MAYOR RAS J. BARAKA STATEMENT

ON REMAINING NEW JERSEY’S LARGEST CITY

“We are pleased to remain New Jersey’s largest city and top the 300,000 population mark. The City of Newark continues its dynamic rise, with billions of dollars’ worth of commercial and housing development constructed or in the pipeline. Newark is a model city for what equitable development should look like, with an unmatched transportation hub, and a diverse and growing population. It contains one of the largest seaports in the nation, one of its busiest airports, and is part of Amtrak’s busiest corridor, from Boston to Washington, D.C., and beyond. Newark remains poised to capitalize on its infrastructure, and continue its growth without displacing residents.

“However, the most important results of the 2020 Census are not if our city is the largest in New Jersey, but that our increasing number of residents – regardless of whether or not they were counted – receive every resource we need to deliver vital services, particularly as we continue to be impacted by COVID-19 and its highly contagious new Delta variant. The efforts of the US Census in Newark were a partnership between federal, state, and county agencies, many non-profits, and particularly our municipal team, who went into our neighborhoods and worked with all of our residents to get the most accurate count possible. That was accomplished by the leadership of Chief of Staff Amiri Baraka Jr. and Deputy Mayor Jacqueline Quiles. I sincerely thank everyone for their hard and successful work.”