new Jersey

{{Main|History of New Jersey}}

{{See also|Paleontology in New Jersey}}

The pressure of collision between North America and Africa gave rise to the Appalachian Mountains. Around 18,000 years ago, the Ice Age resulted in glaciers that reached New Jersey. As glaciers retreated, they left behind Lake Passaic along with rivers, meadows, swamps, and gorges.{{Cite web |title=History of the Great Swamp |url=https://www.greatswamp.org/history-great-swamp/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911024925/https://www.greatswamp.org/history-great-swamp/ |archive-date=September 11, 2017 |access-date=June 11, 2024 |website=greatswamp.org |publisher=Great Swamp Watershed Association |language=en-US}}

Since the 6th millennium BC, Native American people have inhabited New Jersey, beginning with the Lenape tribe. {{lang|unm|Scheyichbi}} is the Lenape name for the land that represents present-day New Jersey.{{cite web |last=Stockton |first=Frank R. |year=1896 |title=The Story of the Discovery of Scheyichbi |url=http://www.getnj.com/storiesofnewjersey/sojpg9a.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104212625/http://www.getnj.com/storiesofnewjersey/sojpg9a.shtml |archive-date=January 4, 2014 |access-date=February 8, 2013 |website=Stories of New Jersey |publisher=GET NJ}} The Lenape were several autonomous groups that practiced maize agriculture in order to supplement their hunting and gathering in the region surrounding the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. The Lenape were divided into matrilineal clans that were based upon common female ancestors. Clans were organized into three distinct phratries identified by their animal sign: Turtle, Turkey, and Wolf. They first encountered the Dutch in the early 17th century, and their primary relationship with the Dutch and later European settlers was through fur trade.

{{Main|Colonial history of New Jersey|New Netherland|New Sweden|Province of New Jersey|East Jersey|West Jersey|Dominion of New England}}

File:Nieuw Nederland and Nya Sverige.svg and New Sweden in present-day New Jersey during the colonial era]]

The Dutch were the first Europeans to lay claim to geographic territory in New Jersey. The Dutch colony of New Netherland consisted of parts of the modern Mid-Atlantic states. Although the European principle of land ownership was not recognized by the Lenape, Dutch West India Company policy required its colonists to purchase land that they settled. The first to do so was Michiel Pauw, who established a patron ship called Pavonia in 1630 along North River, that eventually became Bergen. Peter Minuit's purchase of lands along the Delaware River established the colony of New Sweden, that lasted until the Dutch conquered it in 1655. Then the entire region became a territory of England on June 24, 1664, after an English fleet under command of Colonel Richard Nicolls sailed into what is now New York Harbor and took control of Fort Amsterdam, annexing the entire province.

During the English Civil War, the Channel Island of Jersey remained loyal to the British Crown and gave sanctuary to the King. In the Royal Square in St Helier, Charles II of England was proclaimed King in 1649, following the execution of his father, Charles I. North American lands were divided by Charles II, who gave his brother, the Duke of York (later King James II), the region between New England and Maryland as a proprietary colony (as opposed to a royal colony). James then granted land between the Hudson River and the Delaware River (the land that would become New Jersey) to two friends who had remained loyal through the English Civil War: Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley of Stratton.{{cite web|url=http://www.mrnussbaum.com/readingcomp/njcolony.htm|title=New Jersey Colony Reading Comprehension|publisher=MrNussbaum.com|access-date=September 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024222527/http://www.mrnussbaum.com/readingcomp/njcolony.htm|archive-date=October 24, 2012|url-status=live}} The area was named the Province of New Jersey.

Since its inception, New Jersey has been characterized by ethnic and religious diversity. New England Congregationalists settled alongside Scots Presbyterians and Dutch Reformed migrants. While the majority of residents lived in towns with individual landholdings of {{convert|100|acre|ha|0}}, a few rich proprietors owned vast estates. English Quakers and Anglicans owned large landholdings. Unlike Plymouth Colony, Jamestown and other colonies, New Jersey was populated by a secondary wave of immigrants who came from other colonies instead of those who migrated directly from Europe. New Jersey remained agrarian and rural throughout the colonial era, and commercial farming developed sporadically. Some townships, such as Burlington on the Delaware River and Perth Amboy, emerged as important ports for shipping to New York City and Philadelphia. The colony's fertile lands and tolerant religious policy drew more settlers, and New Jersey's population had increased to 120,000 by 1775.

Settlement for the first ten years of English rule took place along the Hackensack River and Arthur Kill. Settlers came primarily from New York and New England. On March 18, 1673, Berkeley sold his half of the colony to Quakers in England, who settled the Delaware Valley region as a Quaker colony, with William Penn acting as trustee for the lands for a time. New Jersey was governed as two distinct provinces, East and West Jersey, for 28 years between 1674 and 1702, which were part of the Dominion of New England from 1686 to 1689.

In 1702, the two provinces were reunited under a royal governor rather than a proprietary one. Edward Hyde, titled Lord Cornbury, became the first governor of the royal colony. Britain believed that he was an ineffective and corrupt ruler, taking bribes and speculating on land. In 1708, he was recalled to England. New Jersey was then ruled by the governors of New York, but this infuriated the settlers of New Jersey, who accused these governors of favoritism to New York. Judge Lewis Morris led the case for a separate governor, and was appointed governor by King George II in 1738.Streissguth pp. 30–36

{{Main|American Revolutionary War|Northern theater of the American Revolutionary War|New Jersey in the American Revolution|Lee Resolution|United States Declaration of Independence|Philadelphia campaign|Articles of Confederation#Ratification|Treaty of Paris (1783)|Constitutional Convention (United States)|Admission to the Union|List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union}}

File:Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze, MMA-NYC, 1851.jpg, an 1851 portrait by Emanuel Leutze depicting Washington's covert crossing the Delaware River from Bucks County, Pennsylvania to Mercer County on December 25, 1776, prior to the Battle of Trenton]]

File:Princetonwashington.jpg depicting George Washington rallying Continental Army troops at the Battle of Princeton in January 1777]]

New Jersey was one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. The New Jersey Constitution of 1776 was passed July 2, 1776, just two days before the Second Continental Congress declared American Independence from Great Britain. It was an act of the Provincial Congress, which made itself into the State Legislature. To reassure neutrals, it provided that the legislature would disband if New Jersey reached reconciliation with Great Britain. Among the 56 Founding Fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence, five were New Jersey representatives: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, and Abraham Clark.

During the American Revolutionary War, British and American armies crossed New Jersey numerous times, and several pivotal battles took place in the state. Because of this, New Jersey today is sometimes referred to as "The Crossroads of the American Revolution".{{cite web|title=About Crossroads of the American Revolution|url=http://revolutionarynj.org/about-crossroads-of-the-american-revolution/|publisher=Crossroads of the American Revolution|access-date=November 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104192948/http://revolutionarynj.org/about-crossroads-of-the-american-revolution/|archive-date=November 4, 2016|url-status=live}} The winter quarters of the Continental Army were established in New Jersey twice by General George Washington in Morristown, which has been called "The Military Capital of the American Revolution."{{cite web|title=The Military Capital of the American Revolution|url=http://www.visitnj.org/article/military-capital-american-revolution|publisher=New Jersey Tourism|date=February 2014|access-date=November 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105231335/http://www.visitnj.org/article/military-capital-american-revolution|archive-date=November 5, 2016|url-status=live}}

On the night of December 25–26, 1776, the Continental Army under George Washington crossed the Delaware River. After the crossing, they surprised and defeated the Hessian troops in the Battle of Trenton. Slightly more than a week after victory at Trenton, Continental Army forces gained an important victory by stopping General Cornwallis's charges at the Second Battle of Trenton. By evading Cornwallis's army, the Continental Army was able to make a surprise attack on Princeton and successfully defeated the British forces there on January 3, 1777. Emanuel Leutze's painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware became an icon of the Revolution.

Continental Army forces under Washington's command met British forces under General Henry Clinton at the Battle of Monmouth in an indecisive engagement in June 1778. Washington's forces attempted to take the British column by surprise. When the British army attempted to flank the Americans, the Continental Army retreated in disorder. Their ranks were later reorganized and withstood British charges.[http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200003296/ Battle of Monmouth: The Longest Battle of the American Revolution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127115945/http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200003296/ |date=January 27, 2023 }}, Library of Congress. Retrieved July 15, 2022. "Visitors to the Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Freehold, New Jersey, can witness a battle reenactment that recalls the hot summer day of June 28, 1778, when American and British forces clashed under the direction of Continental Army General George Washington and British General Sir Henry Clinton."

In the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall at Princeton University, making Princeton the nation's capital for four months. It was there that the Continental Congress learned of the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war.

On December 18, 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the United States Constitution, which was overwhelmingly popular in New Jersey since it prevented New York and Pennsylvania from charging tariffs on goods imported from Europe. On November 20, 1789, New Jersey became the first in the newly formed Union to ratify the Bill of Rights.[https://www.nj.gov/state/archives/docusconstitution.html United States Constitution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705183803/https://www.nj.gov/state/archives/docusconstitution.html |date=July 5, 2022 }}, New Jersey Department of State. Retrieved July 15, 2022. "On December 18, 1787, New Jersey become the third state to ratify the United States Constitution. The minutes of the ratification convention document the quick work of the delegates. The delegates required only six days to establish rules, review the document, and complete their deliberations.... On November 20, 1789, New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights."

