Roselle, New Jersey

On January 19, 1883 the first electric lighting system employing overhead wires bagan service in Roselle. It was built by Thomas Edison.

Geography Roselle is located at 40°39'13" North, 74°15'38" West (40.653502, -74.260584)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 6.9 km² (2.7 mi²). 6.8 km² (2.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.38% is water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 21,274 people, 7,520 households, and 5,226 families residing in the borough. The population density is 3,111.3/km² (8,048.8/mi²). There are 7,870 housing units at an average density of 1,151.0/km² (2,977.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough is 35.58% White, 51.32% African American, 0.31% Native American, 2.71% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 6.07% from other races, and 3.93% from two or more races. 17.11% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 7,520 households out of which 32.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% are married couples living together, 18.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% are non-families. 25.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.82 and the average family size is 3.41.

In the borough the population is spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough is $51,254, and the median income for a family is $58,841. Males have a median income of $37,604 versus $32,535 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $21,269. 7.5% of the population and 5.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 8.5% are under the age of 18 and 10.7% are 65 or older.