akashic
1876–2024
Congressional District 8·New Jersey

New Jersey 8th Congressional District moved 22 points toward the Republican candidate between 2020 and 2024.

One of New Jersey's most Democratic-leaning urban districts

2008 — 2024·5 elections
NJ
LatestD+24in 2024
TypologyNew Americancluster typology
Population627,2062024 ACS

New Jersey 8th Congressional District: New American district. In 2024, voted D+24%. Democratic peak: D+58 in 2012.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
D+24MIT Election Lab
Political typology
New AmericanAkashic typology
Population
627,2062024 5-year
Median household income
$92,3512024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
32.9%2024 5-year
Black
14.4%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
39.1%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+58 in 2012MIT Election Lab
DW-NOMINATE
Member ideology
D
MENENDEZ, RobertCongress 119 · Democratic
DW-NOMINATE first-dimension (economic) score-0.52 sits at approximately the 24th percentile.0-0.52−1 liberal+1 conservative
MENENDEZ scores -0.52 on the first NOMINATE dimension (−1 most liberal, +1 most conservative).

Predecessors: SIRES, Albio (2021–2023), SIRES, Albio (2019–2021), SIRES, Albio (2017–2019), SIRES, Albio (2015–2017)

Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
2024 presidential election
Congressional District 8
HarrisD+24
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Congressional District 8, NJA map of the constituent counties of Congressional District 8, NJ, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic).Hudson County, NJ · D+28Essex County, NJ · D+45Union County, NJ · D+24
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Kamala Harris ✓Democratic60.5%134,860
Donald TrumpRepublican36.5%81,283
OtherAll other candidates3.0%6,593
D+60
R+60
3 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2008–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 2008 to 2024. Most recent: +24.1% in 2024.+24.1%DR20082024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
2008+47.2%
2012+58.1%
2016+54.2%
2020+45.6%
2024+24.1%
DemocraticRepublican
5 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
D
+24.1%
134,86081,283222,736
D
+45.6%
174,08264,706239,968
D
+54.2%
163,50946,362216,119
D
+58.1%
149,36939,600188,969
D
+47.2%
151,03953,503206,489
Congressional elections · 17 Senate races

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
YearWonD %R %Total
2024D53.6%44.0%4,031,795
2020D57.2%40.9%4,440,440
2018D54.0%42.8%3,169,310
2014D55.8%42.3%1,869,535
2012D58.9%39.4%3,376,649
2008D56.0%42.0%3,482,445
2006D53.4%44.3%2,250,070
2002D53.9%43.9%2,112,604
2000D50.1%47.1%3,015,662
1996D52.7%42.6%2,883,466
1994D50.3%47.0%2,054,887
1990D50.4%47.4%1,938,454
1988D53.6%45.2%2,987,634
1984D64.2%34.9%3,096,456
1982D50.9%47.8%2,193,945
1978D55.3%43.1%1,957,515
1976D60.7%38.0%2,771,390

Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
Italian
7.2%
Irish
6.1%
German
3.5%
Polish
2.6%
American
2.5%
English
1.9%
French
0.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 36.3 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.5%
85+
0.9%
1.6%
75–84
2.3%
3.5%
65–74
4.1%
5.4%
55–64
5.7%
6.0%
45–54
6.1%
8.3%
35–44
7.7%
9.9%
25–34
9.5%
4.1%
18–24
3.8%
7.3%
5–17
6.9%
3.2%
<5
3.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$92,351
Congressional District 8 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 8$92,351
New Jersey$103,556
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
14.2%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1819.7%
Working age (18–64)12.5%
Seniors (65+)19.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
45.7%
speak English only
Spanish32.2%
Other Indo-European11.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander7.1%
Other languages3.7%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
31.6%
Non-Christian
8.6%
Other Christian
5.0%
Baptist
2.5%
Pentecostal & Holiness
1.2%
Mainline Protestant
1.0%
Methodist
0.6%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 49.6% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Anchored in Hudson County, NJ-8 combines dense immigrant communities and working-class neighborhoods to produce presidential margins exceeding 20 points, making it among the most reliably Democratic-voting districts in the state.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of fifty-eight points in 2012. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved twenty-two points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was twenty-four points.

A population of 627,206, a 33% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $92,351 describe the district.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Congressional District 8, New Jersey. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/3408/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Congressional District 8, New Jersey vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 8, New Jersey voted Democratic by 24.1 points (D+24), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 222,736 votes cast, 134,860 went Democratic and 81,283 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 8, New Jersey's political typology?
Akashic places Congressional District 8, New Jersey in the "New American" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 5 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 5 times, Republican 0 times, and other 0 times.
How many people live in Congressional District 8, New Jersey?
Congressional District 8, New Jersey has a population of 627,206 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 8, New Jersey?
Median household income in Congressional District 8, New Jersey is $92,351 — above the national median of $80,734. The New Jersey state median is $103,556.
What is the political history of Congressional District 8, New Jersey?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in Congressional District 8, New Jersey from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 0 went Republican. The district's typology — "New American" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.