The 1776 New Jersey State Constitution gave the vote to all inhabitants who had a certain level of wealth. This included women and Black people, but not married women because they were not legally permitted to own property separately from their husbands. Both sides, in several elections, claimed that the other side had had unqualified women vote and mocked them for use of petticoat electors, whether entitled to vote or not; on the other hand, both parties passed Voting Rights Acts. In 1807, legislature passed a bill interpreting the constitution to mean universal white male suffrage, excluding paupers; the constitution was itself an act of the legislature and not enshrined as the modern constitution.Klinghoffer and Elkis ("The Petticoat Electors: Women's Suffrage in New Jersey, 1776–1807", Journal of the Early Republic 12, no. 2 (1992): 159–193.)

{{Main|New Jersey in the 19th century|New Jersey in the American Civil War}}

File:Line of the Morris Canal, New Jersey, 1827.jpg, which crosses the state]]

On February 15, 1804, New Jersey became the last northern state to abolish new slavery and enacted legislation that slowly phased out existing slavery. This led to a gradual decrease of the slave population. By the American Civil War's end, about a dozen African Americans in New Jersey were still held in bondage.James Gigantino, The Ragged Road to Abolition: Slavery and Freedom in New Jersey, 1775–1865 New Jersey voters eventually ratified the constitutional amendments banning slavery and granting rights to the United States' black population.

Industrialization accelerated in the present-day North Jersey region of the state following completion of the Morris Canal in 1831. The canal allowed for anthracite coal to be transported from eastern Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley to North Jersey's growing industries in Paterson, Newark, and Jersey City.

In 1844, the second state constitution was ratified and brought into effect. Counties thereby became districts for the state senate, and some realignment of boundaries (including the creation of Mercer County) immediately followed. This provision was retained in the 1947 Constitution, but was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1962, by the decision Baker v. Carr. While the Governorship was stronger than under the 1776 constitution, the constitution of 1844 created many offices that were not responsible to him, or to the people, and it gave him a three-year term, but he could not succeed himself.

New Jersey was one of the few Union states (the others being Delaware and Kentucky) to select a candidate other than Abraham Lincoln twice in national elections, and sided with Stephen A. Douglas (1860) and George B. McClellan (1864) during their campaigns. McClellan, a native Philadelphian, had New Jersey ties and formally resided in New Jersey at the time; he later became Governor of New Jersey (1878–81). (In New Jersey, the factions of the Democratic party managed an effective coalition in 1860.) During the American Civil War, the state was led first by Republican governor Charles Smith Olden, then by Democrat Joel Parker. During the course of the war, between 65,000 and 80,000 soldiers from the state enlisted in the Union army; unlike many states, including some Northern ones, no battle was fought there.{{Cite web|last=Horowitz|first=Ben|date=June 23, 2015|title=10 facts about New Jersey and the Civil War|url=https://www.nj.com/morris/2015/06/ten_facts_about_new_jersey_and_the_civil_war.html|access-date=February 23, 2021|website=nj|archive-date=April 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415013550/https://www.nj.com/morris/2015/06/ten_facts_about_new_jersey_and_the_civil_war.html|url-status=live}}

In the Industrial Revolution, cities like Paterson grew and prospered. Previously, the economy had been largely agrarian, which was problematically subject to crop failures and poor soil. This caused a shift to a more industrialized economy, one based on manufactured commodities such as textiles and silk. Inventor Thomas Edison also became an important figure of the Industrial Revolution, having been granted 1,093 patents, many of which for inventions he developed while working in New Jersey. Edison's facilities, first at Menlo Park and then in West Orange, are considered perhaps the first research centers in the United States. Christie Street in Menlo Park was the first thoroughfare in the world to have electric lighting. Transportation was greatly improved as locomotion and steamboats were introduced to New Jersey.

Iron mining was also a leading industry during the middle to late 19th century. Bog iron pits in the New Jersey Pine Barrens were among the first sources of iron for the new nation.{{cite web|url=http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nj/county/atlantic/Pinelands/BogIron.htm|title=Usgennet.org|publisher=Usgennet.org|access-date=July 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514000706/http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nj/county/atlantic/Pinelands/BogIron.htm|archive-date=May 14, 2011|url-status=dead}} Mines such as Mt. Hope, Mine Hill, and the Rockaway Valley Mines created a thriving industry. Mining generated the impetus for new towns and was one of the driving forces behind the need for the Morris Canal. Zinc mines were also a major industry, especially the Sterling Hill Mine.

{{Main|New Jersey in the 20th century}}

New Jersey prospered through the Roaring Twenties. The first Miss America Pageant was held in 1921 in Atlantic City; the Holland Tunnel connecting Jersey City to Manhattan opened in 1927; and the first drive-in movie was shown in 1933 in Camden. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the state offered begging licenses to unemployed residents,Gerdes, Louise I. The 1930s, Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2000. the zeppelin airship Hindenburg crashed in flames over Lakehurst, and the SS Morro Castle beached itself near Asbury Park after going up in flames while at sea.

Through both World Wars, New Jersey was a center for war production, especially naval construction. The Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company yards in Kearny and Newark and the New York Shipbuilding Corporation yard in Camden produced aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, and destroyers.{{Cite web|url=https://newyorkship.org/history/|title=History|date=March 23, 2016|website=New York Shipbuilding Corporation|access-date=April 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406193652/https://newyorkship.org/history/|archive-date=April 6, 2019|url-status=live}} New Jersey manufactured 6.8 percent of total United States military armaments produced during World War II, ranking fifth among the 48 states.Peck, Merton J. & Scherer, Frederic M. The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis (1962) Harvard Business School p.111 In addition, Fort Dix (1917) (originally called "Camp Dix"),{{cite web |url=http://www.dix.army.mil/history/history.html |at=¶1 |title=Fort Dix History |publisher=U.S. Support Activity—Fort Dix |access-date=January 4, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227024450/http://www.dix.army.mil/history/history.html |archive-date=December 27, 2013 }} Camp Merritt (1917),{{cite web|url=http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~cacunithistories/camp_merritt.htm|title=Camp Merritt|publisher=Freepages.military.rootsweb.com|access-date=July 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704180947/http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~cacunithistories/camp_merritt.htm|archive-date=July 4, 2008|url-status=dead}} and Camp Kilmer (1941){{citation needed|date=December 2022}} were all constructed to house and train American soldiers through both World Wars. New Jersey also became a principal location for defense in the Cold War. Fourteen Nike missile stations were constructed for the defense of the New York City and Philadelphia areas. PT-109, a motor torpedo boat commanded by Lt. (j.g.) John F. Kennedy in World War II, was built at the Elco Boatworks in Bayonne. The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) was briefly docked at the Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne in the 1950s before she was sent to Kearney to be scrapped.{{cite web|url=http://www.cv6.org/1946/scrap/default.htm|title=CV6.org|publisher=CV6.org|access-date=July 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920184145/http://cv6.org/1946/scrap/default.htm|archive-date=September 20, 2010|url-status=dead}} In 1962, the world's first nuclear-powered cargo ship, the NS Savannah, was launched at Camden.

In 1951, the New Jersey Turnpike opened, facilitating efficient travel by car and truck between North Jersey and metropolitan New York, and South Jersey and metropolitan Philadelphia.[https://www.njta.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115041611/https://www.njta.com/|date=January 15, 2022}} Accessed September 23, 2021. Subsequently, in 1957, the Garden State Parkway was completed, serving as a diagonal counterpart to the Turnpike, and opening up highway travel along New Jersey's coastal flank between Bergen County in the northeast and the Cape May County peninsula at the southeastern tip of New Jersey; in doing so, the Jersey Shore became readily accessible to millions of residents in the New York metropolitan area. In 1959, Air Defense Command deployed the CIM-10 Bomarc surface-to-air missile to McGuire Air Force Base. On June 7, 1960, an explosion in a CIM-10 Bomarc missile fuel tank caused an accident and subsequent plutonium contamination.{{cite news |title=Check out the abandoned New Jersey military base where a nuclear missile exploded in 1960 |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/bomarc-nuclear-missile-explosion-mcguire-afb-fort-dix-1960-2017-3 |work=Business Insider |date=March 23, 2017 |access-date=September 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903103416/https://www.businessinsider.com/bomarc-nuclear-missile-explosion-mcguire-afb-fort-dix-1960-2017-3 |archive-date=September 3, 2019 |url-status=live }}

In the 1960s, race riots erupted in many of the industrial cities of North Jersey. The first race riots in New Jersey occurred in Jersey City on August 2, 1964. Several others ensued in 1967, in Newark and Plainfield. Other riots followed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968, just as in the rest of the country. A riot occurred in Camden in 1971. As a result of an order from the New Jersey Supreme Court to fund schools equitably, the New Jersey legislature passed an income tax bill in 1976. Prior to this bill, the state had no income tax.{{cite web | title=Mission & History | publisher=Education Law Center | date=December 29, 2009 | url=http://www.edlawcenter.org/about/mission-history.html | access-date=January 4, 2014 | at=History, ¶3 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104212737/http://www.edlawcenter.org/about/mission-history.html | archive-date=January 4, 2014 | url-status=dead }}

