The most populous municipality isVineland, which had a 2020 population of 60,780;[4] the largest municipality by area isMaurice River Township, which covered 95.76 square miles (248.0 km2).[12]
The county is named forPrince William, Duke of Cumberland who is best remembered for his role in putting down the Jacobite Rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, which made him immensely popular throughout parts of Britain.
The first people to populate Cumberland County were early descendants of theLenape, also known as the Delaware, who include allNative American people who have lived in New Jersey[15] Water sources such as theCohansey River andMaurice River made Cumberland County a resourceful environment for early native groups to utilize.[15] Archaeological materials such as stone tools and pottery have been excavated in sites in Bridgeton and inFairfield,Greenwich andStow Creek townships.[16] Some of the earliest cultures that inhabited Cumberland County utilized clovis spear points which date to the Paleoindian period (10,000 BC to 8000 BC). As the climate switched from a tundra to woodlands during the archaic period (8000 BC to 1000 BC), ancestors of the Lenape developed axe technology, and later pottery during the woodland period (1000 BC to 1600 AD).[17] The prehistoric period ended when European exploration and settlement arrived in the area bringing with it greater technology which ultimately supplanted much of the Native populations. Today, many Lenape people still reside in Cumberland County, such as the Nanticoke tribe who make up the Native American people from Southern New Jersey and the Delmarva Peninsula.[18]
Early European settlement began with the Swedish who called what is now New JerseyNew Sweden during the first half of the 17th century.[19] Prior to the United States gaining its independence from Great Britain, Cumberland County was deemed separate from Salem County in 1748 and was named after the Duke of Cumberland.[20] Cumberland County's economic exploits were agricultural and manufacturing, more specifically the county focused on fruits and vegetables, as well as glassware and preserved foods.[21]
America's early successes in glassmaking began in Southern New Jersey during the 18th century and eventually led to John Landis Mason of Vineland New Jersey to invent the mason jar for storing and preserving food at home during the 1850s.[22] Cumberland County's population has historically been "majority-minority".[23] Cumberland County went from holding one hundred and twenty enslaved people in 1790, to two by 1830.[23] Cumberland County included several towns settled by Black Americans many of whom escaped slavery.[24] Parts of the county were used for the Underground Railroad, and housed Harriet Tubman and William Still.[25]
In addition to agriculture and glassware, Cumberland County is known for its maritime industries. Its main maritime export was oysters until the 1950s when disease destroyed the oyster population.[26] With the oyster industry came shipbuilding in 1780.[27] Later, the industrial revolution and railroad development increased the number of ships and the types of ships being made. By the late 19th century, ships switched from the sloop model to the schooner to be more useful for oystering.[28]
Whaling was also an industry in Cumberland County until 1775 when settlers turned to livestock, farming, and trapping.[29] Caviar was a short-lived industry in the area from the 1860s to 1925, when sturgeon had been overfished.[29] There are 19th and 20th century maritime related artifacts such as ship models, building plans, tools, and rigging equipment at the John Dubois Maritime Museum inBridgeton.[30]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, as of the 2020 Census, the county had a total area of 677.85 square miles (1,755.6 km2), of which 483.36 square miles (1,251.9 km2) was land (71.3%) and 194.49 square miles (503.7 km2) was water (28.7%).[2] Cumberland is a low-lying, generally featureless coastal county, with many salt marshes near the Delaware Bay. The highest elevation is at one of 12 areas in Upper Deerfield Township that stand approximately 140 feet (43 m) above sea level;[31] the lowest elevation is sea level.
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Bridgeton have ranged from a low of 25 °F (−4 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −13 °F (−25 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 101 °F (38 °C) was recorded in July 1966. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.94 inches (75 mm) in February to 4.30 inches (109 mm) in March.[32] Cumberland has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa).
Cumberland County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2020 United States census, the county's had 154,152 people, 51,360 households, and 34,309 families.[43] Thepopulation density was 318.7 inhabitants per square mile (123.1/km2). There were 57,119 housing units at an average density of 118 per square mile (45.6/km2). The racial makeup was 45.4%White, 18.0%African American, 0.9%Native American, 1.2%Asian, and 2.6% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 34.4% of the population.[44]
Of the 51,360 households, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% weremarried couples living together, 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 9.3% had a male householder with no wife present and 33.2% were non-families, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.30.
