About the town » Camden, Camden County, New Jersey, United States

Camden is a city in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. It is the county seat, located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 77,344, representing a decline of 2,560 (3.2%) from the 79,904 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 7,588 (8.7%) from the 87,492 counted in the 1990 Census. Camden ranked as the 12th-most populous municipality in the state in 2010 after having been ranked 10th in 2000. Camden was originally incorporated as a city on February 13, 1828, from portions of the now-defunct Newton Township, while the area was still part of Gloucester County. On March 13, 1844, Camden became part of the newly formed Camden County. Although once a thriving center for manufacturing and industry, Camden is perhaps best known for its struggles with urban dysfunction. Three Camden mayors have been jailed for corruption, the most recent being Milton Milan in 2000. Since 2005 the school system and police department have been operated by the state of New Jersey; the takeover expired in 2012. In 2008, Camden had the highest crime rate in the U.S. with 2,333 violent crimes per 100,000 people while the national average was 455 per 100,000. Camden public schools spent $23,770 per student ($19,118 on a budgetary per-pupil basis) in the 2009–10 school year and two-thirds of the students graduate. Two out of every five residents are below the national poverty line.