{{Main|New Jersey in the 21st century}}

In the early part of the 2000s, two light rail systems were opened: the Hudson–Bergen Light Rail in Hudson County and the River Line between Camden and Trenton. The intent of these projects was to encourage transit-oriented development in North Jersey and South Jersey, respectively. The HBLR was credited with a revitalization of Hudson County and Jersey City.{{cite web |title=Livability: A Legacy of Northern N.J. Communities |website=Mobility Matters |publisher=New Jersey Regional Planning Association |date=Fall 2010 |url=http://www.njtpa.org/Pub/Report/documents/MM_newsletter_Fall10_000.pdf |access-date=April 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927173630/http://www.njtpa.org/Pub/Report/documents/MM_newsletter_Fall10_000.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2011 }}{{Cite report |title=Hudson–Bergen Light Rail System and Economic Development on the Waterfront |publisher=Booz Allen Hamilton |url=http://www.reconnectingamerica.org/assets/Uploads/bestpractice097.pdf |access-date=May 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721144109/http://www.reconnectingamerica.org/assets/Uploads/bestpractice097.pdf |archive-date=July 21, 2011 |url-status=live }}[http://www.dpz.com/project.aspx?Project_Number=9901&Project_Name=Liberty+Harbor+North Liberty Harbor North] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206033943/http://www.dpz.com/project.aspx?Project_Number=9901&Project_Name=Liberty+Harbor+North |date=February 6, 2012 }}. Retrieved January 3, 2007.{{cite web |last=Robins |first=Martin E. |author2=Wells, Jan S. |title=Land Development at Selected Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Stations |publisher=Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University |date=April 2008 |url=http://policy.rutgers.edu/vtc/reports/REPORTS/HBLR%20Final%20Report.pdf |access-date=April 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720043043/http://policy.rutgers.edu/vtc/reports/REPORTS/HBLR%20Final%20Report.pdf |archive-date=July 20, 2011 }} Urban revitalization has continued in North Jersey in the 21st century. In 2014, Jersey City's Census-estimated population was 262,146,[http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2014/PEPANNRES/0400000US34.06100 PEPANNRES—Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010, to July 1, 2014—2014 Population Estimates for New Jersey municipalities] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20200212200917/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2014/PEPANNRES/0400000US34.06100 |date=February 12, 2020 }}, United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2015. with the largest population increase of any municipality in New Jersey since 2010,Stirling, Stephen. [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/what_are_njs_fastest_growing_and_declining_towns_m.html "What are N.J.'s fastest growing and shrinking towns?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113054336/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/what_are_njs_fastest_growing_and_declining_towns_m.html |date=January 13, 2016 }}, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 21, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015. "Jersey City has gained nearly 15,000 residents since 2010, making it the fastest growing municipality in the state and a symbol of the Garden State's reinvigorated urban core." representing an increase of 5.9% from the 2010 U.S. census, when the city's population was enumerated at 247,597.[http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0600000US3401736000 DP-1—Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Jersey City city, Hudson County, New Jersey] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20200212113527/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0600000US3401736000 |date=February 12, 2020 }}, United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 1, 2016.[http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/census/2010/dp/dp1_hud/jerseycity1.pdf Table DP-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2010 for Jersey City] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112171718/http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/census/2010/dp/dp1_hud/jerseycity1.pdf |date=January 12, 2016 }}, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Retrieved February 1, 2016. In 2017, Jersey City's tax base grew by US$136 million, giving Jersey City the largest municipal tax base in New Jersey.[http://www.cityofjerseycity.com/uploadedFiles/2017%20Budget%20Introduction%20Press%20Release%2003%2022%202017.pdf "Mayor Fulop to Introduce 2017 Budget With No Tax Increase; Fourth Consecutive Year With No Municipal Tax Increase as Fulop Administration Brings Long-Term Fiscal Stability to Jersey City"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628081951/http://cityofjerseycity.com/uploadedFiles/2017%20Budget%20Introduction%20Press%20Release%2003%2022%202017.pdf |date=June 28, 2017 }}, City of Jersey City, March 22, 2017. Accessed May 7, 2025. "In 2017, the tax base, or ratable base, grew in Jersey City by $136 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=136000000|start_year=2017}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) due to Fulop Administration policies encouraging economic investment throughout the city. In four years, the tax base has grown by $415 million, with Jersey City having the largest municipal tax base in the state." Between 2000 and 2010 Newark experienced its first population increase since the 1950s, and by 2020 had rebounded to 311,549.{{Infobox region symbols|country=United States

|state = New Jersey

|image_flag = Flag of New Jersey.svg

|image_seal = Seal_of_New_Jersey.svg

|mammal = Horse{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/animal.htm|title=New Jersey State Animal|website=The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey|publisher=The State of New Jersey|access-date=June 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310233855/http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/animal.htm|archive-date=March 10, 2013|url-status=live}}

|bird = Eastern goldfinch{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/bird.htm|title=New Jersey State Bird|website=The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey|publisher=The State of New Jersey|access-date=June 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325025523/http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/bird.htm|archive-date=March 25, 2013|url-status=live}}

|butterfly = Black swallowtail{{cite web|url=https://www.njstatehousetours.org/160/State-Symbols#:~:text=THE%20NEW%20JERSEY%20STATE%20BUTTERFLY%20%2D%20THE%20BLACK%20SWALLOWTAIL%20BUTTERFLY|title=New Jersey State Symbols|website=New Jersey State Symbols|publisher=The State of New Jersey|access-date=April 10, 2025|url-status=live}} |

|fish = Brook trout{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/fish.htm|title=The New Jersey State Fish|website=The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey|publisher=The State of New Jersey|access-date=June 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809071422/http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/fish.htm|archive-date=August 9, 2013|url-status=live}}

|flower = Viola sororia{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/flower.htm|title=New Jersey State Flower|website=The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey|publisher=The State of New Jersey|access-date=June 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111082631/http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/flower.htm|archive-date=November 11, 2013|url-status=dead}}

|insect = Western honey bee{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/bug.htm|title=New Jersey State Bug|website=The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey|publisher=The State of New Jersey|access-date=June 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325055842/http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/bug.htm|archive-date=March 25, 2013|url-status=dead}}

|tree = Quercus rubra (northern red oak),{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/trees.htm|title=The New Jersey State Trees|website=The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey|publisher=The State of New Jersey|access-date=June 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310232433/http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/trees.htm|archive-date=March 10, 2013|url-status=live}} dogwood (memorial tree)

|colors =Buff and blue
{{Color box|#F0DC82|border=darkgray}} {{Color box|#0000FF|border=darkgray}}

|dance =

|folk_dance = Square dance{{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/dance.htm|title=New Jersey's State Dance|website=The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey|publisher=The State of New Jersey|access-date=June 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325051042/http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/dance.htm|archive-date=March 25, 2013|url-status=dead}}

|food = Northern highbush blueberry (state fruit){{cite web|url=http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/shell.htm|title=New Jersey's State Fruit|website=The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey|publisher=The State of New Jersey|access-date=June 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310221500/http://www.state.nj.us/njfacts/shell.htm|archive-date=March 10, 2013|url-status=live}}

|fossil = Hadrosaurus foulkii{{cite web|url=http://www.levins.com/state.shtml|title=Hadrosaurus foulkii Becomes Official State Dinosaur, June, 1991|author=Levins, Hoag|access-date=June 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609020727/http://www.levins.com/state.shtml|archive-date=June 9, 2013|url-status=dead}}

|image_quarter = 1999 NJ Proof.png

|quarter_release_date = 1999

|image_route = Ellipse sign 47.svg

|soil = Downer{{cite web | url=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/nj/soils/?cid=nrcs141p2_018866 | title=New Jersey State Soil—Downer | website=Natural Resources Conservation Service | publisher=United States Department of Agriculture | access-date=August 17, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819083804/http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/nj/soils/?cid=nrcs141p2_018866 | archive-date=August 19, 2014 | url-status=dead }}

|song =

}}

{{maplink|frame=yes|zoom=6|id=Q1408|type=shape|text=Interactive map of New Jersey}}{{Main|Geography of New Jersey|Climate of New Jersey}}

{{See also|List of counties in New Jersey|Metropolitan Statistical Areas of New Jersey}}

{{multiple image

| align = right

| direction = vertical

| image1 = Spring Lake, New Jersey Beach at Sunrise.jpg|

| width1 = 300

| caption1 =

| alt1 =

| image2 = Cape may.jpg

| width2 = 300

| caption2 = Sunrise on the Jersey Shore at Spring Lake in Monmouth County (top) and sunset at Sunset Beach in Cape May County (bottom)

| alt2 =

}}

File:Rockefeller Overlook, Palisades Interstate Parkway, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey - 20200907 - 02.jpg in Englewood Cliffs, Bergen County, overlooking the Hudson River, the George Washington Bridge, and the skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan, New York City]]

File:Delaware Water Gap.jpg is shared between Warren County and neighboring Pennsylvania.]]

File:Clinton NJ Easter 2014.jpg is the longest river entirely within New Jersey, flowing from Raritan Valley near Clinton (above), eastward to Raritan Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.]]

File:A beautiful Autumn day in Paterson, NJ (6326116759).jpg of the Passaic River in Paterson was designated a U.S. National Historical Park in 2009.]]

