Fords is a census-designated place (CDP) in Woodbridge Township, in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of new Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the CDP's population was 12,941.
Geography
The community is in northeastern Middlesex County, in the southwest part of Woodbridge Township. Within the township it is bordered to the north by Menlo Park Terrace and Iselin, to the east by the Woodbridge CDP, to the southeast by Hopelawn, and to the south by Keasbey. To the west it is bordered by Edison Township.
The New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) crosses the middle of Fords from west to east, while the Garden State Parkway forms much of the eastern border of the community. Most of the interchange connecting the two highways is in the neighboring Woodbridge CDP to the east. U.S. Route 1 crosses the northern part of Fords, paralleling the New Jersey Turnpike. Newark is to the northeast, while New Brunswick, the Middlesex county seat, is to the southwest.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Fords CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.11%, are water. 1960 1970<br> 1980 1990 2000<br> 2010 2020
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|10,070
|7,782
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,423
|66.99%
|51.24%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |41.91%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|877
|1,302
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,288
|5.83%
|8.57%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9.95%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|9
|24
|style='background: #ffffe6; |15
|0.06%
|0.16%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.12%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|2,402
|3,119
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,130
|15.98%
|20.54%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |16.46%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.00%
|0.01%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|25
|44
|style='background: #ffffe6; |99
|0.17%
|0.29%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.77%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|261
|272
|style='background: #ffffe6; |358
|1.74%
|1.79%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.77%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|1,388
|2,643
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,627
|9.23%
|17.40%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |28.03%
|-
|Total
|15,032
|15,187
|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,941
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Fords had a population of 12,941. The median age was 39.8 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.1 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,592 households in Fords, of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.3% were married-couple households, 15.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Of the 5,386 households, 31.9% had children under the age of 18; 56.7% were married couples living together; 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 25.5% were non-families. Of all households, 21.1% were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.31.
There were 5,591 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.21. These schools are all of which are a part of the Woodbridge Township School District.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Fords include:
- Nels N. Alling (1861–1955), sculptor who specialized in terra cotta architectural work
- Craig Coughlin (born 1958), politician, who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2010, where he represents the 19th Legislative District
- Tim Mulqueen (born 1966), soccer goalkeeping coach and former goalkeeper who coached the US National Team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing
See also
- List of neighborhoods in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey