East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 10,022, an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 2010 census count of 8,913, which in turn reflected an increase of 197 (+2.3%) from the 8,716 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.

Under the terms of an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 17, 1889, a portion of the old Union Township was incorporated under the name of Boiling Springs Township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 77 re East Rutherford, p. 76 re Boiling Springs Township. Accessed May 5, 2026. The new township took its name from a spring in the community. On March 28, 1894, the Borough of East Rutherford was created, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day, and Boiling Springs Township was dissolved. While there was no change in its borders, the name and form of government were changed.Municipal Incorporations, p. 77. The borough was the second formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone.Harvey, Cornelius Burnham. Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey, p. 11, New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company, 1900. Accessed September 1, 2013. "For a period of sixteen years following the passage of this act few boroughs were organized in the State, only three of them being in Bergen County.... As it was twenty-six boroughs were created in the county from January 23, 1894, to December 18, of the same year." Note that the source incorrectly lists June 23, 1894, as the borough's formation date, even though the borough is listed correctly in chronological order. The borough was already the site of several industries prior to its incorporation, with the number of industrial firms located in East Rutherford totaling over 50 by 1940.

East Rutherford is the home of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, which includes Meadowlands Arena and MetLife Stadium. MetLife Stadium is home of the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League and hosted Super Bowl XLVIII, which made East Rutherford the smallest city ever to host a Super Bowl. East Rutherford hosted seven matches for the 1994 FIFA World Cup at Giants Stadium and hosted eight matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including the World Cup final, held at MetLife Stadium, also making the borough the smallest-ever host of any of those tournament final games.

The borough is also the site of American Dream, a shopping center and entertainment complex that opened in October 2019.Anzidei, Melanie. "It's finally happening: American Dream mall will open Oct. 25", The Record, July 3, 2019. Accessed September 18, 2019. "American Dream, the mega retail and entertainment center that has been sitting in the Meadowlands for over a decade, will open Oct. 25, officials said Wednesday. The 3 million-square-foot center was previously set to open this past spring, then late summer. Officials in May announced a fall opening, and this is the first time a specific date for that opening has been announced."

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 4.04 square miles (10.47 km2), including 3.71 square miles (9.61 km2) of land and 0.33 square miles (0.85 km2) of water (8.14%).

East Rutherford is bounded on the north by the boroughs of Carlstadt and Wallington and to the south by the borough of Rutherford in Bergen County; by Secaucus in Hudson County; and by Passaic in Passaic County.Areas touching East Rutherford, MapIt. Accessed March 24, 2020.Bergen County Map of Municipalities, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 24, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019. The Passaic River is the western boundary, and the Hackensack River is the eastern boundary. The area in which East Rutherford is located is the valley of the Passaic and Hackensack rivers.

Carlton Hill is an unincorporated community located within the township.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed March 15, 2015.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +East Rutherford borough, Bergen County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)6,4105,6165,02873.54%63.01%50.17%Black or African American alone (NH)2923364563.35%3.77%4.55%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)35280.03%0.06%0.28%Asian alone (NH)9301,2371,61210.67%13.88%16.08%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)1220.01%0.02%0.02%Other race alone (NH)1325990.15%0.28%0.99%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)1391292411.59%1.45%2.40%Hispanic or Latino (any race)9281,5632,55610.65%17.54%25.50%Total8,7168,91310,022 100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, East Rutherford had a population of 10,022. The median age was 37.7 years. 17.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.0 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 4,306 households in East Rutherford, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.9% were married-couple households, 22.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 4,585 housing units, of which 6.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 8,913 people, 3,792 households, and 2,226 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 4,018 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 73.04% (6,510) White, 4.50% (401) Black or African American, 0.22% (20) Native American, 13.93% (1,242) Asian, 0.03% (3) Pacific Islander, 5.83% (520) from other races, and 2.43% (217) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 17.54% (1,563) of the population.

Of the 3,792 households, 24.2% had children under the age of 18; 42.9% were married couples living together; 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 41.3% were non-families. Of all households, 33.5% were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.06.

The age distribution showed 18.1% of the population under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% that was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.5 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $62,471 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,225) and the median family income was $71,357 (+/− $10,225). Males had a median income of $57,511 (+/− $8,669) versus $48,502 (+/− $2,269) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $32,467 (+/− $2,752). About 5.9% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over., United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 29, 2012.

Same-sex couples headed 19 households in 2010, a decline from the 27 counted in 2000.Lipman, Harvy; and Sheingold, Dave. "North Jersey sees 30% growth in same-sex couples", The Record, August 14, 2011, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 3, 2013. Accessed September 22, 2014.

2000 census As of the 2000 United States census, there were 8,716 people, 3,644 households, and 2,157 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 3,771 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 79.68% White, 3.72% African American, 0.11% Native American, 10.69% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.21% from other races, and 2.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 10.65% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for East Rutherford borough, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 29, 2012., United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 29, 2012.

There were 3,644 households, out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the borough, the age distribution of the population shows 19.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 36.5% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $50,163, and the median income for a family was $59,583. Males had a median income of $40,798 versus $36,047 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $28,072. About 7.4% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy