Erma is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) located within Lower Township in

Cape May County Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on the Cape May peninsula, bound by the Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 2,031, a decline of 103 from the 2010 census count of 2,134.DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Erma CDP, New Jersey
,

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

. Accessed October 18, 2012.

Geography

According to the

, the CDP had a total area of , including of land and of water (2.97%).US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990

. Accessed September 4, 2014.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 2,134 people, 821 households, and 596 families in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 920 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 95.74% (2,043)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.12% (24) Black or African American, 0.23% (5) Native American, 0.94% (20) Asian, 0.14% (3)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.70% (15) from other races, and 1.12% (24) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.62% (56) of the population. Of the 821 households, 26.6% had children under the age of 18; 55.9% were married couples living together; 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.4% were non-families. Of all households, 22.9% were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.04. 21.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 94.3 males.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census of 2000, there were 2,088 people, 751 households, and 561 families living in the CDP. The

was . There were 846 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.22%

, 0.48%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.05% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.48% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.68% of the population.DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Erma CDP, New Jersey
,

. Accessed October 18, 2012. There were 751 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.24. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $64,261, and the median income for a family was $69,063. Males had a median income of $45,694 versus $21,923 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $20,765. About 1.8% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The main transportation route for Erma is U.S. Route 9. The

Cape May Airport Cape May Airport or Cape May County Airport is a public use airport in Lower Township, Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. Owned by the Delaware River and Bay Authority, the airport is four nautical miles (7 km) northwest o ...

is located in Lower Township, and has an Erma postal address though it is not in the CDP. - The airport is not in the CDP as per the physical location.

Government and infrastructure

The Lower Township Police Department station has an Erma address but is outside of the CDP.

Education

As with other parts of Lower Township, it is served by Lower Township School District for primary grades and

Lower Cape May Regional School District The Lower Cape May Regional School District (LCMR School District) is regional public school district headquartered in Lower Township, New Jersey, Lower Township, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that serves students in seventh grade, seventh th ...

(LCMR) for secondary grades; the latter operates Teitelman Middle School and Lower Cape May Regional High School. The LCMR district describes its facilities as being in Erma; the schools and district headquarters are not in the census-designated place. The ''

Cape May County Herald The ''Cape May County Herald'' is a weekly newspaper in Rio Grande, New Jersey. - See also: Also identical in the 1990 U.S. Census: - Rio Grande CDP is on page25an26 History It has been serving residents and visitors of Cape May County, ...

'', and the ''

Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The Designated marke ...

'' describe the school complex as being in Erma. The elementary schools are in as follows: David C. Douglass Memorial Elementary School (pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten) is in Villas CDP. The other three elementary schools are in Cold Spring: Carl T. Mitnick (grades 1–2), Maud Abrams (grades 3–4), and Sandman Consolidated (grades 5–6). Students are also eligible to attend

Cape May County Technical High School Cape May County Technical High School, located in Middle Township, which provides vocational and technical education to students in ninth through twelfth grades from Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Cap ...

in the Cape May Court House area, which serves students from the entire county in its comprehensive and vocational programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents. Special needs students may be referred to Cape May County Special Services School District in the Cape May Court House area.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Erma include: * Charles W. Sandman Jr. (1921–1985), represented from 1967 to 1975. * Matt Szczur (born 1989), professional baseball player.Caldwell, Dave
"Two Sports, One Big Choice"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', December 16, 2010. Accessed October 20, 2016. "Szczur, a senior from Erma, N.J., gained attention late in the 2009 season after the National Marrow Donor Program determined that his bone marrow was a match for a 13-month-old girl with juvenile leukemia."

References

External links

The Cape May Gazette Newspaper serving Erma

Erma Tabernacle: A United Methodist Church serving Lower Township NJ
{{Cape May County, New Jersey Census-designated places in Cape May County, New Jersey Census-designated places in New Jersey Lower Township, New Jersey