About 23.8% of the population was under age 18, 7.5% was from age 18 to 24, 39.3% was from age 15 to 44, and 15.7% was age 65 or older. The median age was 38.1 years. The gender makeup was 51.7% male and 48.3% female. For every 100 females, there were 107.1 males.[45]
The median household income was $54,587, and the median family income was $65,022. About 13.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.[46][47]
The2010 United States census counted 156,898 people, 51,931 households, and 36,559 families in the county. The population density was 324.4 inhabitants per square mile (125.3/km2). There were 55,834 housing units at an average density of 115.4 per square mile (44.6/km2). The racial makeup was 62.74% (98,430)White, 20.23% (31,741)Black or African American, 1.11% (1,746)Native American, 1.22% (1,907)Asian, 0.04% (59)Pacific Islander, 11.15% (17,492) fromother races, and 3.52% (5,523) from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.06% (42,457) of the population.[7]
Of the 51,931 households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18; 45.2% were married couples living together; 18.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 29.6% were non-families. Of all households, 24% were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.26.[7]
Of the population, 24% were under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 106.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 106.9 males.[7]
Cumberland County is governed by aBoard of County Commissioners which is comprised of seven members who are elected at large by the citizens of Cumberland County in partisan elections and serve staggered three-year terms in office, with either two or three seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. Each Commissioner is assigned responsibility for one of the county's departments.[49] In 2016, freeholders were paid $15,000 and the freeholder director was paid an annual salary of $16,000.[50]
As of 2025[update], members of the Cumberland County Board of County Commissioners (with party affiliation, residence, and term-end year listed in parentheses) are (with terms for director and deputy director ending every December 31):[49][51][52][53][54][55]
Pursuant to Article VII Section II of theNew Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey has three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers." These officers are theCounty Clerk andCounty Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and theCounty Sheriff (elected for a three-year term).[63] The county's constitutional officers are:
The Cumberland County Prosecutor is Jennifer Webb-McRae ofVineland. First nominated byGovernor of New JerseyJon Corzine in January 2010, Webb-McRae was nominated for a second five-year term byChris Christie in November 2016 and sworn into office after confirmation in January 2017.[70][71] Cumberland County is a part of Vicinage 15 of theNew Jersey Superior Court (along withGloucester County andSalem County), seated inWoodbury in Gloucester County; the Assignment Judge for the vicinage is Benjamin C. Telsey. The Cumberland County Courthouse is in Bridgeton.[72]
In January 2023, John P. Capizola Jr. was appointed to fill the commissioner seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by George Castellini until he resigned from office earlier that month.[73]
Cumberland County tends to be a swing county with Republicans holding most countywide and state legislative offices, as well as the one congressional district that covers the county. Since 1936, the county has voted for the national winner of the presidential election all but five times. It voted Democratic from 1992 to 2020. County margins for Democrats have shrank since peaking in 2012.
In 2012, the county voted for DemocratBarack Obama by 24%. The county shifted 18% rightward from 2012 to 2016, despite the state shifting right by just 4%. In 2020, DemocratJoe Biden only won the county by 6%, even as he won New Jersey by 16%. In 2024, the county voted Republican for the first time since 1988. The county also voted Republican in the concurrent2024 U.S. Senate election in New Jersey, for the first time since 1972.