New Jersey is at the center of the Northeast megalopolis, the most populated American urban agglomeration. It is bordered on the north and northeast by New York (parts of which are across the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, and the Arthur Kill); on the east by the Atlantic Ocean; on the southwest by Delaware across Delaware Bay; and on the west by Pennsylvania across the Delaware River.

New Jersey is broadly divided into the North, Central, and South Jersey geographic regions, although some residents do not consider Central Jersey a region in its own right. Across the regions are five distinct areas divided by natural geography and population concentration. Northeastern New Jersey, often referred to as the Gateway Region, lies closest to Manhattan in New York City, and up to a million residents commute daily into the city for work, many via public transportation.{{cite web|url=https://wagner.nyu.edu/files/rudincenter/dynamic_pop_manhattan.pdf|title=The Dynamic Population of Manhattan|author1=Mitchell L. Moss|author2=Carson Qing|name-list-style=amp|publisher=Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management, Wagner School of Public Service, New York University|date=March 2012|access-date=April 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314141540/https://wagner.nyu.edu/files/rudincenter/dynamic_pop_manhattan.pdf|archive-date=March 14, 2016|url-status=live}} The Jersey Shore, along the Atlantic Coast in Central and South Jersey, has its own unique natural, residential, and cultural characteristics owing to its location by the ocean. South Jersey represents the southernmost geographical region of the northeastern United States. The Delaware Valley includes the southwestern counties of the state, which reside within the Delaware Valley surrounding Philadelphia.

Despite the state's heavily urban character and a long history of industrialization, forests cover roughly 45 percent of New Jersey's land area, or approximately {{Convert|2.1|e6acre}}, ranking 31st among the 50 U.S. states and six territories.{{cite web|title=Trends in New Jersey Forests|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/newtown_square/publications/brochures/pdfs/state_forests/nj_forest.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511092612/https://www.fs.fed.us/ne/newtown_square/publications/brochures/pdfs/state_forests/nj_forest.pdf|archive-date=May 11, 2017|access-date=March 13, 2015|publisher=Department of Environmental Protection, N.J. Forestry Services and United States Department of Agriculture}} Northwestern New Jersey, often referred to as the Skylands Region, is more wooded, rural, and mountainous. The chief tree of the northern forests is the oak. The New Jersey Pine Barrens is situated in the southern interior of New Jersey and covered extensively by mixed pine and oak forest; its population density is lower than most of the state.

High Point in Montague Township, Sussex County is the state's highest elevation at {{convert|1803|ft|m}} above sea level. The state's highest prominence is Kitty Ann Mountain in Morris County, rising {{Convert|892|ft}}. The Palisades are a line of steep cliffs on the west side of the Hudson River in Bergen and Hudson Counties. Major New Jersey rivers include the Hudson, Delaware, Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, Musconetcong, Mullica, Rancocas, Manasquan, Maurice, and Toms rivers. Due to New Jersey's peninsular geography, both sunrise and sunset are visible over water from different points on the Jersey Shore.

File:ManaInlet II.JPG extends inland from the Atlantic Ocean into its many inlets, including Manasquan Inlet, looking westward at sunset from the jetty at Manasquan]]

• Delaware Water Gap
• Great Bay
• Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
• Highlands
• Hudson Palisades
• Jersey Shore
• On the shore, New Jersey hosts the highest concentration of oceanside boardwalks in the world.
• Meadowlands
• New Jersey Pine Barrens
• Ramapo Mountain
• South Mountain

{{Main|Climate of New Jersey}}

The state consists of two climate zones; most of the state has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), while the northwest has a humid continental climate (Dfa).{{cite journal |last1=Beck |first1=Hylke E. |last2=McVicar |first2=Tim R. |last3=Vergopolan |first3=Noemi |display-authors=etal|title=High-resolution (1 km) Köppen-Geiger maps for 1901–2099 based on constrained CMIP6 projections |journal=Scientific Data |date=October 23, 2023 |volume=10 |issue=1 |article-number=724 (2023) |doi=10.1038/s41597-023-02549-6 |pmid=37872197 |language=En |issn=2052-4463|pmc=10593765 |bibcode=2023NatSD..10..724B }} New Jersey receives between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine annually.{{cite web|url=http://maps.howstuffworks.com/united-states-annual-sunshine-map.htm |title=united states annual sunshine map |publisher=HowStuffWorks, Inc |access-date=March 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429042722/http://maps.howstuffworks.com/united-states-annual-sunshine-map.htm |archive-date=April 29, 2011 }}

Summers are typically hot and humid, with statewide average high temperatures of {{convert|82|-|87|F}} and lows of {{convert|60|-|69|F}}; however, temperatures exceed {{convert|90|°F|0}} on average 25 days each summer, exceeding {{convert|100|°F|0}} in some years. Winters are usually cold, with average high temperatures of {{convert|34|-|43|F|C}} and lows of {{convert|16|to|28|F}} for most of the state, but temperatures can, for brief periods, fall below {{convert|10|°F|0}} and sometimes rise above {{convert|50|°F}}. Northwestern parts of the state have significantly colder winters with sub-{{convert|0|°F|0}} being an almost annual occurrence. Spring and autumn may feature wide temperature variations, with lower humidity than summer. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone classification ranges from{{nbsp}}6 in the northwest of the state, to 7B near Cape May.[http://www.arborday.org/treeinfo/zonelookup.cfm Hardiness Zone Lookup at] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130324213157/http://www.arborday.org/treeinfo/zonelookup.cfm |date=March 24, 2013 }}. Arborday.org. Retrieved July 12, 2013. All-time temperature extremes recorded in New Jersey include {{Convert|110|F}} on July 10, 1936, in Runyon, Middlesex County and {{Convert|−34|F}} on January 5, 1904, in River Vale, Bergen County.{{cite web|url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/records|title=State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC)|author=National Climatic Data Center|access-date=April 3, 2015|author-link=National Climatic Data Center|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117082655/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/records|archive-date=January 17, 2013|url-status=live}}

Average annual precipitation ranges from {{convert|43|to|51|in|mm}}, spread uniformly throughout the year. Average snowfall per winter season ranges from {{convert|10|-|15|in|cm}} in the south and near the seacoast, {{convert|15|-|30|in|cm}} in the northeast and central part of the state, to about {{convert|40|-|50|in|m}} in the northwestern highlands, but this often varies considerably from year to year. Precipitation falls on an average of 120 days a year, with 25 to 30 thunderstorms, most of which occur during the summer.

During winter and early spring, New Jersey can experience nor'easters, which are capable of causing blizzards or flooding throughout the northeastern United States. Hurricanes and tropical storms, tornadoes, and earthquakes are rare; the state was impacted by a hurricane in 1903, Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999,{{cite web |title=Hurricane Floyd Impacts |url=http://www.erh.noaa.gov/mhx/Floyd/Impacts.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603022704/http://www.erh.noaa.gov/mhx/Floyd/Impacts.php |archive-date=June 3, 2010 |access-date=June 5, 2011 |publisher=National Weather Service}} and Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which made landfall in the state with top winds of {{convert|90|mph|0|abbr=on}}.

Climate change is affecting New Jersey faster than much of the rest of the United States. Climatologists at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have concluded that New Jersey has been the fastest-warming state by average air temperature over a 100-year period beginning in the early 20th century.

{{See also|List of counties in New Jersey|List of municipalities in New Jersey}}The United States Census Bureau divides New Jersey's 21 counties into seven metropolitan statistical areas, with 20 counties included in either the New York City or Philadelphia Combined Statistical Area. Warren County is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area based in eastern Pennsylvania.

File:New Jersey Counties.svg

The 21 counties in New Jersey, ranked by population in the 2020 United States census, are:[https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2021/counties/totals/co-est2021-pop-34.xlsx Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties in New Jersey: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215213029/https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2021/counties/totals/co-est2021-pop-34.xlsx |date=December 15, 2023 }}, United States Census Bureau, updated March 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2023.

1. Bergen County: 955,732
2. Essex County: 863,728
3. Middlesex County: 863,162
4. Hudson County: 724,854
5. Monmouth County: 643,615
6. Ocean County: 637,229
7. Union County: 575,345
8. Passaic County: 524,118
9. Camden County: 523,485
10. Morris County: 509,285
11. Burlington County: 461,860
12. Mercer County: 387,340
13. Somerset County: 345,361
14. Gloucester County: 302,294
15. Atlantic County: 274,534
16. Cumberland County: 154,152
17. Sussex County: 144,221
18. Hunterdon County: 128,947
19. Warren County: 109,632
20. Cape May County: 95,263
21. Salem County: 64,837

For its overall population and nation-leading population density, New Jersey has a relative paucity of classic large cities. This paradox is most pronounced in Bergen County, the state's most populous county, whose 955,732 residents at the 2020 census inhabited 70 municipalities, of which the most populous is Hackensack, with 46,030 residents. Many urban areas extend far beyond the limits of a single large city, as New Jersey municipalities tend to be geographically small; three of the four largest cities in New Jersey by population have under {{convert|20|sqmi}} of land area, and eight of the top ten, including all the top five, have a land area under {{convert|30|sqmi}}. {{As of|2010|alt=As of the 2010 United States census}}, only four municipalities had over 100,000 residents (although Edison and Woodbridge Township came very close); this number increased to seven by the 2020 census.

