Overview

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EPA Region 2 is comprised of New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and seven Indian Nations.

New York

Capital: Albany
Population: 18,976,457
Population Distribution:
Urban: 16,601,126
Rural: 2,375,331
Population Density:
401.9 people per square mile
Land Area: 47,214 sq. miles
Miles of Ocean Coast: 127
Land Cover (non-federal land):
Developed (urban & built-up): 1,778.2 (1,000 acres)
Undeveloped (rural): 2,765.6 (1,000 acres)
Developed land: 39%
Cropland: 13%
Pastureland: 2%
Rangeland: 0%
Forest Land: 37%
Other Land: 8%

New Jersey

Capital: Trenton
Population: 8,414,360
Population Distribution:
Urban: 7,939,087
Rural: 475,263
Population Density:
1,134.4 people per square mile
Land Area: 7,417 sq. miles
Miles of Ocean Coast: 130
Land Cover (non-federal land):
Developed (urban & built-up): 1,778.2 (1,000 acres)
Undeveloped (rural): 2,765.6 (1,000 acres)
Developed land: 39%
Cropland: 13%
Pastureland: 2%
Rangeland: 0%
Forest Land: 37%
Other Land: 8%

Puerto Rico

Capital: San Juan
Population: 3,808,610
Population Distribution:
Urban: 3,594,948
Rural: 213,662
Population Density:
1,101.1 people per square mile
Land Area: 3,459 sq. miles
Miles of Ocean Coast: 311.3
Caribbean Land Cover (non-federal land):
Developed (urban & built-up): 506.8 (1,000 acres)
Undeveloped (rural): 1661.7 (1,000 acres)
Developed land: 23%
Cropland: 17%
Pastureland: 20%
Rangeland: 7%
Forest Land: 30%
Other Land: 3%

U.S. Virgin Islands

Capital: Charlotte Amalie
Population: 108,612
St. Croix: 53,234
St. John: 4,197
St. Thomas: 51,181
Population Distribution:
Urban: 100,497
Rural: 8,115
Population Density:
804.5 people per square mile
Land Area: 135sq. miles
St. Croix: 83 sq. miles
St. John: 20 sq. miles
St. Thomas: 31 sq. miles
Miles of Ocean Coast: 117

The region’s 31.3 million residents are primarily concentrated in its urban areas. Close to 85% live in New York State (containing the largest and most densely populated city in the country) and New Jersey (the most densely populated state), mainly in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area. In Puerto Rico, approximately one-third of the more than 3.5 million residents live in and around San Juan.

At the same time there are unique and largely intact ecosystems in our region such as the Pine Barrens, the Adirondacks Park (the largest publicly protected area in the mainland US), the Caribbean National Forest and the Virgin Islands National Park.

The seven federally-recognized Indian Nations, with whom we have a government-to-government relationship, are located within the boundaries of New York State. The estimated Tribal Nation population is approximately 25,000 with land holdings of approximately 106,000 acres. (These land holdings may increase dependent upon the outcome of several pending land claims.)

These ecosystems present diverse environmental management challenges.

EPA Region 2 works hard to provide clean air, pure water and better-protected land. Our efforts help ensure healthy communities and ecosystems, compliance with environmental regulations and environmental stewardship. These goals are more thoroughly discussed in the following pages, where we provide a snapshot of our current state as well as our strategies, tools and programs for meeting the nation’s environmental agenda. As we look to the future, we expect to build more cross-program bridges to address environmental challenges, and to continue our active coordination with our states, territories, Indian Nations and communities in seeking solutions to environmental problems.