New Jersey Sex Offender Statistics (2026)
As of August 2026, we index about 4,540 sex-offender registry records in New Jersey — the 36th-most of the 56 US jurisdictions, at 0.5 per 1,000 residents. These are counts of the records in our continuously updated index, rounded and dated — not New Jersey’s official figures.
New Jersey against the national average
Registrants we index, with the rate per 1,000 residents (2020 Census population). Neighboring jurisdictions are listed for scale; each links to its own statistics page.
| Jurisdiction | Registrants indexed (approx.) | Per 1,000 residents | Rank by count |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | ≈ 4,540 | 0.5 | 36th |
| United States (all 58 registries) | ≈ 1,560,000 | 4.7 | — |
| Delaware | ≈ 4,030 | 4.1 | 39th |
| New York | ≈ 28,300 | 1.4 | 9th |
| Pennsylvania | ≈ 25,400 | 2.0 | 12th |
Cite this: ≈4,540 sex-offender registry records indexed in New Jersey (0.5 per 1,000 residents) — Offendersearch, New Jersey Sex Offender Statistics (August 2026). https://offendersearch.app/sex-offender-statistics/new-jersey#headline
New Jersey at a glance
- About 4,540 registry records indexed, the 36th-largest count of the 56 US jurisdictions.
- That is under 1% of the registrants we index nationwide.
- 0.5 per 1,000 residents, about 90% below the national average of 4.7.
- 50th by rate per resident among jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records.
- Largest local count among the cities we publish pages for: Newark, about 704.
- Largest county count among the counties we publish pages for: Ocean County, about 88.
Against its neighbors
- New Jersey is about 88% below Delaware (0.5 vs 4.1 per 1,000).
- New Jersey is about 65% below New York (0.5 vs 1.4 per 1,000).
- New Jersey is about 75% below Pennsylvania (0.5 vs 2.0 per 1,000).
Where New Jersey ranks
New Jersey holds the 36th-largest count of registrants we index among the 56 US jurisdictions — just behind Idaho (≈5,360) and ahead of Massachusetts (≈4,180). New Jersey's rate of 0.5 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents ranks 50th among the US jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records, against a national average of about 4.7 per 1,000. New Jersey's rate is higher than 0 of its 3 neighboring jurisdictions in the table and lower than 3. Absolute size and per-capita rate order the states very differently — the full rankings are on the count ranking and the per-capita ranking.
Housing status (national estimate). No per-state housing figure is published here, because our housing data is a national sample estimate: across 6,668 sampled records nationwide, 5.7% of registrants with a known housing status were homeless or had no fixed address as of August 2026. That figure describes the country, not New Jersey — the breakdown is on the national statistics page.
Where New Jersey’s registrants live
The largest local counts among the New Jersey cities and counties we publish pages for, with the rate per 10,000 residents so places of different size compare fairly.
| City | Indexed | Per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Newark | ≈ 704 | 22.6 |
| Trenton | ≈ 305 | 33.6 |
| Paterson | ≈ 297 | 18.6 |
| Jersey City | ≈ 285 | 9.7 |
| Elizabeth | ≈ 140 | 10.2 |
| Edison | ≈ 33 | 3.1 |
| County | Indexed | Per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean County | ≈ 88 | 1.4 |
| Passaic County | ≈ 82 | 1.6 |
| Mercer County | ≈ 50 | 1.3 |
What these New Jersey numbers measure
Every figure on this page is a count of the registry records in our continuously updated index that carry a New Jersey address, rounded to three significant figures and dated to August 2026. Rates divide that rounded count by the 2020 Census population, so they describe scale, not precision to the last person. Local counts cover the cities and counties we publish pages for, not every town in the state.
Registry sizes are not a direct measure of risk. States set their own rules on who must register, for how long, and which registrants are shown to the public, so two states with similar populations can carry very different counts. Use the comparison for context, and a search for any question about a specific person or address.
New Jersey's registry publishes a full date of birth, so if you know the person's birthday a match can be confirmed precisely. With a common name, a matching date of birth is the fastest way to tell two people apart.
How to search New Jersey’s registry
New Jersey’s own public search is New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry, which covers New Jersey only. The official search is operated by a third-party notification vendor and runs one law-enforcement agency at a time rather than statewide in one query. A search here covers New Jersey and every other US registry in one pass, returns photographs and the official record link for each result, and can be narrowed to a city, county or ZIP — or run outward from a street address.
New Jersey registry search guide · Search by address · Alerts when someone moves in
New Jersey city figures
Cities where we publish a local count, largest first:
New Jersey county figures
New Jersey statistics, answered
How many registered sex offenders live in New Jersey?
As of August 2026, we index about 4,540 sex-offender registry records in New Jersey — the 36th-most of the 56 US jurisdictions. That is a count of the records in our continuously updated index, not New Jersey's official figure: registries add, remove and amend records all the time, so the live answer for a specific person comes from a search, not a table.
How many sex offenders does New Jersey have per capita?
About 0.5 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents, using the 2020 Census population as the denominator. New Jersey's rate of 0.5 registrants indexed per 1,000 residents ranks 50th among the US jurisdictions with at least 1,000 indexed records, against a national average of about 4.7 per 1,000. A rate describes the size of a registry relative to population — jurisdictions differ in who must register, for how long, and which registrants they publish, so it is a scale comparison rather than a safety measure.
Which New Jersey city has the most registered sex offenders?
Among the New Jersey cities we publish local pages for, Newark has the most registrants we index, at about 704, followed by Trenton (about 305). Big cities lead on raw counts because they have more people; the per-10,000 column is the fairer comparison.
Which New Jersey county has the most registered sex offenders?
Among the New Jersey counties we publish pages for, Ocean County has the most registrants we index, at about 88. Each county page breaks that figure down by city.
How does New Jersey compare with neighboring states?
New Jersey's rate is higher than 0 of its 3 neighboring jurisdictions in the table and lower than 3. Rates differ partly because states set different rules for who must register, for how long, and which registrants are shown publicly, so a neighbor comparison describes registry size relative to population rather than relative risk.
Where can I search New Jersey's sex offender registry?
New Jersey's own public search is New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry, which covers New Jersey only. A search here covers New Jersey and every other US registry at once, with photographs and links to each official record, and can be narrowed to a New Jersey city, county or ZIP.
Are these New Jersey's official registry numbers?
No — they are approximate counts of the registrants we index for New Jersey, rounded to three significant figures and dated to August 2026. Jurisdictions count different things (people, registrations, addresses) and publish on their own terms, so no single official national table exists. For a legal or research purpose that requires New Jersey's official figure, request it from the state registry authority.
Registry data is not a consumer report, and decisions made on it are regulated in that use.
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