As of April 1, 2024 there were a total of 96,165 registered voters in Cumberland County, of whom 31,945 (33.2%) were registered asDemocrats, 23,867 (24.8%) were registered asRepublicans, and 38,531 (40.1%) were registered asunaffiliated. There were 1,822 voters (1.9%) registered to other parties.[81]
United States Senate election results for Cumberland County, New Jersey1[82]
As of 2010[update], the county had a total of 1,271.74 miles (2,046.67 km) of roadways, of which 643.65 miles (1,035.85 km) were maintained by the local municipality, 539.14 miles (867.66 km) by Cumberland County and 88.95 miles (143.15 km) by theNew Jersey Department of Transportation.[86]
The onlyYMCA in the county is the Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA in Vineland.[87] In 2001, the board of directors of what was the Vineland YMCA changed the name to include Atlantic County and Cape May County as the members wanted the Vineland YMCA to reflect a wider group of communities.[88]
^Baehr, Judy."Cumberland – A County Born of Hope, Optimism", Cumberland County, New Jersey. Accessed June 5, 2023. "The county was named for William Augustus, the second son of King George II. As the Duke of Cumberland in 1746, he had defeated the Stuart Pretender, Charles Edward (Bonnie Prince Charlie), at the battle of Culloden and established the House of Hanover on the British throne."
^Willis, David P."'This is how wars start': Does Central Jersey include both Ocean and Union counties?",Asbury Park Press, February 20, 2023. Accessed March 31, 2024. "North Jersey is defined as Sussex, Warren, Morris, Passaic, Bergen, Essex, and Hudson counties; South Jersey would be Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Salem, Cumberland, and Cape May counties. But for Central, things get a little tricky. It would include Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties."
^Skinner, Alanson and Max Schrabisch, 1913. A Preliminary Report of the Archeological Survey of the State of New Jersey. Bulletin 9, Geological Survey of New Jersey, Trenton. p. 54-57.
^Kraft, Herbert (2001).The Lenape-Delaware Indian Heritage 10,000 BC to AD 2000. Lenape Books.
^Veit, Richard; Lurie, Maxine (2012).New Jersey: A History of the Garden State. Rutgers University Press.ISBN978-0813554099.
^Cumberland County is Born, Cumberland County, New Jersey. Accessed June 5, 2023. "The Colonial Legislature, at a session held January 30, 1748, passed an Act stipulating the east side of Salem County as a new county to be known as Cumberland."
^abSebold, Kimberly R. (1991).Historic themes and resources within the New Jersey coastal heritage trail: southern New Jersey and the Delaware Bay: Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem counties. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record.OCLC23766401.
^abBoard of County Commissioners, Cumberland County, New Jersey. Accessed June 5, 2023. "By law, Cumberland County is allowed 7 County Commissioners, who serve staggered, overlapping three-year terms. Two are elected in two successive years, three in the third year, elected from the county at-large, for three-year, overlapping terms. A Director of the Board is selected by their colleagues for a one-year term. Each County Commissioner is charged with responsibility for one or more of the county's seven departments."
^Members List: Surrogates, Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
^Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office. Accessed August 14, 2022. "In January of 2010, Jennifer was nominated by Governor Jon S. Corzine to be the first African American, first female Prosecutor of Cumberland County.... In November of 2016, Governor Chris Christie nominated Prosecutor Webb-McRae for a second five year term as Cumberland County Prosecutor. In January of 2017, Prosecutor Webb-McRae was sworn in becoming the first full-time Prosecutor in Cumberland County to serve a second term."
^Smith, Joseph P."Vineland resident picked to fill county commissioner position",Daily Journal, January 20, 2023. Accessed February 15, 2023. "Cumberland County Democrats have chosen Vineland resident John P. Capizola Jr. to serve out an unexpired, one-year term on the county Board of Commissioners.... The opening was created with the resignation on Jan. 6 of Democratic Commissioner George Castellini."
^Barlas, Thomas."Cumberland County banking on prisons for economic stability",The Press of Atlantic City, July 3, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2022. "South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton is one of three state prisons in Cumberland County. About a third of New Jersey's state prison population is housed in South Woods and Bayside State Prison and Southern State Correctional Facility. Those three prisons also employ more than 1,500 Cumberland County residents, making it likely the largest employer in Cumberland County."
^"Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA installs new board officers".The Daily Journal. February 28, 2018. RetrievedApril 24, 2021.Kathy Farinaccio, second vice president/secretary, commented, "The YMCA's value is priceless for providing families in Cumberland, Cape May, and Atlantic Counties a healthy, active, and vibrant environment."
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