North Jersey comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. As a distinct toponym, North Jersey is a colloquial one rather than an administrative one, reflecting geographical and perceived cultural and other differences between it and the southern part of the state.North Jersey is characterized by its position, both geographically and culturally, within the greater New York City metropolitan area, as well as its high economic output, including its regional economic engines of Paramus in Bergen County, which had $6 billion in annual retail sales as of 2018 and Jersey City, whose financial district has been nicknamed "Wall Street West", Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, and Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal.
Bergen County is the most populous county in both North Jersey and the state and serves as the western terminus for the George Washington Bridge, the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge, which connects Fort Lee, New Jersey to Upper Manhattan in New York City. Newark, located in Essex County, is New Jersey's most populous city. Jersey City, Paterson, and Elizabeth, located in Hudson, Passaic, and Union counties in North Jersey are the second, third, and fourth most populous cities in the state after Newark.
The North Jersey region of the state most consistently includes Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Warren counties, though definitions of North Jersey vary and may include other New Jersey counties in the New York metropolitan area, most often being Union County.