N.J. Leads Nation in Foreclosures (Again) in 2016

New Jersey led the country in foreclosures for the second year in a row at more than double the national rate.
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Atlantic City topped the national list of metro areas with the highest foreclosure rate in 2016 at 3.39 percent, followed by Trenton at 2.16 percent. RealtyTrac tracks metropolitan statistical areas with a population of at least 200,000 or more.

The state posted an average foreclosure rate of 1.86 percent of housing units in 2016, according to data released by RealtyTrac. The national rate of 0.70 percent dropped to a 10-year low.

The state's foreclosure rate for December was 0.2 percent, compared to the national rate of 0.06. The state saw an increase of 13 percent in overall foreclosure activity from last December, while the national average dropped almost 17 percent from a year ago.

Atlantic County ranked the highest in among New Jersey counties in 2016 with a foreclosure rate of 3.33 percent, trailed by Camden and Sussex with a rate of 3.22 and 3.03 percent, respectively. Out of all 21 counties in the Garden State, Hudson County had the lowest foreclosure rate, coming in at 0.86, percent.

California-based housing firm RealtyTrac, tracks foreclosure homes once a notice of default has been issued until it's sold at auction or as a bank-owned property and collects data on 2,200 counties nationwide.
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New Jersey only tracks foreclosure properties in the court system. It does not count properties in default, the pre-foreclosure process, or once the property is turned over to a bank as a real estate owned property, which the state deems a post-foreclosure property.

N.J. 2016 Foreclosure Rates by County

County	Foreclosure Rate in 2016
Atlantic	3.39
Bergen	1.11
Burlington	2.47
Camden	3.23
Cape May	1.3
Cumberland	2.68
Essex	2.04
Gloucester	2.73
Hudson	0.86
Hunterdon	1.53
Mercer	2.16
Middlesex	1.38
Monmouth	1.83
Morris	1.16
Ocean	1.86
Passaic	1.98
Salem	2.89
Somerset	1.09
Sussex	3.04
Union	2.1
Warren	2.03

Source: nj.com