Forecasts
How many people will live in northern New Jersey 10 years from now? How about 25 years in the future? Which counties and towns will experience the most growth? How many jobs will there be in the region? How will all these factors affect our transportation system? And how will the transportation investment decisions we make affect these trends?
To help answer these questions, the NJTPA updates its regional forecasts for population, households and employment every four years as part of updating its long range transportation plan (LRTP), the region’s blueprint for transportation investment. These forecasts are developed in coordination with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) and other regional agencies to help create a consistent set of forecasts for the NY/NJ/CT metropolitan area. NJTPA partner agencies are consulted throughout the forecasting process.
The NJTPA completed its latest set of formal forecasts in 2021. These forecasts of future population and employment are critical pieces of information to guide transportation planning and investment decisions in our region.
Creating forecasts that are as reasonable as possible is a critical task for the NJTPA region. Updated forecasts are now being developed for the next LRTP, to be completed in 2025. In addition to underpinning the LRTP, the forecasts are used as a basis for transportation studies throughout our region and in other NJTPA planning activities including:
The forecasts are developed using NJTPA's Demographic and Employment forecast Model (DEFM), the forecast allocation model used to help distribute expected population and employment growth in the NJTPA region.
Forecast Data
Forecast Documentation
For further information, contact Eugene McGuinness at (973) 639-8430 or [email protected]