Raritan, New Jersey

Raritan, New Jersey
Nevius Street Bridge
Motto: 
"A friendly town of friendly people"
Location of Raritan in Somerset County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Somerset County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Census Bureau map of Raritan, New Jersey
Raritan
Location in Somerset County
Raritan
Location in New Jersey
Raritan
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 40°34′17″N 74°38′46″W / 40.571344°N 74.646026°W / 40.571344; -74.646026
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Somerset
IncorporatedApril 3, 1868 (as town)
ReincorporatedMay 12, 1948 (as borough)
Named afterRaritan tribe
Government
  TypeBorough
  BodyBorough Council
  MayorNicolas Carra (R, term ends December 31, 2027)
  AdministratorEric M. Colvin
  Municipal clerkEric M. Colvin
Area
  Total
2.03 sq mi (5.27 km2)
  Land1.99 sq mi (5.16 km2)
  Water0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2)  2.02%
  Rank412th of 565 in state
17th of 21 in county
Elevation
125 ft (38 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
7,835
  Estimate 
(2024)
8,584
  Rank297th of 565 in state
14th of 21 in county
  Density3,933.2/sq mi (1,518.6/km2)
   Rank163rd of 565 in state
6th of 21 in county
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Codes
08869
Area code908
FIPS code3403561980
GNIS feature ID0885365
Websitewww.raritanboro.org

Raritan is a borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,835, its highest decennial census count ever and an increase of 954 (+13.9%) from the 2010 census count of 6,881, which in turn had reflected an increase of 543 (+8.6%) from the 6,338 counted at the 2000 census.

The borough's name is derived from the Raritans, a Native American group of Lenape. The name of the tribe is said to mean "forked river", "stream overflows", or "point on a tidal river".