According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 104.81 square miles (271.46 km2), including 101.66 square miles (263.30 km2) of land and 3.15 square miles (8.16 km2) of water (3.01%).[1][2]
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Batsto, Bear Swamp Hill, Bridgeport, Bulltown, Crowleytown, Friendship Bogs, Green Bank, Hermon, Hog Islands, Jemima Mount, Jenkins, Jenkins Neck, Lower Bank, Mount, Penn Place, Pleasant Mills, Quaker Bridge, Tylertown and Washington.[28]
The township is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities that are included within the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, a protected natural area of unique ecology covering 1,100,000 acres (450,000 ha), that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve.[29] All of the township is included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Burlington County, along with areas in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Ocean counties.[30]
Of the 256 households, 25.4% had children under the age of 18; 55.5% were married couples living together; 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.5% were non-families. Of all households, 25.4% were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.16.[16]
18.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 33.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 106.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 102.5 males.[16]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $96,250 (with a margin of error of +/− $21,869) and the median family income was $108,239 (+/− $9,762). Males had a median income of $19,946 (+/− $15,879) versus $41,250 (+/− $4,961) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,808 (+/− $10,822). About none of families and 21.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.[43]
As of the 2000 United States census[13] there were 621 people, 160 households, and 112 families residing in the township. The population density was 6.2 inhabitants per square mile (2.4/km2). There were 171 housing units at an average density of 1.7 per square mile (0.66/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 83.57% White, 2.90% African American, 0.32% Asian, 12.08% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.07% of the population.[41][42]
There were 160 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.27.[41][42]
In the township the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.[41][42]
The median income for a household in the township was $41,250, and the median income for a family was $42,188. Males had a median income of $32,000 versus $31,719 for females. The per capita income for the township was $13,977. About 8.0% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.[41][42]
Washington Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.[44] The governing body is comprised of a three-member Township Committee, whose members are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one seat coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.[6][45] At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor.
As of 2023[update], the members of the Washington Township Council are Mayor Daniel L. James (R, term on council ends December 31, 2025; term as mayor ends 2023), Deputy Mayor Paul Seybold (R, term on committee and as deputy mayor ends 2023) and C. Leigh Gadd Jr. (R, 2024).[3][46][47][48][49][50]
In July 2018, Paul Seybold was selected to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Daniel James.[51]
Washington Township shares a municipal court with neighboring Bass River Township; the court is located in New Gretna, Bass River Township.[52]
In 2018, the township had an average property tax bill of $3,438, the lowest in the county, compared to an average bill of $6,872 in Burlington County and $8,767 statewide.[53][54]
Burlington County's Constitutional Officers are:
Clerk Joanne Schwartz (D, Southampton Township, 2028)[72][73]
Sheriff James H. Kostoplis (D, Bordentown, 2025)[74][75] and
Surrogate Brian J. Carlin (D, Burlington Township, 2026).[76][77]
As of March 2011, there were a total of 536 registered voters in Washington Township, of which 85 (15.9% vs. 33.3% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 271 (50.6% vs. 23.9%) were registered as Republicans and 180 (33.6% vs. 42.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.[78] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 78.0% (vs. 61.7% in Burlington County) were registered to vote, including 95.5% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.3% countywide).[78][79]
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 221 votes (59.2% vs. 40.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 142 votes (38.1% vs. 58.1%) and other candidates with 7 votes (1.9% vs. 1.0%), among the 373 ballots cast by the township's 533 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.0% (vs. 74.5% in Burlington County).[80][81] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 250 votes (57.9% vs. 39.9% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 168 votes (38.9% vs. 58.4%) and other candidates with 11 votes (2.5% vs. 1.0%), among the 432 ballots cast by the township's 545 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.3% (vs. 80.0% in Burlington County).[82] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 272 votes (62.1% vs. 46.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 160 votes (36.5% vs. 52.9%) and other candidates with 4 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 438 ballots cast by the township's 558 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.5% (vs. 78.8% in the whole county).[83]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 156 votes (66.4% vs. 61.4% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 61 votes (26.0% vs. 35.8%) and other candidates with 10 votes (4.3% vs. 1.2%), among the 235 ballots cast by the township's 509 registered voters, yielding a 46.2% turnout (vs. 44.5% in the county).[84][85] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 186 votes (62.4% vs. 47.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 91 votes (30.5% vs. 44.5%), Independent Chris Daggett with 17 votes (5.7% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 2 votes (0.7% vs. 1.2%), among the 298 ballots cast by the township's 552 registered voters, yielding a 54.0% turnout (vs. 44.9% in the county).[86]
