† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupPlainfieldNew JerseyUnited States
Puerto Rican7.8%5.1%1.8%
Colombian7.5%1.7%0.4%
Dominican7.1%4.0%0.7%
Salvadoran6.0%0.8%0.7%
Ecuadorian6.0%1.7%—
Cuban3.6%0.9%0.7%
Guatemalan3.4%—0.5%
Mexican3.2%2.6%11.3%
African American†21.9%8.6%9.9%
Haitian4.7%0.7%0.3%
Jamaican1.7%0.8%0.4%
Nigerian1.2%0.4%0.2%
Ghanaian1.0%——
African0.9%0.5%0.5%
Trinidadian and Tobagonian0.7%0.2%—
West Indian0.5%——
Italian2.3%13.7%4.8%
Irish1.8%12.1%9.4%
German1.3%8.6%12.5%
American1.0%3.3%5.3%
Polish1.0%4.6%2.2%
Portuguese0.7%0.4%—
English0.6%4.9%9.5%
Russian0.3%1.3%—
Maya7.4%——
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Plainfield
New Jersey
United States
Median age
32.4
40.3
39.1
Age 18–24
9.4%
8.4%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
10.1%
17.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Plainfield
New Jersey
United States
Median household income
$85,908
$103,556
$84,427
Poverty rate
15.5%
9.7%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
22.0%
43.5%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Plainfield
New Jersey
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
58.4%
33.2%
22.3%
Spanish
53.7%
17.2%
13.6%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)
1.1%
1.1%
0.7%
Other Indo-European
1.2%
5.6%
2.0%
Other languages
1.7%
1.1%
0.8%
Religious landscape
Measure
Plainfield
New Jersey
United States
Catholic
—
32.0%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
5.1%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
47.8%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Plainfield, New Jersey
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+84.0%
2008
+85.9%
2012
+87.9%
2016
+83.1%
2020
+80.3%
2024
+63.5%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
80.8%Harris11,834
17.3%Trump2,540
1.9%
D+63.5
R+16.8
D+64.9
14,646
D
90.0%Biden14,160
9.7%Trump1,532
0.2%
D+80.3
R+2.8
D+75.9
15,725
D
90.6%Clinton13,500
7.5%Trump1,124
1.8%
D+83.1
R+4.8
D+81.0
14,897
D
93.5%Obama14,721
5.6%Romney878
1.0%
D+87.9
D+2.0
D+84.0
15,751
D
92.6%Obama15,214
6.7%McCain1,105
0.6%
D+85.9
D+1.9
D+78.6
16,423
D
92.0%Kerry12,835
8.0%Bush1,118
0.0%
D+84.0
—
D+86.4
13,955
Plainfield's population is roughly 40% Black and 40% Latino, making it one of New Jersey's most demographically distinct mid-sized cities. Its municipal elections have historically drawn lower turnout than its presidential-year numbers, a gap that analysts watch closely.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 87.9 points in 2012. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 16.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 63.5 points.
A population of 55,236, a 8% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $85,908 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Chillum and Hempstead.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Plainfield, New Jersey voted Democratic by 63.5 points (D+63.5), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 14,646 votes cast, 11,834 went Democratic and 2,540 went Republican.
How many people live in Plainfield, New Jersey?
Plainfield, New Jersey has a population of 55,236 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Plainfield, New Jersey?
Median household income in Plainfield, New Jersey is $85,908 — above the national median of $80,734. The New Jersey state median is $103,556.
What is the political history of Plainfield, New Jersey?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Plainfield, New Jersey from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
