The Hoboken of 2010: 50,005 Inhabitants

Hoboken's population has grown by roughly 30 percent over the last decade, according to census data that were released on Thursday. 

The new figure—which was tweeted by Mayor Dawn Zimmer on Thursday afternoon—is 50,005. In 2000, the census counted 38,577 Hoboken residents. 

Hoboken's participation rate in the 2010 census was the highest in, with 73 percent. Ten years ago, the participation rate was 65 percent. 

Local elected officials are happy with the new figure and the fact that Hoboken's population now exceeds 50,000, because it means that Hoboken is eligible for more grants and more funding from the state and federal government. 

"If it were 49,999," Assemblyman Ruben Ramos said on Thursday, "that would suck." But seriously, he added, this number opens the door for more grant opportunities. 

Zimmer, too, said that she is excited about the updated number. She added that knowing exactly how many people live in town helps with planning matters such as public safety. 

"We're always researching more grants and looking for different grant opportunities," Zimmer said. She said that next week a federal agency is visiting Hoboken to talk about potential funding for the . She would not elaborate on what agency.

Ramos said he took pride in the growth of the city, partly due to developments in the past decade, such as Maxwell Place, the Hudson Tea Building and several other developments. 

Zimmer said that the high response rate and thecontributed to the new number. 

"I felt like it was important to get as many people counted as possible," she said.  

While Hoboken is very happy with the results, neighbor Jersey City is disappointed. 

Leaders there have spent the decade promoting their belief that the city would surpass Newark as the state's largest in the 2010 census, a notion Newark developers disputed. But the data shows Newark is still largest. Jersey City grew by 7,542 residents, to 247,597 in 2010, while Newark, which added  3,594 residents, counts 277,140 residents.

Jersey City will be subject to re-districting, which will affect Ramos' district. He will still represent Hoboken in its entirety, he said. 

Outside of population growth in Newark and Jersey City, many of the state's urban areas endured population drops in the last decade. Paterson fell 3,023, to 146,199; Camden dropped 2,560, to 77,344 and East Orange dropped 5,554, to 64,270.

Fellow Hudson County town Union City held most of its population, losing only 633 residents, to 66,455. Union City has been touted by developers as the next Hoboken, as new luxury condo complexes have risen in the city, at prices lower than in the Mile Square City. A center for the state's Cuban community, Union City's new housing has largely been smaller in scale than Hoboken or neighboring communities in northern Hudson County. 

Overall—with a population of 634,266—Hudson County is now the state's fourth largest county in the state of New Jersey.