Indian Population in New Jersey: Cities, Jobs, Income, Students & Community Trends
New Jersey has the highest share of Indian-origin residents of any state, centered on the Edison–Iselin corridor, Jersey City, and the Princeton area. It is one of the most established Indian communities in the country, spanning professionals, business owners, and a large second generation. Exact counts vary by definition.
For the national picture, see our pillar guide on the Indian population in USA.
Last updated: July 5, 2026
Indian Population in New Jersey — Quick Facts
- State rank / concentration
- Highest concentration (share of state)
- Major Indian metro areas
- Edison, Jersey City, Iselin, Princeton corridor
- Common occupations
- IT, medicine, engineering, finance, business, academia
- Student / university hubs
- Edison, Iselin, Jersey City area universities
- Community drivers
- Family communities, professionals, business owners
- Best-known Indian areas
- Edison, Iselin, Jersey City, Princeton, Parsippany
How many Indians live in New Jersey?
Exact numbers vary depending on ACS/Census definitions. New Jersey is one of the major states for Indian-origin residents because of jobs, universities, family networks, and business communities. New Jersey has the highest Indian-origin concentration of any U.S. state relative to its population.
Where Indians live in New Jersey
The largest Indian communities in New Jersey cluster around these cities and suburbs:
Why Indians move to New Jersey
- NYC-area finance, pharma, and IT jobs
- Highly rated public schools
- Dense, established Indian community and businesses
- Pharmaceutical and healthcare employers
- Family and cultural networks
Indian occupations in New Jersey
Pharmaceuticals, finance, IT, medicine, and dense small-business ownership (Oak Tree Road corridor).
IT & software engineering
The single largest cluster — software, cloud, data/AI, and IT services.
Healthcare & medicine
Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and healthcare administrators.
Engineering
Semiconductors, mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering.
Finance & accounting
Banking, analysis, accounting, and fintech roles.
Academia & research
University faculty, postdocs, and R&D scientists.
Small business & franchises
Hospitality, retail, franchises, and services — a deep entrepreneurial base.
Indian students in New Jersey
Rutgers, NJIT, and nearby NYC-area universities enroll many Indian students, with strong feeder communities across central New Jersey.
Student numbers use general patterns; check university and IIE Open Doors data for specific enrollment figures.
Visa and immigration patterns in New Jersey
Large mix of long-settled citizens, green card holders, and H-1B professionals. Common statuses include H-1B and other work visas, F-1 students on OPT/STEM OPT, green card holders (many in the India employment-based backlog), family-sponsored immigrants, and naturalized or U.S.-born citizens.
Indian communities by region in New Jersey
Gujarati communities
Landmark community along Edison/Iselin's Oak Tree Road.
Telugu communities
Large professional and tech community.
Tamil communities
Well established across central NJ.
Punjabi communities
Significant presence in Jersey City and the north.
Malayali communities
Healthcare and nursing families statewide.
Community patterns are based on visible cultural associations, business communities, migration history, and metro-level settlement patterns, not official Indian-state-of-origin Census counts. U.S. Census/ACS typically tracks ancestry, race, language spoken at home, and country of birth — not always Indian state of origin. This section describes common community patterns, not exact official counts.
Indian economic contribution in New Jersey
New Jersey's Indian community is dense in pharma, finance, IT, medicine, and small business, contributing significantly to the local economy — though exact tax contribution by state is not published as a simple official number.
High-skilled labor
Deep representation in technology, medicine, engineering, and finance — fields central to U.S. competitiveness.
Founders & executives
Indian Americans lead and found companies across tech and services, including several of the largest U.S. firms.
Small business ownership
A dense base of hospitality, retail, franchise, and service businesses that employ locally.
University ecosystems
Indian international students pay significant tuition and sustain graduate programs and campus economies.
Essential services
Physicians, nurses, and pharmacists deliver frontline care in communities across the country.
Tax & local spending
High household incomes suggest significant federal, state, and local tax contributions, plus homeownership and local spending — an inference, not an official figure.
Indian Population in New Jersey — FAQ
How many Indians live in New Jersey?
Exact numbers vary depending on ACS/Census definitions, so there is no single official count. New Jersey has the highest Indian-origin concentration of any U.S. state relative to its population. — driven by jobs, universities, family networks, and business communities. Check the latest ACS tables for a specific figure.
Which city in New Jersey has the most Indians?
The largest Indian communities in New Jersey are concentrated around Edison, Iselin, Jersey City, Princeton. These metros and suburbs have the densest Indian populations, businesses, temples, and cultural associations.
Where do most Indians live in New Jersey?
Most Indians in New Jersey live in and around Edison, Iselin, Jersey City, Princeton, clustered near major job markets, universities, and established immigrant neighborhoods rather than spread evenly across the state.
Why do Indians move to New Jersey?
Indians move to New Jersey mainly for nyc-area finance, pharma, and it jobs, highly rated public schools, dense, established indian community and businesses, plus established community and family networks. New Jersey has the highest Indian-origin concentration of any U.S. state relative to its population.
Are there many Indian students in New Jersey?
Yes. Rutgers, NJIT, and nearby NYC-area universities enroll many Indian students, with strong feeder communities across central New Jersey.
What jobs do Indians do in New Jersey?
Pharmaceuticals, finance, IT, medicine, and dense small-business ownership (Oak Tree Road corridor). Indian Americans here are highly represented in professional and technical fields, plus small business and hospitality.
Which Indian communities are common in New Jersey?
New Jersey has visible Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi, Malayali communities, among others. These patterns are based on cultural associations, business communities, and settlement history — not official Indian-state-of-origin Census counts.
Is the Indian population in New Jersey growing?
Yes. Like the U.S. Indian-origin population overall — which grew about 174% from 2000 to 2023 — New Jersey's Indian community has been growing, driven by work visas, students, and family immigration.
How does New Jersey compare with the Indian population in USA?
New Jersey has the highest Indian-origin concentration of any U.S. state relative to its population. Nationally, about 4.9 million people identify as Indian-origin. See the Indian population in USA pillar guide for the full state-by-state picture.
Sources & Methodology
Pew Research Center — Indian Americans fact sheet ↗
≈4.9M Indian-origin, a broader definition than the Census “Asian Indian alone” count (2021–2023 ACS/IPUMS).
U.S. Census Bureau — 2020 Census Asian population ↗
Asian Indian alone: 4,397,737; up 50%+ since 2010.
U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) ↗
Detailed race, ancestry, income, and geography tables.
Migration Policy Institute — Indian Immigrants in the U.S. ↗
≈3.2M Indian immigrants; one of the largest origin groups.
USCIS — H-1B data & characteristics reports ↗
Country-of-birth breakdown of H-1B approvals.
This page uses public demographic sources and rounded estimates. Definitions vary: Asian Indian alone, Indian alone or in combination, Indian-origin, Indian-born, Indian immigrant, and Indian American are not the same category. State and metro estimates should be checked against the latest ACS tables before citing as exact numbers. This page combines public demographic datasets and rounded estimates. Terms like Indian American, Asian Indian, Indian immigrant, Indian-born, Indian-origin, and 'Indian alone or in combination' can produce different totals, so figures are presented as estimates and ranges rather than exact counts. Always verify a specific number against the primary source before citing it.
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Written / reviewed by Deepak Middha · CA, Series 65
Last updated: July 5, 2026