delanco35township4,8241,8533.350.992.361,817.9786.5Riverside
Delanco
Delran37township17,8826,4427.210.626.592,563.4977.4DelranBridgeboro
Eastampton23township6,1912,3805.830.085.751,055.6414.0Rancocas Valley
Eastampton
Edgewater Park34township8,9303,9263.040.152.893,068.81,356.6Burlington City
Edgewater Park
Evesham18township46,82618,30329.710.4229.281,555.1625.0Lenape
Evesham
Cropwell
Marlton CDP
Fieldsboro5borough5262210.270.000.272,007.7821.7Bordentown
Florence
Township
30township12,8125,05310.180.409.781,238.1516.6FlorenceFlorence CDP
Roebling CDP
Hainesport20township6,0352,3056.720.266.46945.9356.8Rancocas Valley
Hainesport
Lumberton21township12,8034,71913.060.1312.92971.7365.1Rancocas Valley
Lumberton
Eayrestown
Fostertown
Mansfield
Township
29township8,8973,52921.910.1721.74393.0162.3Northern Burlco
Mansfield
Columbus
Georgetown
Hedding
Kinkora
Maple Shade40township19,9809,1863.820.003.825,006.12,403.7Maple Shade
Medford17township24,4978,65239.931.0138.92591.8222.3Lenape
Medford
Chairville
Medford Lakes9borough4,2641,5431.290.131.163,569.51,328.4Lenape
Medford Lakes
Moorestown38township21,3557,86214.920.2314.691,410.6535.1MoorestownMoorestown-Lenola CDP
Mount Holly22township9,9813,8612.850.052.813,397.91,375.8Rancocas Valley
Mount Holly
Mount Laurel19township44,63318,24921.970.2821.691,930.0841.3Lenape
Mount Laurel
Fellowship
Hartford
Masonville
Ramblewood CDP
Rancocas Woods
New Hanover
Township
25township6,36761322.400.2222.18333.027.6Bordentown
New Hanover
Cookstown CDP
Fort Dix CDP
McGuire Air Force Base CDP
North Hanover
Township
26township7,9633,37017.420.1417.28444.2195.0Northern Burlco
North Hanover
Arneytown
Jacobstown
McGuire Air Force Base CDP
Palmyra1borough7,4383,3922.550.691.863,968.41,819.5Palmyra
Pemberton Borough8borough1,3716420.600.020.582,408.71,097.5Pemberton Township
Pemberton
Township
15township26,90310,74962.501.2261.28455.5175.4Pemberton TownshipBirmingham
Browns Mills CDP
Browns Mills Junction
Comical Corner
Country Lake Estates CDP
Fort Dix CDP
New Lisbon
Ong's Hat
Pemberton Heights CDP
Presidential Lakes Estates CDP
Riverside36township8,0033,1471.610.121.495,425.92,113.5Riverside
Riverton2borough2,7641,1120.970.300.664,179.41,672.3Palmyra
Riverton
Shamong12township6,4602,22744.990.6044.39146.250.2Lenape
Shamong
Atsion
High Crossing
Southampton16township10,3175,02444.220.5643.67239.6115.1Lenape
Southampton
Beaverville
Buddtown
Burrs Mill
Chairville
Ewansville
Leisuretowne CDP
Retreat
Vincentown CDP
Springfield24township3,2451,21730.000.0629.94114.040.6Northern Burlco
Springfield
Arneys Mount
Fort Dix CDP
Jacksonville
Juilustown CDP
Jobstown CDP
Tabernacle13township6,7762,44549.610.4949.12141.549.8Lenape
Tabernacle
Washington
Township
11township693284102.713.1899.526.92.9Greater Egg Harbor
Washington
Batsto
Green Bank
Westampton32township9,1213,29111.190.1711.03799.4298.5Rancocas Valley
Westampton
Rancocas
Timbuctoo
Willingboro33township31,88911,4428.150.417.744,087.31,478.6Willingboro
Woodland
Township
14township1,54449496.391.8394.5618.95.2Lenape
Woodland
Bullock
Chatsworth
Wrightstown7borough7203481.770.001.77453.6196.8Bordentown
New Hanover
Burlington Countycounty461,860175,615819.8421.26798.58561.9219.9

Historical municipalities

Education

Tertiary education

Rowan College at Burlington County is a two-year public community college serving students from Burlington County. The school, located at campuses in Mount Laurel and Mount Holly, was founded in 1966 and opened to students in 1969.

