This story originally appeared on Spokeo and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Most socially connected counties in New Jersey
In today's digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.
While social media has its drawbacks—such as pulling attention away from other tasks or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.
A majority of students in grades 3 to 12 said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.
Spokeo compiled a ranking of the most socially connected counties in New Jersey using 2021 data from Facebook, based on a national analysis. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.
#10. Somerset County and Middlesex County
- Somerset County population: 348,842
- Middlesex County population: 863,623
- Social connectedness index: 164,114
#9. Essex County and Union County
- Essex County population: 851,117
- Union County population: 572,726
- Social connectedness index: 173,204
#8. Bergen County and Passaic County
- Bergen County population: 957,736
- Passaic County population: 513,395
- Social connectedness index: 178,917
#7. Mercer County and Burlington County
- Mercer County population: 381,671
- Burlington County population: 469,167
- Social connectedness index: 242,387
#6. Monmouth County and Ocean County
- Monmouth County population: 642,799
- Ocean County population: 659,197
- Social connectedness index: 285,927
#5. Morris County and Sussex County
- Morris County population: 514,423
- Sussex County population: 146,132
- Social connectedness index: 390,636
#4. Cape May County and Atlantic County
- Cape May County population: 94,610
- Atlantic County population: 275,213
- Social connectedness index: 454,345
#3. Camden County and Gloucester County
- Camden County population: 527,196
- Gloucester County population: 308,423
- Social connectedness index: 582,215
#2. Warren County and Hunterdon County
- Warren County population: 111,252
- Hunterdon County population: 130,183
- Social connectedness index: 589,369
#1. Salem County and Cumberland County
- Salem County population: 65,338
- Cumberland County population: 152,326
- Social connectedness index: 1,017,397
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kayla Zhu, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.