Hudson County
County
View north on Hudson Waterfront
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of New Jersey
New Jersey's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°44′N 74°05′W / 40.73°N 74.08°W / 40.73; -74.08
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Founded	1840
Named for	Henry Hudson
Seat	Jersey City[1]
Largest city	Jersey City (population and area)
Government
• County executive	Craig Guy (D, term ends December 31, 2027)
Area [2]
• Total	62.35 sq mi (161.5 km2)
• Land	46.19 sq mi (119.6 km2)
• Water	16.15 sq mi (41.8 km2)  25.9%
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	724,854
• Estimate  (2023)[3][4]	705,472
• Density	15,691.5/sq mi (6,058.5/km2)
Congressional districts	8th, 9th, 10th
Website	www.hudsoncountynj.org

Hudson County is the smallest and most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609.^[5] Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in the New York metropolitan area, the county seat is Jersey City,^[1] which is the county's largest city in terms of both population and area. The county is part of the North Jersey region of the state.^[6][7]

As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's fourth-most-populous and fastest-growing county in the previous decade,^[8] with a population of 724,854,^[3][9] its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 90,588 (+14.3%) from the 2010 census count of 634,266,^[10] which in turn reflected an increase of 25,291 (+4.2%) from the 2000 census population of 608,975.^[11][12]

Home to 15,693 residents per square mile (6,130/km2) in 2020 and covering 46.19 square miles (119.6 km²) of land, Hudson County is New Jersey's geographically smallest and most densely populated county.^[10] Hudson County shares extensive mass transit connections with Manhattan, located across the Hudson River, as well as with most of Northern and Central New Jersey.

Geography and climate

Climate

The average temperature of Hudson County is 51.89 °F, which is approximately the same as the state average of 51.93 °F, and lower than the national average of 54.45 °F.^[13]

The county is located on the U.S. East Coast, approximately halfway between the Equator and the North Pole, which results in climate that is influenced by wet, dry, hot, and cold airstreams, and highly variable daily weather. Of New Jersey's five distinct climate regions, Hudson County is located in the Central region, which runs from New York Harbor and the Lower Hudson River to the great bend of the Delaware River near the state capital of Trenton. The high number of urban areas in this region are characterized by a high volume of industry and vehicular traffic that produce large amounts of pollutants. These substances, along with the large amounts of asphalt, brick, and concrete that compose buildings in the area, retain more atmospheric heat, which make it a regularly warmer "heat island" than surrounding suburban and rural areas. The northern border of the Central Zone is often the boundary between freezing and non-freezing precipitation in the winter, and between comfortable and comfortable sleeping conditions in the summer.^[14]

Hudson County experiences precipitation an average of 116 days a year, during which it receives an annual average of 48 inches of rain, compared to the national average of 38, and 26 inches of snow, compared to the national average of 28. The summer high temperature in July is about 86 degrees, and its winter low in January is 25. On average, there are 219 sunny days per year in the county, compared with the national average of 205.^[15]