Draft_October 2025_West Orange_HEFSP_with Appendices

Township of West Orange October 2025 Essex County, New Jersey Draft Housing Element and Fair Share Plan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EMPLOYMENT DATA Tables 21, 22, and 23 below detail the changes in employment between the years 2010 and 2023 in West Orange, Essex County, and New Jersey, respectively. Throughout this thirteen-year period, the Township saw an overall 3.6% decrease in its unemployment rate; although the Township experienced a 5.7% spike in unemployment between 2019 and 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has rebounded to a considerably lower unemployment rate in recent years. This overall trend is mirrored at both the County and State level as well, although in comparison the Township has consistently exhibited a lower unemployment rate throughout this time period. In 2023, the Township’s unemployment rate was 4.3%, which was lower than that of the County (5.5%) and State (4.4%). Table 21: Employment and Residential Labor Force, 2011 to 2023 West Orange Labor Unemployment Year Employment Unemployment Force Rate 2011 23,964 22,063 1,901 7.9% 2012 24,113 22,110 2,003 8.3% 2013 23,789 22,017 1,772 7.4% 2014 23,621 22,195 1,426 6.0% 2015 23,682 22,468 1,214 5.1% 2016 23,536 22,501 1,035 4.4% 2017 24,502 23,523 979 4.0% 2018 24,341 23,452 889 3.7% 2019 24,737 23,960 777 3.1% 2020 24,367 22,214 2,153 8.8% 2021 24,400 22,836 1,564 6.4% 2022 24,821 23,907 914 3.7% 2023 25,337 24,257 1,080 4.3% Source: NJ Dept. of Labor & Workforce Development Labor Force Estimates 30