{{Largest cities

| country = New Jersey

| stat_ref = Source:{{Cite web|url=https://www.biggestuscities.com/nj|title=Biggest Cities in New Jersey | 2020 Population Data|access-date=February 28, 2020|archive-date=February 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228024456/https://www.biggestuscities.com/nj|url-status=live}}

| list_by_pop =

| div_name =

| div_link = List of counties in New Jersey{{!}}County

| city_1 = Newark, New Jersey{{!}}Newark

| div_1 = Essex County, New Jersey{{!}}Essex

| pop_1 = 311,549

| img_1 = SkylineNewarkMilitaryParkBroadStreet.jpg

| city_2 = Jersey City, New Jersey{{!}}Jersey City

| div_2 = Hudson County, New Jersey{{!}}Hudson

| pop_2 = 292,449

| img_2 = Jersey City, New Jersey (46780350094).jpg

| city_3 = Paterson, New Jersey{{!}}Paterson

| div_3 = Passaic County, New Jersey{{!}}Passaic

| pop_3 = 159,732

| img_3 = City_of_Paterson,_NJ_from_Garret_Mountain.JPG

| city_4 = Elizabeth, New Jersey{{!}}Elizabeth

| div_4 = Union County, New Jersey{{!}}Union

| pop_4 = 137,298

| img_4 = File-UnionCoCourtHouse.JPG

| city_5 = Lakewood Township, New Jersey{{!}}Lakewood Township

| div_5 = Ocean County, New Jersey{{!}}Ocean

| pop_5 = 135,158

| img_5 =

| city_6 = Edison, New Jersey{{!}}Edison

| div_6 = Middlesex County, New Jersey{{!}}Middlesex

| pop_6 = 107,588

| img_6 =

| city_7 = Woodbridge Township, New Jersey{{!}}Woodbridge Township

| div_7 = Middlesex County, New Jersey{{!}}Middlesex

| pop_7 = 103,639

| img_7 =

| city_8 = Toms River, New Jersey{{!}}Toms River

| div_8 = Ocean County, New Jersey{{!}}Ocean

| pop_8 = 95,438

| img_8 =

| city_9 = Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey{{!}}Hamilton Township

| div_9 = Mercer County, New Jersey{{!}}Mercer

| pop_9 = 92,297

| img_9 =

| city_10 = Clifton, New Jersey{{!}}Clifton

| div_10 = Passaic County, New Jersey{{!}}Passaic

| pop_10 = 90,296

| img_10 =

}}

File:New Jersey population density 2020.png

{{US Census population

| 1790 = 184139

| 1800 = 211149

| 1810 = 245562

| 1820 = 277575

| 1830 = 320823

| 1840 = 373306

| 1850 = 489555

| 1860 = 672035

| 1870 = 906096

| 1880 = 1131116

| 1890 = 1444933

| 1900 = 1883669

| 1910 = 2537167

| 1920 = 3155900

| 1930 = 4041334

| 1940 = 4160165

| 1950 = 4835329

| 1960 = 6066782

| 1970 = 7168164

| 1980 = 7364823

| 1990 = 7730188

| 2000 = 8414350

| 2010 = 8791894

| 2020 = 9288994

| estimate = 9500851

| estyear = 2024

| footnote = Sources:{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |url-status=dead }}

}}

Residents of New Jersey are most commonly referred to as New Jerseyans or, less commonly, as New Jerseyites. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the state had a population of 9,288,994, a 5.7% increase since the 2010 U.S. census, which counted 8,791,894 residents. The state ranked eleventh in the country by total population and first in population density, with 1,185 residents per square mile (458 per km²). Historically, New Jersey has experienced one of the fastest growth rates in the country, with its population increasing by double digits almost every decade until 1980; growth has since slowed but remained relatively robust until recently. In 2022, the Census Bureau estimated there were 6,262 fewer residents than in 2020, a decline of 0.3% from 2020, related to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/NJ |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: New Jersey |access-date=August 22, 2021 |archive-date=July 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718114426/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/NJ |url-status=live }} In 2024, the Census Bureau reported that the state population rebounded by 2.3% or 211,837 residents from April 2020. New Jersey lead the Northeast with a 1.3% growth rate or 121,209 residents from 2023 placing it among the top ten states nationwide for population growth.{{cite web|url=https://www.roi-nj.com/2025/02/18/politics/n-j-tops-9-5-million-in-population-and-other-key-stats-about-states-growth/|title=N.J. tops 9.5 million in population – and other key stats about state’s growth|website=roi-nj.com|date=February 18, 2025|access-date=May 7, 2025}}

New Jersey is the only state where every county is deemed urban as defined by the Census Bureau.{{cite web |title=Metropolitan Areas and Components, 1999, with FIPS codes |url=https://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro-city/99mfips.txt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090510103542/https://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro-city/99mfips.txt |archive-date=May 10, 2009 |access-date=July 25, 2010}} Most residents live in the counties surrounding New York City, the nation's largest city, Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-largest city, or along the eastern Jersey Shore; the extreme southern and northwestern counties are relatively less dense overall. Since the 2000 census, the United States Census Bureau calculated that New Jersey's center of population was located in East Brunswick.Sweilem, Amira. [https://www.nj.com/data/2022/11/njs-population-center-still-tilts-north-this-town-considers-it-a-badge-of-honor.html "N.J.'s population center still tilts north. This town considers it a badge of honor."], NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 27, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2024. "Answer time: East Brunswick has held the statistical center of population title since the 2010 Census.... The U.S. Census runs the calculation every 10 years and it has wobbled around Middlesex County since 1880, straying just once since that time into Somerset County (Warren Township) in 1890. East Brunswick just barely held onto the population center in the 2020 Census calculations.... The new spot is on Hawk Court just off Milltown Road between the NJ Turnpike and Ryders Lane."Stirling, Stephen. [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/03/us_census_shows_nj_turnpike_in.html "U.S. Census shows East Brunswick as statistical center of N.J."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612191013/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/03/us_census_shows_nj_turnpike_in.html |date=June 12, 2018 }}, The Star-Ledger, March 31, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2024. "For any of you who have ever lain awake at night asking: Where, oh where is the statistical center of New Jersey, there really is an answer. Nenninger Lane, East Brunswick. A few hundred feet into the woods along tiny Nenninger, a dead-end road beside the New Jersey Turnpike, sits the heart of the Garden State in terms of population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau."[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104035710/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-72330691.html "East Brunswick, N.J., Represents State's Population Center."], The Star-Ledger, March 27, 2001. Retrieved March 10, 2024. "And the center of New Jersey, according to 2000 census data, is a litter-strewn patch of woods on Milltown Road in East Brunswick. Demographers call it the 'center of population,' the place that would require the least amount of travel if all the state's 8.4 million residents were to converge on one spot. The state is located in the middle of the Northeast megalopolis, which has more than 50 million residents.

As of 2023, New Jersey had a median household income of $99,781, the second-highest of any U.S. state behind Massachusetts.{{cite web |date=September 2018 |title=Household Income: 2017 |url=https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/acs/acsbr17-01.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119023522/https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/acs/acsbr17-01.pdf |archive-date=November 19, 2018 |access-date=February 5, 2019 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/NJ,US/PST045221 |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: New Jersey |access-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-date=October 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007211542/http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/NJ,US/PST045221 |url-status=live }} Conversely, New Jersey's poverty rate of 9.4% was slightly lower than the national average of 11.4%, and the sixth lowest of the fifty states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. This is attributed to several factors, including the state's proximity to the major economic centers of New York City and Philadelphia, its hosting the highest number of millionaires both per capita and per square mile in the U.S., and the fact that it has the most scientists and engineers per square mile in the world.{{cite web |title=New Jersey |url=http://www.njss.org/about/nj.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019090041/http://www.njss.org/about/nj.php |archive-date=October 19, 2013 |access-date=October 19, 2013 |publisher=New Jersey State Society}}{{cite web |author=Nature Jobs |title=Delaware / Hudson Valley Hot Spot for biotechnology |url=http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2001/010712/full/nj0021.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204220354/http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2001/010712/full/nj0021.html |archive-date=December 4, 2010 |access-date=July 25, 2010 |work=Nature (journal)}}{{cite web |date=September 6, 2012 |title=New Jersey leads world in number of scientists, engineers per square mile |url=http://www.politifact.com/new-jersey/statements/2012/sep/06/choose-new-jersey/new-jersey-leads-world-number-scientists-engineers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106040552/http://www.politifact.com/new-jersey/statements/2012/sep/06/choose-new-jersey/new-jersey-leads-world-number-scientists-engineers/ |archive-date=January 6, 2014 |access-date=January 5, 2014 |publisher=PolitiFact}}

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 8,752 homeless people in New Jersey.{{Cite web |title=2007–2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |access-date=March 13, 2023 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |access-date=March 13, 2023 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |url-status=live }} The top countries of origin for New Jersey's immigrants in 2018 were India, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Ecuador, and the Philippines.{{cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_new_jersey.pdf|title=Immigrants in New Jersey|access-date=May 10, 2024|archive-date=August 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818073217/https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_new_jersey.pdf|url-status=live}}