K-12 schools

School districts in Burlington County include:
K-12:
;Secondary:
;Elementary:
;Non-operating
The U.S. Census Bureau lists Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington County as having its own school district. Students attend area school district public schools, as the Department of Defense Education Activity does not operate any schools on that base. Students on-post in the McGuire and Dix areas may attend one of the following in their grade levels, with all siblings in a family taking the same choice: North Hanover Township, Northern Burlington County Regional, and Pemberton Township.

Libraries

The Burlington County Library became the first county library in New Jersey when it was established in 1921 in Mount Holly. Library service grew in popularity and several moves ensued as more space became a necessity. By 1971, a new headquarters facility had been constructed, Cinnaminson Township and Bordentown had joined the system as branches, and a bookmobile visited areas without local facilities. Medford and Evesham Township had joined the system by 1975. The Pemberton Township Branch joined the system in 1987. Maple Shade Township became a branch in April 2001 while Riverton, the newest branch, joined in December 2003. With a larger network of nine additional member libraries, the system provides a range of services to its residents.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the county had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the local municipality, by Burlington County, by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, by the Burlington County Bridge Commission and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
A variety of major routes were constructed through Burlington County. Major county roads include County Route 528, County Route 530, County Route 532, County Route 534, County Route 537, County Route 541, County Route 542, County Route 543, County Route 544, County Route 545 and County Route 563. State Routes that pass through are Route 38, Route 68, Route 70, Route 72, Route 73, Route 90, and Route 413. U.S. Routes that traverse are U.S. Route 9, U.S. Route 130 and U.S. Route 206. Limited access roads include the Garden State Parkway, Interstate 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike.
The turnpike extends through the county for approximately from Cherry Hill in Camden County to Hamilton Township in Mercer County.
The county has five Turnpike interchanges: Exit 4 in Mount Laurel, Exit 5 in Westampton, Exit 6A in Florence Township, Exit 6 in Mansfield Township, and Exit 7 in Bordentown Township.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority has widened the Parkway to three lanes in each direction from exit 80 in South Toms River, Ocean County to exit 30 in Somers Point, Atlantic County, which included widening of bridges at several river crossings. The Authority extended the 'dual-dual' configuration on the turnpike south to Exit 6 from its former end at Exit 8A in Monroe Township, Middlesex County. This was finished in early November 2014.

Bridges

The Burlington County Bridge Commission maintains the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge and the Burlington–Bristol Bridge, both of which cross the Delaware River. The agency also maintains several bridges along CR 543, including the Riverside–Delanco Bridge over the Rancocas Creek.
The Tacony–Palmyra Bridge is a combination steel tied arch and double-leaf bascule bridge across the Delaware River that connects New Jersey Route 73 in Palmyra with Pennsylvania Route 73 in the Tacony section of Philadelphia. Designed by architect Ralph Modjeski, the bridge is long and spans. After 18 months of construction, the bridge opened in 1929, replacing ferry service that had operated between the two places since 1922.
The Burlington–Bristol Bridge is a truss bridge with a lift span crossing the Delaware River from Burlington to Bristol Township, Pennsylvania. Construction of the bridge started on April 1, 1930, and the bridge opened to traffic on May 2, 1931. The two-lane bridge is long; The lift span is long.
The 13.5 million toll-paying trips on the Burlington–Bristol and Tacony–Palmyra bridges and the per-car toll of $4 for cars heading into Pennsylvania generated $51 million in revenue in 2016.
The Riverside–Delanco Bridge is a truss bridge with a central swing span that carries County Route 543 across the Rancocas Creek, between Riverside Township and Delanco Township. The current bridge was built in 1934–1935 to replace the 1901 bridge, which itself replaced an 1870 structure.

Public transportation

The River Line is a diesel light-rail system operated for NJ Transit by the Southern New Jersey Rail Group on a former Pennsylvania Railroad line between the Trenton Transit Center in Trenton and the Walter Rand Transportation Center and other stations in Camden, with 11 stations in the county.
NJ Transit operates bus service into Philadelphia on the following routes; 317, 406, 409 414, and 417 routes, and into Camden only on the following routes; 407, 413, 418, 419 and 457; and to Atlantic City on the 559 route.
Academy Bus Lines operates buses from Mount Holly, Mount Laurel, Westampton and Willingboro Township to New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan as well as the Wall Street area of Lower Manhattan.
The BurLink bus service provides three routes, under service funded by the county and operated by Stout's Transportation, providing connections to NJ Transit's bus and rail service.

Wineries