As Roselle Park closes on its 117th year of existence, research for another article gave some basic information on the actual people of the borough. The population of the borough – which started with the first official count of 2,236 people in 1905 – has grown over 11 decades and is on its way to being 14,000.
The number of residents climbed steadily – reaching 10,000 in the mid-1940s – and had the highest population ever of 14,277, according to the 1970 census.
Since then the population has never returned to 14,000 but in 2017, the most recent data provided by the Census Bureau is only 3% under the 1970 census number. The estimated population last year was 13,821 and only 456 less than the highest number of residents ever in the borough.
If one were to take into account the already approved apartment complex of Meridia At Westfield of 212 residential units from Capodagli Property Company (CPC), another proposed development from CPC at the former Sullivan property of 380 residential units, and the proposed 218 residential unit complex from Fernmoor Homes at the old Romerovski site, that would – at the very minimum – increase the borough’s population by 810. Adding a ratio of 1.5 for each of those units would bring the population of the 1.25-square-mile borough to over 15,000.
In short, if all the three large residential developments are approved as proposed, that would mean an estimated 6% to 9% increase in Roselle Park’s population.
| Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 1,000 | |
| 1905 | 2,236 | 123.6% |
| 1910 | 3,138 | 40.3% |
| 1915 | 4,327 | 37.9% |
| 1920 | 5,438 | 25.7% |
| 1930 | 8,969 | 64.9% |
| 1940 | 9,661 | 7.7% |
| 1950 | 11,537 | 19.4% |
| 1960 | 12,546 | 8.7% |
| 1970 | 14,277 | 13.8% |
| 1980 | 13,377 | -6.3% |
| 1981 | 13,339 | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 13,357 | 0.1% |
| 1983 | 13,319 | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 13,309 | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 13,263 | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 13,377 | 0.9% |
| 1987 | 13,022 | -2.7% |
| 1988 | 12,961 | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 12,875 | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 12,805 | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 12,805 | 0.0% |
| 1992 | 12,730 | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 12,746 | 0.1% |
| 1994 | 12,907 | 1.3% |
| 1995 | 12,737 | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 12,731 | 0.0% |
| 1997 | 12,762 | 0.2% |
| 1998 | 12,771 | 0.1% |
| 1999 | 12,745 | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 13,281 | 4.2% |
| 2001 | 13,289 | 0.1% |
| 2002 | 13,388 | 0.7% |
| 2003 | 13,310 | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 13,081 | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 13,189 | 0.8% |
| 2006 | 13,124 | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 12,879 | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 12,802 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 12,859 | 0.4% |
| 2010 | 13,297 | 3.4% |
| 2011 | 13,372 | 0.6% |
| 2012 | 13,512 | 1.0% |
| 2013 | 13,525 | 0.1% |
| 2014 | 13,595 | 0.5% |
| 2015 | 13,670 | 0.6% |
| 2016 | 13,638 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 13,821 | 1.3% |