Newark is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the seat of Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 311,549. The Population Estimates Program calculated a population of 305,344 for 2022, making it the 66th-most populous municipality in the nation. Settled in 1666 by Puritans from New Haven Colony, Newark is one of the oldest cities in the United States.