With the start of the 2016–17 school year, the Washington Township School District no longer operates and all students from Washington Township attend the Mullica Township Schools as part of a full sending/receiving relationship.[87] As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 702 students and 54.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.9:1.[88] Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics.[89]) are
Mullica Township Elementary School[90] with 382 students in grades Pre-K–4 and
Mullica Township Middle School[91] with 315 students in grades 5–8.[92][93]
Students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Cedar Creek High School, which is located in the northern section of Egg Harbor City and opened to students in September 2010.[94] The school is one of three high schools operated as part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District, which is comprised of the constituent municipalities of Egg Harbor City, Galloway Township and Hamilton Township, and participates in sending/receiving relationships with Mullica Township and Port Republic.[95] Cedar Creek High School is zoned to serve students from Egg Harbor City, Mullica Township, Port Republic and Washington Township, while students in portions of Galloway and Hamilton townships have the opportunity to attend Cedar Creek through the school of choice program or through attendance in magnet programs offered at Cedar Creek.[96][97] Prior to the opening of Cedar Creek, students from Washington Township had attended Oakcrest High School, together with students from Hamilton Township, Mullica Township and Port Republic.[98] As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 930 students and 73.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.7:1.[99]
Students from Washington Township, and from all of Burlington County, are eligible to attend the Burlington County Institute of Technology, a countywide public school district that serves the vocational and technical education needs of students at the high school and post-secondary level at its campuses in Medford and Westampton.[100]
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 54.31 miles (87.40 km) of roadways, of which 29.32 miles (47.19 km) were maintained by the municipality and 24.99 miles (40.22 km) by Burlington County.[101]
^Rondinaro, Gene. "Washington Slept Here And There And. . .", The New York Times, February 17, 1985. Accessed October 21, 2015. "First in war, first in peace and, come tomorrow, first in the hearts of his countrymen, George Washington may be nowhere more fondly remembered than in New Jersey, where 12 communities are named for him. The profusion of such names - six Washington Townships, one each in Bergen, Burlington, Gloucester, Mercer, Morris and Warren Counties; Washington in Warren, Washington Crossing in Mercer, Washington Heights and Washington Park in Middlesex, Washingtonville in Sussex and Washington Valley in Morris - causes problems."
^Wilk, Tom. "Awash in Washingtons: New Jersey has six towns named for the father of our country.", New Jersey Monthly, January 17, 2011. Accessed October 22, 2015. "In New Jersey, Washington can lay claim to another first. He's number one in names selected for the state's 566 municipalities. Bergen, Burlington, Gloucester, Morris and Warren counties all have a Washington Township. Warren also has a Washington Borough surrounded—naturally—by Washington Township. The largest is Gloucester County's Washington, with 52,096 people; the smallest is the Washington in Burlington, with a population of 649. New Jersey had a sixth Washington Township in Mercer County until 2008, when voters there approved a name change to Robbinsville."
^Raum, John O. The History of New Jersey: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Volume 1, p. 265, J. E. Potter and company, 1877. Accessed July 22, 2013. "Washington township was formed from Northampton, Evesham and Little Egg Harbor. Pleasant Mills and Green Bank are post towns. Crowleytown, Washington, and Quaker Bridge are also in this township. It contains an extensive cranberry swamp. There are also large quantities of bog iron ore. The population in 1850 was 2,009; in 1860, 1,008; and in 1870, 1,149." The population for 1850 is one less than the value listed, with much larger discrepancies for 1860 and 1870.
^Reorganization Meeting Minutes for January 3, 2023, Township of Washington. Accessed April 25, 2023. "Nomination for Mayor: Daniel L. James, Nominated by Committeeman Seybold, seconded Committeeman Gadd. No other nominations, the nominations were closed. Roll Call: Gadd, Seybold. James Ayes: 3 Nays: 0 Nomination for Deputy Mayor: Paul Seybold, Nominated by Committeeman James, seconded Committeeman Gadd. No other nominations, the nominations were closed. Roll Call: Gadd, Seybold, James Ayes: 3 Nays: 0 Oath of Office to Mayor James and Deputy Mayor Seybold was administered by Stephen Ra, Esq."
