Wallington is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,868, an increase of 533 (+4.7%) from the 2010 census count of 11,335, which in turn reflected a decline of 248 (−2.1%) from the 11,583 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.
Wallington was created as a borough on January 2, 1895, based on a referendum held on December 31, 1894, from area taken from Bergen Township and Saddle River Township. The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through New Jersey, in which 26 boroughs were formed in Bergen County alone in 1894, with Wallington the last of the 26 to be formed by an 1894 referendum.Harvey, Cornelius Burnham. Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey, p. 11, New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company, 1900. Accessed September 15, 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." Sections of Wallington were ceded to Garfield in 1898.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 98. Accessed May 30, 2024.Dutch Door Genealogy: Bergen County New Jersey Municipalities. Accessed June 6, 2006.Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896-1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period, p. 311. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed October 20, 2015. The borough is said to have been named for Walling Van Winkle (1650–1725), who built a home in the future borough.History, Borough of Wallington. Accessed July 27, 2022. "In 1894 much happened. The building of the Market Street Bridge caused tremendous growth in the area, and a trolley was constructed by the Passaic, Rutherford and Carlstadt Railway company.... A third bridge, the Eighth Street Bridge, promoted further growth of the community with its construction in 1915.Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 31. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed October 20, 2015.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 20, 2015. The name is spelled as Walling Jackobs. In the early 1900s Wallington was advertised as a "Slovak colony" for Slovak migrants living in urban areas to find suburban real estate.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.05 square miles (2.71 km2), including 0.99 square miles (2.57 km2) of land and 0.05 square miles (0.14 km2) of water (5.05%).
The borough borders Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Garfield, South Hackensack and Wood-Ridge in Bergen County, and the city of Passaic in Passaic County across the Passaic River.Areas touching Wallington, MapIt. Accessed March 15, 2020.Bergen County Map of Municipalities, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 15, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
The borough is located approximately northwest of Midtown Manhattan.
Demographics
The borough is one of 41 municipalities statewide where a majority of residents do not speak English as their primary language. Based on data from the United States Census Bureau's 2012–2016 American Community Survey data, Wallington had 62.8% of residents not speaking English as their dominant language, the 13th highest perecentage in the state.Astudillo, Carla. "The 41 N.J. towns where English is not the dominant language", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 10, 2017, updated May 15, 2019. Accessed March 15, 2020.
Racial and ethnic composition +Wallington borough, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)9,7339,0488,28684.03%79.82%69.82%Black or African American alone (NH)2843033202.45%2.67%2.70%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)714110.06%0.12%0.09%Asian alone (NH)5746106944.96%5.38%5.85%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)0060.00%0.00%0.05%Other race alone (NH)817910.07%0.15%0.77%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)2011181611.74%1.04%1.36%Hispanic or Latino (any race)7761,2252,2996.70%10.81%19.37%Total11,58311,33511,868 100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Wallington had a population of 11,868. The median age was 40.5 years. 18.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.2 males.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,825 households in Wallington, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.2% were married-couple households, 21.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 5,108 housing units, of which 5.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 11,335 people, 4,637 households, and 2,991 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 4,946 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 85.48% (9,689) White, 3.23% (366) Black or African American, 0.16% (18) Native American, 5.57% (631) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 3.86% (438) from other races, and 1.70% (193) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.81% (1,225) of the population.
Of the 4,637 households, 25.4% had children under the age of 18; 48.0% were married couples living together; 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 35.5% were non-families. Of all households, 29.1% were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.03.
18.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.6 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $58,724 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,808) and the median family income was $66,414 (+/− $7,756). Males had a median income of $46,632 (+/− $3,029) versus $40,968 (+/− $2,962) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $27,350 (+/− $1,947). About 7.0% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Wallington borough, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 11, 2012.
Same-sex couples headed 25 households in 2010, a decrease from the 30 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 December 1, 2014.
2000 census Languages (2000) Percent Spoke English at home 47.64% Spoke Polish at home 40.79% Spoke Spanish at home 4.68% Spoke Italian at home 2.51% Spoke Arabic at home 1.64% Spoke Gujarati at home 1.49% Spoke Korean at home 0.58% Spoke Hindi at home 0.53% Spoke German at home 0.14% As of the 2000 United States census there were 11,583 people, 4,752 households, and 3,041 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 4,906 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 87.60% White, 2.67% African American, 0.09% Native American, 4.98% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.32% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.70% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Wallington borough, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 3, 2013.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Wallington borough, Bergen County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 3, 2013.
There were 4,752 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 18.4% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $45,656, and the median income for a family was $55,291. Males had a median income of $40,077 versus $30,503 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,431. About 4.8% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
The most common ancestries were Polish (51.5%), Italian (15.0%), Irish (7.1%) and German.Wallington, New Jersey ancestry info from City-Data , City-Data. Accessed June 11, 2012.
At 51.5%, Wallington has one of the highest per capita levels of Polish ancestry in the area. Wallington was ranked seventh nationwide and first in New Jersey among municipalities in the United States by percentage of population with Polish ancestry as of the 2000 Census.Polish Ancestry , EPodunk. Accessed June 6, 2006. Arts and culture Each December, Wallington holds a holiday parade. Fire departments and ambulances from the surrounding area (including the Wallington Fire Department) put Christmas lights on their trucks. There is a contest to determine which department's apparatus has the best Christmas lights. The winning department gets a trophy.Home Page, Wallington Holiday Parade Information. Accessed June 17, 2016.
Parks and recreation Samuel Nelkin County Park is located on Parkview Drive, covering . It has a playground, tennis courts, athletic fields, a dog park, picnic areas, and a shallow, artificial pond for fishing.Samuel Nelkin County Park, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed October 10, 2019.
Borough parks and green spaces include:Map, Borough of Wallington. Accessed November 6, 2023. Dul Field, which is home to a baseball/softball field and a playground. Spring Street Soccer Field, which has baseball/softball and soccer facilities as well as a concession stand. Little League Field/Park, which is a little league baseball field and also features a playground, basketball courts, and a concession stand. Crescent Park, which is a green space with a playground.