Monmouth County, New Jersey
county in New Jersey, United States
Monmouth County () is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north by the Raritan Bay (sharing a border with the boroughs of Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens in New York City, across it). Monmouth County's geographic area comprises 30% water. The county forms part of the New York metropolitan area. Monmouth County calls itself The Place You Want to Be. The county is part of the Jersey Shore region of the state.
As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's fifth-most-populous county with a population of 643,615, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 13,235 (+2.1%) from the 2010 census count of 630,380, which in turn reflected an increase of 15,079 from 615,301 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the county fell to the fifth-most populous county in the state, having been surpassed by Hudson County. The United States Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program estimated a 2025 population of 651,035, an increase of 7,420 (+1.2%) from the 2020 decennial census.
Monmouth's county seat is Freehold Borough, though many county offices are also located in neighboring Freehold Township.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Monmouth County, New Jersey” is county in New Jersey, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Monmouth, County and Jersey, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “county in New Jersey, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q502424. VIAF identifies the subject as 157090590. The Library of Congress control number is n79022109. Authority coordinates are 40.290, -74.150. 5 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 2010, 2000 and 2025.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Monmouth County, New Jersey”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Monmouth County, New Jersey primary sources, Monmouth County, New Jersey archive and Monmouth research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Monmouth County, New Jersey”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Monmouth County, New Jersey” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.