^Melegari, Douglas D. "Gadd Replaces Veteran Official On Washington Township Committee", Pine Barrens Tribune, January 26, 2019. Accessed October 25, 2019. "C. Leigh Gadd Jr. has become Washington Township’s newest committeeman.... After Gadd was sworn in to the committee, the governing body selected longtime committeeman Dudley Lewis to serve once again as mayor of Washington Township, according to Township Clerk Kathleen D. Hoffman during a Jan. 18 interview.... After Lewis took his oath of office, Paul Seybold, appointed to the committee in July of last year following the resignation of Daniel James, was chosen by the committee as deputy mayor of Washington Township, according to the meeting notes."
^"Municipal Court". Washington Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024.
^Marcus, Samantha. "These are the towns with the lowest property taxes in each of N.J.’s 21 counties", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 30, 2019. Accessed November 7, 2019. "New Jersey’s average property tax bill may have hit $8,767 last year — a new record — but taxpayers in some parts of the state pay just a fraction of that.... The average property tax bill in Washington Township was $3,438 in 2018, the lowest in Burlington County."
^Home Page, Washington Township School District (Burlington County, New Jersey). Accessed March 9, 2020. "Effective July 1, 2016, the Washington Township Board of Education has voted to make the school district a send/receive non-operating school district beginning with the 2016/2017 school year. All students will be attending the Mullica School District."
^Cedar Creek High School 2013 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed November 30, 2014. "Cedar Creek High School opened its doors for the first time September 7, 2010 with only 9th and 10th grade students. For the 2011/2012 school year, we grew to include grades 9 through 11. Serving students from six communities within the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District, Cedar Creek graduated its first class at the conclusion of the 2012/2013 school year."
^Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District 2016 Report Card NarrativeArchived September 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 18, 2020. "The Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District serves the communities of Galloway Township, Hamilton Township, Egg Harbor City, Mullica Township and participates in receiving relationships with Port Republic and Washington Township. The geographic area of the district is the largest in the state, covering 324 square miles. The student body of each of the district's three comprehensive high schools, Absegami High School, Cedar Creek High School, and Oakcrest High School, reflects the socioeconomic and ethnic diversity of this geographic area."
^Student PopulationArchived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Cedar Creek High School. Accessed June 18, 2020. "We will serve as the high school for the communities of Mullica Township, Egg Harbor City, Port Republic, and the Green Bank area of Washington Township. Students from specific geographic areas of Galloway and Hamilton Townships (School of Choice Program) and the entirety of Galloway and Hamilton Townships through the Magnet Programs (Engineering and Environmental Sciences) will have the option of attending CCHS."
^Greater Egg Harbor Regional Board of Education District Policy 5120 - Assignment of Pupils, Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District. Accessed June 18, 2020. "Pupils shall attend the school located in the attendance area of their residence. The attendance areas for the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District shall be as follows: 1. Pupils who reside in Egg Harbor City shall attend Cedar Creek High School. 2. Pupils who reside in Galloway Township shall attend Absegami High School. 3. Pupils who reside in Hamilton Township shall attend Oakcrest High School 4. Pupils who reside in Mullica Township shall attend Cedar Creek High School 5. Pupils who reside in Port Republic and Washington Township shall attend Cedar Creek High School."
^Kent, Spencer. "Former Miss New Jersey, longtime Hollywood actress dies at 87", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 27, 2017. Accessed April 27, 2017. "Crowley, who graduated from Egg Harbor City High School in 1946, was a finalist in the 1949 Miss America contest in Atlantic City and was awarded the 'Miss Congeniality' title.... After 20 years in the acting business, she settled down with her husband John Rubsam and returned to the Green Bank section of Washington Township in Burlington County, where the couple raised their son, Matthew."
^Beck, Henry Charlton (1945). Jersey Genesis: The story of the Mullica River. Rutgers University Press. p. 59. ISBN0-8135-1015-5. For it was Eric Mullica, settling in what is now Lower Bank about fifteen miles from the bay in 1645, who gave clearer identity to the stream that still carries his name [i.e. the Mullica River] ...