Paterson is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States.
As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 159,732 rendering it New Jersey's third-most-populous city reflecting an increase of 13,613 from the 146,199 measured in the 2010 census, which had in turn been a decline by 3,023 from the 149,222 counted in the 2000 Census. Paterson, with a population density of 17,317 inhabitants per square mile of land as of 2013, had the fourth-highest density of any U.S. city with over 100,000 people, behind only New York City, San Francisco and Jersey City.
Paterson is known as the "Silk City" for its dominant role in silk production during the latter half of the 19th century. It has since evolved into a major destination for Hispanic immigrants as well as for immigrants from Bangladesh, India, South Asia, and the Arab and Muslim world. Paterson has the second-largest Muslim population in the United States by percentage.