File:Ethnic Origins in New Jersey.pngNew Jersey is one of the most ethnically diverse states in the United States: as of 2022, over one-fifth (21.5%) of its residents are Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% are Black, and one-tenth are Asian. One in four New Jerseyans were born abroad and more than one million (12.1%) are not fully fluent in English. Compared to the U.S. as a whole, the state is more racially and ethnically diverse and has a higher proportion of immigrants.{{Cite web |title=NJSHAD – Complete Health Indicator Report – Population Demographics |url=https://www-doh.state.nj.us/doh-shad/indicator/complete_profile/Demographics.html#:~:text=New%20Jersey%20is%20recognized%20as,not%20speak%20English%20very%20well. |access-date=February 13, 2023 |website=www-doh.state.nj.us |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213222905/https://www-doh.state.nj.us/doh-shad/indicator/complete_profile/Demographics.html#:~:text=New%20Jersey%20is%20recognized%20as,not%20speak%20English%20very%20well. |url-status=live }}

[[File:New jersey counties by race.svg|thumb|upright|Map of counties in New Jersey by racial plurality, per the 2020 census{{Collapsible list

| title = Legend|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

Non-Hispanic White

{{legend|#e6b8af|30–40%}}

{{legend|#dd7e6b|40–50%}}

{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}

{{col-2}}

Black or African American

{{legend|#ffe599|40–50%}}

Hispanic or Latino

{{legend|#a2c4c9|40–50%}}

{{col-end}}

}}]]

File:India Square JC jeh.JPG in the Marion Section of Jersey City is home to the highest concentration of Asian Indians in the Western Hemisphere.Kiniry, Laura. "Moon Handbooks New Jersey", Avalon Travel Publishing, 2006. pg. 34 {{ISBN|1-56691-949-5}}. Retrieved April 10, 2015.]]

File:BroadAveColumbiaKoreatownPalisadesPk.png, across the George Washington Bridge from New York City]]

File:New Jersey Counties by metro area labeled.svg; those shaded in blue are part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, including Mercer and Warren counties. Counties shaded in green, including Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland counties, belong to the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area.{{Clarify|reason=Warren Mercer, Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland have colors that need explaining in the caption. "Warren County constitutes part of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan statistical area," according to it's lead section. Why is this not accounted for?|date=July 2024}}]]

New Jersey is home to roughly half a million undocumented immigrants,{{Cite web |last=Nieto-Munoz |first=Sophie |date=March 8, 2022 |title=Murphy proposes $53M fund to aid undocumented immigrants |url=https://newjerseymonitor.com/2022/03/08/murphy-proposes-another-potential-fund-for-undocumented-immigrants/ |access-date=February 13, 2023 |website=New Jersey Monitor |language=en-US |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213222907/https://newjerseymonitor.com/2022/03/08/murphy-proposes-another-potential-fund-for-undocumented-immigrants/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |date=February 2, 2011 |title=N.J. illegal immigration level holds steady |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj_illegal_immigration_level_h.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525203810/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj_illegal_immigration_level_h.html |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |access-date=March 12, 2017}} comprising an estimated 6.2% of the population, which in 2018 was the fifth-highest percentage of any U.S. state.{{cite web |date=February 2011 |title=Pew Research Center |url=http://www.pewhispanic.org/2011/02/01/iv-state-settlement-patterns/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518094322/http://www.pewhispanic.org/2011/02/01/iv-state-settlement-patterns/ |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |access-date=May 17, 2015}} The municipalities of Camden, Jersey City, and Newark are considered sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants.{{cite web |date=February 1, 2017 |title=What towns in New Jersey are considered sanctuary cities? |url=http://nj1015.com/what-towns-in-new-jersey-are-considered-sanctuary-cities/?trackback=tsmclip |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416142829/https://nj1015.com/what-towns-in-new-jersey-are-considered-sanctuary-cities/?trackback=tsmclip |archive-date=April 16, 2019 |access-date=September 3, 2019 |website=New Jersey 101.5—New Jersey News Radio}}

For further information on various ethnoracial groups and neighborhoods prominently featured within New Jersey, see the following articles:

• History of the Jews in New Jersey
• Hispanics and Latinos in New Jersey
• Indians in the New York City metropolitan region
• Chinese in the New York City metropolitan region
• List of U.S. cities with significant Korean American populations
• Filipinos in the New York City metropolitan region
• Filipinos in New Jersey
• Russians in the New York City metropolitan region
• Bergen County
• Jersey City
• India Square in Jersey City, home to the highest concentration of Asian Indians in the Western Hemisphere
• Ironbound, a Portuguese and Brazilian enclave in Newark
• Five Corners, a Filipino enclave in Jersey City
• Havana on the Hudson, a Cuban enclave in Hudson County
• Koreatown, Fort Lee, a Korean enclave in southeast Bergen County
• Koreatown, Palisades Park, also a Korean enclave in southeast Bergen County
• Little Bangladesh, a Bangladeshi enclave in Paterson
• Little India (Edison/Iselin), the largest and most diverse South Asian hub in the United States
• Little Istanbul, also known as Little Ramallah, a Middle Eastern enclave in Paterson
• Little Lima, a Peruvian enclave in Paterson

New Jersey is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse states in the United States. Nearly one-fourth of New Jerseyans (22.7%) were foreign born, compared to the national average of 13.5%. As of 2011, 56.4% of New Jersey's children under the age of one belonged to racial or ethnic minority groups, meaning that they had at least one parent who was not non-Hispanic white.{{cite news |last=Exner |first=Rich |date=June 3, 2012 |title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot |work=The Plain Dealer |url=http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714084214/http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html |archive-date=July 14, 2016}} The 2019 Vintage Year Census estimated that the state's ethnic makeup was as follows: 71.9% White alone, 15.1% Black or African American alone, 10.0% Asian alone, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native alone, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, and 2.3% Two or more races. Hispanic or Latino accounted for 20.9%, while White alone (non-Hispanic or Latino) accounted for 54.6% of the population.[https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/NJ US Census Bureasu Quick Facts: New Jersey.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718114426/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/NJ|date=July 18, 2021}} US Department of Commerce. Census Bureau. 2019 Vintage Year Census Estimates. Retrieved August 22, 2021. Many of the municipalities in Bergen County, New Jersey, the state's largest county, have a sizeable minority population of Hispanics and Asians.Koloff, Abbott; and Sheingold, Dave. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2016/12/08/census-data-show-growing-diversity-north-jersey/95113992/ "Census data show growing diversity in North Jersey"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004145650/https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2016/12/08/census-data-show-growing-diversity-north-jersey/95113992/ |date=October 4, 2023 }}, The Record, December 8, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2023. "North Jersey continues to grow more racially and ethnically diverse with a rise in residents of Asian and Hispanic heritage, bringing the region closer to a point where whites may no longer be a majority of the population. A dozen municipalities in Bergen County saw their Hispanic populations more than double in the first half of this decade while Asian populations in several other towns grew similarly, according to U.S. Census Bureau survey information made public Thursday." There are also three state-recognized tribes, and in 2020, 51,186 identified as being Native American alone, while 96,691 did in combination with one or more other races.{{Cite web |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html}}

New Jersey hosts some of the nation's largest communities of religious and ethnic minorities in proportional or absolute terms. It has the second-largest Jewish population by percentage (after New York);[https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/jewish/ Religious Landscape Study: Jews] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408175102/https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/jewish/|date=April 8, 2019}}, Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 25, 2022. the largest Muslim population by percentage;[https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/muslim/ Religious Landscape Study: Muslims] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125192549/https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/muslim/|date=January 25, 2022}}, Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 25, 2022. the largest population of Peruvians in the U.S.; the largest population of Cubans outside Florida; the third-highest Asian population by percentage; and the second-highest Italian population,[https://www.niaf.org/culture/statistics/states-with-the-highest-population-of-italian-americans/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502012855/http://www.niaf.org/culture/statistics/states-with-the-highest-population-of-italian-americans/|date=May 2, 2019}} Accessed April 29, 2019. according to the 2000 census. African Americans, Hispanics (Puerto Ricans and Dominicans), West Indians, Arabs, and Brazilian and Portuguese Americans are also high in number. New Jersey also has the fourth-largest Filipino population, and fourth-largest Chinese population, per the 2010 U.S. Census.

