With 55,236 people, Plainfield is a city in New Jersey. The foreign-born share is 42%. 45% of homes are owner-occupied. The median age is 32.4, younger than the US median of 38.9. 22% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Density works out to 9,269 people per square mile.
At a glance
Average income
median household income $85,908, near the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 32.4
US median: 38.9
Less educated
22% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 64%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Plainfield
What changed most since 1990
Hispanic share14.5% → 57.1%(+42.6 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
Black share64.6% → 32.5%(−32.0 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
Adults with a bachelor's degree18.9% → 22.0%(+3.1 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Plainfield's population equals 9.5% of Union County's. Its number of people who work from home equals 4.4% of the county's. Its number of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher equals 4.9% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)19.9%(158)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)17.9%(142)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era34%(270)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War9.1%(72)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.4%(11)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 795 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Plainfield, decade by decade
Plainfield population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
46,567
$92,314
$336,970
18.9%
65.5
2000
47,829
$85,040
$250,478
18.5%
70.3
2010
49,808
$74,886
$439,771
19.6%
74.4
2020
54,586
$70,783
$324,826
20.8%
71.9
2024
55,236
$85,908
$410,800
22.0%
70.3
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
