Camden, New Jersey

Camden, New Jersey
City
Adventure Aquarium on the Camden Waterfront Camden Federal Courthouse Camden City Hall Campbell Soup Company headquarters Rutgers University–Camden
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  In a Dream, I Saw a City Invincible[1]
Location of Camden in Camden County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Camden County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).
Camden Location in Camden County Show map of Camden County, New Jersey Camden Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Camden Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 39°56′24″N 75°06′18″W / 39.94°N 75.105°W / 39.94; -75.105
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Camden
Settled	1626
Incorporated	February 13, 1828
Named for	Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden
Government [6]
• Type	Faulkner Act (mayor–council)
• Body	City Council
• Mayor	Victor Carstarphen (D, term ends December 31, 2025)[2][3]
• Administrator	Timothy J. Cunningham[4]
• Municipal clerk	Luis Pastoriza[5]
Area [7]
• Total	10.34 sq mi (26.78 km2)
• Land	8.92 sq mi (23.10 km2)
• Water	1.42 sq mi (3.68 km2)  13.75%
• Rank	208th of 565 in state 7th of 37 in county[8]
Elevation [9]	16 ft (5 m)
Population  (2020)[10][11]
• Total	71,791
• Estimate  (2023)[10][12][13]	71,100
• Rank	532nd in country (as of 2023)[12] 14th of 565 in state 2nd of 37 in county[14]
• Density	8,047.4/sq mi (3,107.1/km2)
• Rank	50th of 565 in state 2nd of 37 in county[14]
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Codes	08101–08105[15][16]
Area code	856[17]
FIPS code	3400710000[8][18][19]
GNIS feature ID	0885177[8][20]
Website	www.ci.camden.nj.us

Camden is a city in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region.^[21] The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.^[22] Camden has been the county seat of Camden County^[23] since the county's formation on March 13, 1844.^[22] The city derives its name from Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden.^[24][25] Camden is made up of over 20 neighborhoods,^[26][27][28] and is part of the South Jersey region of the state.

The initial growth of Camden industrially is often credited to the “big three” employers of Camden: RCA Victor, Campbell's Soup Company and New York Shipbuilding Corporation. The "big three" felt compelled to move away from Camden in the mid-to-late-20th century as they could find cheaper workers elsewhere.^[29][30] Though the city has declined in recent decades since the decline of heavy industry in the area and whiteflight to the suburbs, the city has made efforts to revitalize itself through various infrastructure and community projects.

Projects such as the redevelopment of the waterfront area brought three tourist attractions to the area: the USS New Jersey, the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion and the Adventure Aquarium.^[31] The city is the home of Rutgers University–Camden, which was founded as the South Jersey Law School in 1926,^[32] and Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, which opened in 2012. Camden also houses both Cooper University Hospital and Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. Camden County College and Rowan University also have campuses in downtown Camden. The "eds and meds" institutions account for roughly 45% of Camden's total employment.^[33]

Once known for violent crime,^[34] the restructuring of the police force in 2013 has been credited for the decrease in that number.^[34] As of January 2021, violent crime was down 46% from its high in the 1990s and at the lowest level since the 1960s. Overall crime reports in 2020 were down 74% compared to 1974, the first year of uniform crime-reporting in the city.^[34]