Linden is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 43,352 people and 11 associated neighborhoods, Linden is the 40th largest community in New Jersey.

Housing costs in Linden are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in New Jersey.

One of the nice things about Linden is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

One downside of living in Linden is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Linden, the average commute to work is 31.06 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the city, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the city are by private automobile, Linden is somewhat unusual for a city of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the train helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Linden area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

The education level of Linden citizens is a little higher than the average for US cities and towns: 22.64% of adults in Linden have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Linden in 2022 was $36,207, which is low income relative to New Jersey, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $144,828 for a family of four. However, Linden contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Linden is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Linden home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are the most prevalent group in Linden, accounting for 34.43% of the city’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of Linden residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Linden include Polish, Italian, Haitian, Portuguese, and Irish.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Linden's cultural character, accounting for 34.63% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Linden is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and French.