New Jersey has the-third highest Indian population of any state by absolute numbers and the highest by percentage,[http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?ID=185 The Foreign Born from India in the United States] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060426225326/http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?id=185|date=April 26, 2006}}, dated December 1, 2003{{cite web |title=Census 2000 PHC-T-6. Population by Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin for the United States, Regions, Divisions, States, Puerto Rico, and Places of 100,000 or More Population: Table 2. Percent of Population by Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin, for the United States, Regions, Divisions, and States, and for Puerto Rico: 2000 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t6/tab02.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223205154/http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t6/tab02.pdf |archive-date=February 23, 2010 |access-date=July 25, 2010}}[https://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/atlas/divers.xls Mapping Census 2000: The Geography of U.S. Diversity] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120144920/http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/atlas/divers.xls|date=January 20, 2017}} (Microsoft Excel){{cite web |date=June 2004 |title=Ancestry: 2000—Census 2000 Brief |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040920132346/http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf |archive-date=September 20, 2004 |access-date=June 19, 2013 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}} with India Square in Jersey City, Hudson County hosting the highest concentration of Asian Indians in the Western Hemisphere.{{cite news |author=Laryssa Wirstiuk |date=April 21, 2014 |title=Neighborhood Spotlight: Journal Square |work=Jersey City Independent |url=http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/2014/04/neighborhood-spotlight-journal-square/ |url-status=dead |access-date=April 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630085618/http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/2014/04/neighborhood-spotlight-journal-square/ |archive-date=June 30, 2018 }} A study by the Pew Research Center found that in 2013, New Jersey was the only U.S. state in which immigrants born in India constituted the largest foreign-born nationality, representing roughly 10% of all foreign-born residents in the state.{{cite web |author=Erin O'Neill |date=October 19, 2015 |title=What's the top country of birth for immigrants in N.J.? |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/10/whats_the_top_country_of_birth_for_immigrants_in_nj.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020140441/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/10/whats_the_top_country_of_birth_for_immigrants_in_nj.html |archive-date=October 20, 2015 |access-date=October 19, 2015 |publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC}} Central New Jersey, particularly Edison and surrounding Middlesex County, has the highest concentration of Indians, at nearly 20% in 2020; Little India is the largest and most diverse South Asian cultural hub in the United States.{{cite news |author=Joseph Berger |date=April 27, 2008 |title=A Place Where Indians, Now New Jerseyans, Thrive |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/27indianj.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621041522/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/27indianj.html |archive-date=June 21, 2016}}{{cite news |last=King |first=Kate |date=September 25, 2017 |title='Little India' Thrives in Central New Jersey |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/little-india-thrives-in-central-new-jersey-1506340801 |url-status=live |access-date=April 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412142632/https://www.wsj.com/articles/little-india-thrives-in-central-new-jersey-1506340801 |archive-date=April 12, 2019 }}{{cite web |last=Genovese |first=Peter |date=November 16, 2012 |title=Big business in Little India: Commerce flourishes in vibrant ethnic neighborhood |url=https://www.nj.com/news/2012/11/big_business_in_little_india_c.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413205752/https://www.nj.com/news/2012/11/big_business_in_little_india_c.html |archive-date=April 13, 2019 |access-date=April 27, 2019 |website=The Star-Ledger}}{{cite web |date=March 31, 2011 |title=Eat Street: Oak Tree Road, Iselin, N.J. |url=https://www.saveur.com/article/Travels/Oak-Tree-Road-Iselin-NJ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208170118/http://www.saveur.com/article/Travels/Oak-Tree-Road-Iselin-NJ |archive-date=February 8, 2014 |access-date=April 27, 2019 |website=SAVEUR}} The area includes a sprawling Chinatown and Koreatown running along New Jersey Route 27.{{cite news |last=Shaftel |first=David |date=March 9, 2017 |title=Indo-Chinese Food Is Hard to Find, Except in New Jersey |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/travel/indo-chinese-restaurants-edison-new-jersey.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418122336/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/travel/indo-chinese-restaurants-edison-new-jersey.html |archive-date=April 18, 2019}} Monroe Township in Middlesex County has experienced a particularly rapid growth rate in its Indian American population with an estimated 5,943 (13.6%) as of 2017,[https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_5YR/DP05/0600000US3402347280 DP05: ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES from the 2013–2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Monroe township, Middlesex County, New Jersey] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20200213155409/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_5YR/DP05/0600000US3402347280|date=February 13, 2020}}, United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 11, 2019. which was 23 times the 256 (0.9%) counted at the 2000 Census; Diwali is celebrated by the township as a Hindu holiday. In Middlesex County, election ballots are printed in English, Spanish, Gujarati, Hindi, and Punjabi.{{cite web |title=State of New Jersey Department of State |url=http://www.nj.gov/state/elections/voting-information-vote-by-mail.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525113011/http://www.nj.gov/state/elections/voting-information-vote-by-mail.html |archive-date=May 25, 2017 |access-date=May 29, 2017 |publisher=State of New Jersey}} Robbinsville, in neighboring Mercer County, hosts the world's largest Hindu temple outside Asia. Carteret's Punjabi Sikh community, variously estimated at upwards of 3,000, is the largest concentration of Sikhs in the state.{{cite news |author=Kevin Coyne |date=June 15, 2008 |title=Turbans Make Targets, Some Sikhs Find |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/15colnj.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211141425/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/15colnj.html |archive-date=December 11, 2018}} Bergen County is home to America's largest Malayali community.[http://40days.homestead.com/Day_22_-_People.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073622/http://40days.homestead.com/Day_22_-_People.pdf|date=March 4, 2016}}. Retrieved January 16, 2016.

New Jersey also has the third-largest Korean population, with Bergen County home to the highest Korean concentration per capita of any U.S. county{{cite web |author=Richard Newman |date=August 30, 2012 |title=Korean company to buy Fort Lee bank |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/167951555_Korean_company_to_buy_Fort_Lee_bank_buying_local_lender.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014140239/http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/167951555_Korean_company_to_buy_Fort_Lee_bank_buying_local_lender.html |archive-date=October 14, 2013 |access-date=January 16, 2016}} (6.9% in 2011). It is a growing hub and home to all of the nation's top ten municipalities by percentage of Korean population,{{cite news |author=James O'Neill |date=February 22, 2015 |title=Mahwah library hosts Korean tea ceremony to celebrate new year |newspaper=Northjersey.com |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/mahwah-library-hosts-korean-tea-ceremony-to-celebrate-new-year-1.1275756 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222201039/http://www.northjersey.com/news/mahwah-library-hosts-korean-tea-ceremony-to-celebrate-new-year-1.1275756 |archive-date=February 22, 2015 |access-date=February 22, 2015 }} led by Palisades Park (벼랑 공원),{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5PSYZMs8TzEC&q=fort+lee+koreatown+pyong+min&pg=PA237 |title=Asian Americans: Contemporary Trends and Issues Second Edition, Edited by Pyong Gap Min |publisher=Pine Forge Press – An Imprint of Sage Publications, Inc |year=2006 |isbn=9781412905565 |access-date=July 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527181032/https://books.google.com/books?id=5PSYZMs8TzEC&q=fort+lee+koreatown+pyong+min&pg=PA237 |archive-date=May 27, 2021 |url-status=live}} the municipality with the highest density of ethnic Koreans in the Western Hemisphere. Displaying ubiquitous Hangul (한글) signage and known as the Korean village,{{cite web |title=Palisades Park Municipal Court |url=http://www.town-court.com/getTownCourt.php?courtID=1071 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028004824/http://www.town-court.com/getTownCourt.php?courtID=1071 |archive-date=October 28, 2014 |access-date=August 26, 2014 |publisher=SpinJ Corporation}} Palisades Park uniquely comprises a Korean majority (52% in 2010) of its population,{{cite web |title=Palisades Park borough, New Jersey QuickLinks |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/34/3455770lk.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513134539/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/34/3455770lk.html |archive-date=May 13, 2014 |access-date=July 11, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}{{cite news |author=Kirk Semple |date=May 18, 2012 |title=In New Jersey, Memorial for 'Comfort Women' Deepens Old Animosity |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/nyregion/monument-in-palisades-park-nj-irritates-japanese-officials.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529231015/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/nyregion/monument-in-palisades-park-nj-irritates-japanese-officials.html |archive-date=May 29, 2019}} with both the highest Korean-American density and percentage of any municipality in the United States.

As of 2010, 71.31% (5,830,812) of New Jersey residents age{{nbsp}}5 and older spoke English at home as a primary language, while 14.59% (1,193,261) spoke Spanish, 1.23% (100,217) Chinese (which includes Cantonese and Mandarin), 1.06% (86,849) Italian, 1.06% (86,486) Portuguese, 0.96% (78,627) Tagalog, and Korean was spoken as a main language by 0.89% (73,057) of the population over the age of five. In total, 28.69% (2,345,644) of New Jersey's population age{{nbsp}}5 and older spoke a mother language other than English.{{cite web|url=http://www.mla.org/map_data|title=New Jersey|publisher=Modern Language Association|access-date=August 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201170638/http://www.mla.org/map_data|archive-date=December 1, 2007|url-status=dead}}

A diverse collection of languages has since evolved amongst the state's population, given that New Jersey has become cosmopolitan and is home to ethnic enclaves of non-English-speaking communities:{{cite web|url=https://www.dhs.gov/yearbook-immigration-statistics-2012-legal-permanent-residents|title=Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2012 Supplemental Table 1|publisher=U.S. Department of Homeland Security|access-date=June 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403073333/http://www.dhs.gov/yearbook-immigration-statistics-2012-legal-permanent-residents|archive-date=April 3, 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/publications/LPR11.shtm|title=Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2011 Supplemental Table 1|publisher=U.S. Department of Homeland Security|access-date=June 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808080130/http://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/publications/LPR11.shtm|archive-date=August 8, 2012|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/publications/LPR10.shtm|title=Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2010 Supplemental Table 1|publisher=U.S. Department of Homeland Security|access-date=June 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712200141/https://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/publications/LPR10.shtm|archive-date=July 12, 2012|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/publications/LPR09.shtm|title=Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2009 Supplemental Table 1|publisher=U.S. Department of Homeland Security|access-date=June 19, 2013|archive-date=August 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120808080125/http://www.dhs.gov/files/statistics/publications/LPR09.shtm|url-status=live}}

