Providing details about these projects would inform readers about the county's efforts to improve public infrastructure and services.

[14] In 2012, 49.8 percent of Somerset County residents were college graduates, the highest percentage in the state.

The area was first settled in 1681 in the vicinity of Bound Brook, and the county was established by charter on May 22, 1688.

During the American Revolutionary War, General George Washington and his troops marched through the county on several occasions and slept in many of the homes located throughout the area.

[17] In 1917, Somerset County, in cooperation with Rutgers University, hired its first agricultural agent to connect local farmers with expert advice.

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County, located in Bridgewater, serves residents in the areas of agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, and family and community health sciences.

"[20] More recently, there has been an influx of New York City commuters who use NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line and Gladstone Branch or use Interstate 78.

In 1996, Nicholas L. Bissell Jr., the county prosecutor, was charged with embezzlement, tax fraud, and abuse of power.

He fled to Laughlin, Nevada southeast of Las Vegas, and killed himself when the federal authorities attempted to arrest him.

[25] The high point is on Mine Mountain in Bernardsville, at approximately 860 feet (260 m) above sea level.

[26] The lowest point is just above sea level on the Raritan River at the Middlesex County line.

[7] The Bureau of Economic Analysis calculated that the county's gross domestic product was $39.8 billion in 2021, which was ranked sixth in the state and was a 5.6% increase from the prior year.

[36] The Somerset Patriots are a professional baseball team that plays at the 6,100-seat TD Bank Ballpark, located on the border of Bridgewater and Bound Brook.

They played in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball until they became the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees in 2021.

In addition, the Commission manages natural parks such as the Washington Valley Park (with biking and hiking trails) and the Sourland Mountain Preserve (hiking and mountain biking trails).

[38] The southeastern portion of Somerset County in Franklin Township includes Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, which provides hiking, biking and boating.

Somerset County currently has approximately 1,100 full-time and 130 part-time employees in 52 divisions (including the Library System).

[58] Constitutional officers, elected on a countywide basis, are:[48] The Somerset County Prosecutor is Michael H. Robertson of the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, who was nominated by the Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie in September 2016.

[68][69] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 7th congressional district is represented by Thomas Kean Jr. (R, Westfield).

[70] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 12th congressional district is represented by Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, Ewing Township).

Roy Freiman (D) Joseph Danielsen(D) Nancy Munoz (R) Linda S. Carter (D) Erik Peterson (R) In the 2008, Barack Obama became the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry the county since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, and only the second since 1936.

[88] Somerset Hills Learning Institute, founded in 1998 and located in Bedminster Township, educates children on the autism spectrum by utilizing the principles of applied behavior analysis.

[89] In 2024, a local ShopRite store started selling salads grown by and packed by students in the school's hydroponics career training program.

[90] The 21 municipalities in Somerset County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units, and area) are listed below.

These areas include census-designated places (CDPs), which the United States Census Bureau created for enumeration purposes within a township.

NJ Transit provides train service on the Gladstone Branch and the Raritan Valley Line.