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PantryPath Research · WIC Coverage Atlas

WIC in New Jersey

68.7% coverage

New Jersey's WIC program reaches 68.7% of eligible residents — an estimated 138,000 participants out of 201,000 who qualify. That leaves 63,000 pregnant women, infants, and young children eligible but not receiving WIC's food package or nutrition counseling.

201K

WIC eligibles

138K

Participants (FY2024 avg)

63K

Unserved eligibles

21

Counties

New Jersey by county

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Toggle between estimated WIC eligibles, unserved gap, low-income child counts, and child-poverty share. Hover a county for its exact value.

Note: USDA does not publish sub-state WIC participation, so every county in New Jersey inherits the state's 68.7% coverage rate. County-level eligibles are allocated from state totals in proportion to the county's share of low-income children under 6 (ACS B17024). See methodology.

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New Jersey at a glance

Coverage rate

68.7%

Participants ÷ eligibles

Participation gap

31.3%

1 − coverage

Eligibles

201K

USDA FNS FY2022

Participants

138K

Monthly avg FY2024

Unserved

63K

Eligibles − participants

Kids < 6 low-income

174K

27.7% of universe

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 21 counties in New Jersey.

Most WIC eligibles

Estimated eligible population

  1. 1 Essex 28K
  2. 2 Ocean 24K
  3. 3 Hudson 21K
  4. 4 Passaic 19K
  5. 5 Middlesex 15K

Largest unserved gap

Eligibles not receiving WIC

  1. 1 Essex 9K
  2. 2 Ocean 8K
  3. 3 Hudson 6K
  4. 4 Passaic 6K
  5. 5 Middlesex 5K

Highest child-poverty share

Children < 6 at ≤185% FPL

  1. 1 Cumberland 51.4%
  2. 2 Passaic 41.2%
  3. 3 Atlantic 39.4%
  4. 4 Mercer 38.9%
  5. 5 Ocean 38.3%

Every county in New Jersey

All 21 counties with WIC eligibility estimates, unserved gap, and ACS child-poverty context.

County Eligibles est. Participants est. Unserved est. Kids < 6 low-income Poverty share
Atlantic 7,947 5,456 2,491 6,860 39.4%
Bergen 8,425 5,784 2,641 7,273 12.6%
Burlington 6,903 4,739 2,164 5,959 20.9%
Camden 12,956 8,895 4,061 11,184 29.9%
Cape May 1,461 1,003 458 1,261 26.2%
Cumberland 6,747 4,632 2,115 5,824 51.4%
Essex 28,482 19,555 8,927 24,587 38.0%
Gloucester 4,402 3,022 1,380 3,800 20.0%
Hudson 20,546 14,106 6,440 17,736 34.0%
Hunterdon 463 318 145 400 5.9%
Mercer 11,758 8,073 3,685 10,150 38.9%
Middlesex 14,898 10,229 4,669 12,861 23.0%
Monmouth 6,754 4,637 2,117 5,830 15.0%
Morris 4,020 2,760 1,260 3,470 11.4%
Ocean 24,381 16,739 7,642 21,047 38.3%
Passaic 18,857 12,946 5,911 16,278 41.2%
Salem 1,919 1,318 601 1,657 38.2%
Somerset 3,209 2,203 1,006 2,770 13.1%
Sussex 1,511 1,037 474 1,304 15.4%
Union 13,925 9,561 4,364 12,021 29.0%
Warren 1,438 987 451 1,241 20.9%

Apply for WIC in New Jersey

Income limits, food-package rules, clinic locator, and application instructions specific to New Jersey's WIC agency.

New Jersey WIC guide

Families with children

Our population-specific guide: WIC, SNAP, school meals, Summer EBT, and pantry programs for families with kids in New Jersey.

Families guide

New Jersey SNAP

SNAP recipients are automatically income-eligible for WIC through adjunctive eligibility — often the fastest path to enrollment.

New Jersey SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

Search New Jersey's verified pantries — many partner with WIC clinics and distribute infant formula, baby food, and diapers.

New Jersey food pantries

WIC methodology

How we estimated county-level eligibles, why state coverage rates can't be disaggregated, and which data sources we used.

Full methodology