Census 2010
The 2010 United States census counted 13,620 people, 4,869 households, and 3,262 families in the town. The population density was 11,319.3 per square mile (4,370.4/km2). There were 5,228 housing units at an average density of 4,344.9 per square mile (1,677.6/km2). The racial makeup was 58.30% (7,941) White, 2.18% (297) Black or African American, 0.56% (76) Native American, 16.28% (2,217) Asian, 0.01% (2) Pacific Islander, 18.48% (2,517) from other races, and 4.19% (570) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 44.18% (6,017) of the population.

Of the 4,869 households, 31.8% had children under the age of 18; 44.2% were married couples living together; 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 33.0% were non-families. Of all households, 22.1% were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.23.

20.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 105.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 105.7 males.

The Harrison Public Schools serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke which are now referred to as “SDA Districts” based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. As of the 2018–2019 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 2,409 students and 166.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.5:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–2019 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Harrison Early Childhood Program (grades Pre-K3 and Pre-K4), Lincoln Elementary School with 620 students in grades Pre-K to 3, Hamilton Intermediate School with 307 students in grades 4–5, Washington Middle School with 438 students in grades 6–8 and Harrison High School with 692 students in grades 9–12.

Holy Cross School of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark operated until 2009, when it merged into Mater Dei Academy in Kearny; the merged school closed in 2012.

Harrison is the location of the Red Bull Arena soccer stadium, home of the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. After years of construction delays, the arena opened on March 20, 2010, with an exhibition game against the Brazilian club Santos FC. The soccer-specific stadium (SSS) was constructed at a cost of $200 million and has a capacity of approximately 25,000, with a natural grass field, featuring a full wavy translucent European-style roof that covers all of the seats in the stadium but not the field. The stadium sits alongside the Passaic River with a view of the Newark skyline, and is accessible via public transportation at the PATH train station in Harrison. The stadium is owned and operated by Red Bull GmbH.

Police
The Harrison Police Department is presently led by Chief of Police David Strumolo, who was sworn-in March 2018. The department currently consists of 39 members, down from a one-time high of 67 officers in the 1990s. The department consists of several divisions; Administrative, Patrol, Detective, Traffic Safety, Street Crimes, and Community Policing. The department participates in National Night Out, and various cultural and civic events, as well as “meet and greets.”

The department was among the many Hudson County agencies that responded to the January 2009 crash of Flight 1549, for which they received accolades from the survivors.

The Harrison Police Department is recognized as an “accredited police agency” by the New Jersey Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission and the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police.

Fire

The Harrison Fire Department operates out of a fire station located at 634 Sussex Street and operates a fire apparatus fleet of three engines, one ladder, and several support units and spares. Due to cutbacks, the HFD usually is able to staff one engine with three members and one ladder with three members and one tour commander on duty. The HFD has a table of organization of 29 firefighters. In April 2013, officials from neighboring municipalities and fire departments expressed their frustration at the stresses placed on their firefighters in covering fires in Harrison. Currently Harrison is staffing two engines and one ladder 24/7.

Roads and highways
As of May 2010, the town had a total of 18.15 miles (29.21 km) of roadways, of which 15.23 miles (24.51 km) were maintained by the municipality, 1.57 miles (2.53 km) by Hudson County and 1.35 miles (2.17 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

By car, Harrison depends on Interstate 280 which runs through town. Westward, I-280 leads to Route 21, the Garden State Parkway, and Interstate 80. Eastward, it leads to Route 7 and the New Jersey Turnpike.

Replacement of Interstate 280’s partial access in central Harrison with service roads, a new interchange, and an overpass (to improve access to Harrison Avenue, the PATH station, and Red Bull Arena, and to give north–south passage to local street traffic) is in the planning stages.

Public transportation
The Harrison station on the PATH rapid transit system offers service to Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and New York City. The station was built in 1913 and relocated to its present location in 1936. A major reconstruction for the Harrison Station was approved on March 28, 2012, and construction started in January 2013. The completion target, originally scheduled for April 2017, was tentatively moved to 2018; the expansion of the station was completed on June 15, 2019.

The Northeast Corridor, built in the 19th century by the Pennsylvania Railroad and now owned by Amtrak, carries NJ Transit trains, and passes through the city on the same alignment as the PATH. There was a stop on the Northeast Corridor in Harrison, but it was eliminated due to the ease of picking up trains in Newark at Penn Station.

Harrison is served by buses operated by several bus companies. NJ Transit offers service within New Jersey on the 30, 40 routes.

The closest airport in New Jersey with scheduled passenger service is Newark Liberty International Airport, located 4.8 miles (7.7 km) away in Newark and Elizabeth.