{{div col}}

• Albanian – Paterson, Garfield
• Arabic – Bayonne, Paterson, Jersey City
• Armenian – Bergen County
• Bengali – Paterson
• Gujarati and Hindi – Jersey City, all of Middlesex County, Cherry Hill, Parsippany, Princeton
• Indonesian – Gloucester City, Middlesex, Somerset, and Union counties
• Japanese – Edgewater and Fort Lee boroughs in Bergen County
• Korean – Bergen County (numerous municipalities); Edison; and Cherry Hill
• Macedonian – Bergen County
• Malayalam – Bergen County
• Polish – Bergen County (Garfield, Wallington); Mercer County (Top Road, Lawrence Township, Hopewell); Linden
• Portuguese – Ironbound section of Newark; Elizabeth
• Russian – Fair Lawn borough of Bergen County, Princeton area and Mercer County
• Tamil and Telugu – Edison, Monroe Township (Edison-South), and all of Middlesex County; Fair Lawn, Parsippany
• Turkish – Little Istanbul section of Paterson, Mount Ephraim, Delran, Cherry Hill
• Urdu – Mount Ephraim has a significant number of residents of Pakistani origin.
• Vietnamese – Atlantic City,{{cite web|url=https://www.acnj.gov/News/View/417/city-of-atlantic-city-celebrates-vietnamese-new-year|title=City of Atlantic City Celebrates Vietnamese New Year|publisher=City of Atlantic City|date=January 30, 2023|access-date=July 4, 2023|archive-date=July 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705034234/https://www.acnj.gov/News/View/417/city-of-atlantic-city-celebrates-vietnamese-new-year|url-status=live}} Camden/Cherry Hill, Edison Township, Jersey City, Woodlynne{{cite web|url=http://www.usa.com/rank/new-jersey-state--vietnamese-population-percentage--city-rank.htm|title=New Jersey Vietnamese Population Percentage City Rank Based on US Census 2010 data|publisher=World Media Group|access-date=July 4, 2023|archive-date=July 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705001036/http://www.usa.com/rank/new-jersey-state--vietnamese-population-percentage--city-rank.htm|url-status=live}}
• Yiddish – Lakewood Township, Ocean County, Jackson

{{div col end}}

File:Constitution Park Fort Lee New Jersey.JPG|High-rise residential complexes in the borough of Fort Lee

File:Downtown-paterson-nj2.jpg|Paterson, sometimes known as Silk City,{{cite web|url=http://www.patersonnj.gov/|title=City of Paterson—Silk City|access-date=April 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109161822/http://www.patersonnj.gov/|archive-date=November 9, 2013|url-status=live}} has become a prime destination for an internationally diverse pool of immigrants,{{cite web|url=http://yumimmigrantcity.com/restaurants/machu-picchu/a-brief-history-of-peruvian-immigration-to-the-united-states/|title=A Brief History of Peruvian Immigration to the United States|publisher=yumimmigrantcity.com|access-date=April 2, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731004838/http://yumimmigrantcity.com/restaurants/machu-picchu/a-brief-history-of-peruvian-immigration-to-the-united-states/|archive-date=July 31, 2013}}{{cite magazine|url=http://thealternativepress.com/articles/patersons-bengali-community-takes-pride-in-akhta|title=Paterson's Bengali Community Takes Pride in Akhtaruzzaman's Upset Victory|author1=Joe Malinconico|author2=Charlie Kratovil|name-list-style=amp|magazine=The Alternative Press|date=May 9, 2012|access-date=April 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514190904/http://thealternativepress.com/articles/patersons-bengali-community-takes-pride-in-akhta|archive-date=May 14, 2013|url-status=dead}} with at least 52 distinct ethnic groups.{{cite news|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/political-battle-brewing-over-paterson-s-plans-for-hispanic-heritage-month-event-1.1096285|title=Political battle brewing over Paterson's plans for Hispanic Heritage Month event|author=Joe Malinconico|newspaper=Northjersey.com |date=September 25, 2014|access-date=September 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926133042/http://www.northjersey.com/news/political-battle-brewing-over-paterson-s-plans-for-hispanic-heritage-month-event-1.1096285|archive-date=September 26, 2014|url-status=live}}

File:Jersey City Skyline 2023 150 cropped.jpg|Skyscrapers in Jersey City, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world{{cite news|url=http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/02/jersey_city_named_most_ethnically_linguistically_d.html|title=Jersey City named most diverse city in America: report|author=Summer Dawn Hortillosa|work=The Jersey Journal|date=February 17, 2015|access-date=May 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518105950/http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/02/jersey_city_named_most_ethnically_linguistically_d.html|archive-date=May 18, 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.movoto.com/jersey-city-nj/jersey-city-facts/|title=53 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Jersey City|author=Spencer McKee|publisher=Movoto|access-date=May 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518094715/http://www.movoto.com/jersey-city-nj/jersey-city-facts/|archive-date=May 18, 2015|url-status=live}}

File:CamdenNJ FedCourt.jpg|Federal Courthouse in Camden, which is connected to Philadelphia via the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in the background

{{further|LGBT culture in New York City|LGBT culture in Philadelphia}}

New Jersey is widely regarded as an LGBTQ+ friendly state and is now home to more gay villages per square mile than any other U.S. state. Same-sex marriage in New Jersey has been legally recognized since October 21, 2013, the effective date of a trial court ruling invalidating New Jersey's restriction of marriage to persons of different sexes at the time. In September 2013, Mary C. Jacobson, Assignment Judge of the Mercer Vicinage of the Superior Court, ruled that as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2013 decision in United States v. Windsor, the Constitution of New Jersey requires the state to recognize same-sex marriages.{{cite news|last=Zernike|first=Kate|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/nyregion/christie-withdraws-appeal-of-same-sex-marriage-ruling-in-new-jersey.html|title=As Gays Wed in New Jersey, Christie Ends Court Fight|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 21, 2013|access-date=October 22, 2013|archive-date=October 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022205118/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/nyregion/christie-withdraws-appeal-of-same-sex-marriage-ruling-in-new-jersey.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}

Numerous gayborhoods have emerged in New Jersey, most prominently in Jersey City,{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2016/11/where_are_the_most_lgbt-friendly_towns_in_nj.html|title=Where are the most LGBT-friendly towns in N.J.?|date=November 2, 2016|access-date=May 19, 2023|archive-date=October 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029172650/https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2016/11/where_are_the_most_lgbt-friendly_towns_in_nj.html|url-status=live}} Asbury Park, Maplewood,{{cite web|url=http://patch.com/new-jersey/maplewood/where-the-gays-are-2|title=Where the Gays Are – Are Maplewood and South Orange the gay-family Mecca of the tri-state area? Maplewood, NJ|first=Deborah|last=Goldstein|publisher=Maplewood Patch|date=July 27, 2010|access-date=September 14, 2016|archive-date=June 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602053503/http://patch.com/new-jersey/maplewood/where-the-gays-are-2|url-status=live}} Montclair, and Lambertville.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/16/travel/queer-travel-new-hope-lgbtq-friendly.html|title=Searching for a Gay Getaway (Not Fire Island)|last=Piepenburg|first=Erik|date=June 16, 2022|website=The New York Times|access-date=October 6, 2023|archive-date=October 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007170549/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/16/travel/queer-travel-new-hope-lgbtq-friendly.html|url-status=live}} Trenton, the state capital of New Jersey, elected Reed Gusciora, its first openly gay mayor, in 2018,{{cite news|url=https://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2018/07/i_am_honored_trenton_swears_in_reed_gusciora_as_ci.html|title='I am honored': Trenton swears in Reed Gusciora as city's new mayor|first=Paige|last=Gross|work=The Star-Ledger|date=July 1, 2018|access-date=July 1, 2018|archive-date=July 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701203915/https://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2018/07/i_am_honored_trenton_swears_in_reed_gusciora_as_ci.html|url-status=live}} and Jennifer Williams, New Jersey's first openly transgender city councilmember, in 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/mercer/2022/12/one-vote-makes-the-difference-and-nj-has-its-first-transgender-council-member.html|title=One vote makes the difference, and N.J. has its first transgender council member|author=Richard Cowen|publisher=NJ Advance Media|date=December 30, 2022|access-date=December 30, 2022|archive-date=December 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230235137/https://www.nj.com/mercer/2022/12/one-vote-makes-the-difference-and-nj-has-its-first-transgender-council-member.html|url-status=live}} In June 2018, Maplewood, Essex County unveiled permanent rainbow-colored crosswalks to celebrate LGBTQ pride.{{cite news|url=http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2018/06/maplewood_rainbow_crosswalk.html|title=Town permanently painted crosswalk rainbow, because LGBT pride never goes away|first=Delaney|last=Dryfoos|work=The Star-Ledger|date=June 7, 2018|access-date=June 27, 2018|archive-date=June 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614034102/http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2018/06/maplewood_rainbow_crosswalk.html|url-status=live}} Rahway, Union County, also unveiled its own rainbow-colored crosswalks in June 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/news/2019/06/facebook-troll-tried-to-take-down-nj-towns-rainbow-crosswalks-it-didnt-work.html|title=Facebook troll tried to take down N.J. town's rainbow crosswalks. It didn't work|first=Cassidy|last=Grom|publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC|date=June 12, 2019|access-date=June 12, 2019|archive-date=June 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612222000/https://www.nj.com/news/2019/06/facebook-troll-tried-to-take-down-nj-towns-rainbow-crosswalks-it-didnt-work.html|url-status=live}} In January 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation mandating LGBTQ+ inclusive educational curriculum in schools.{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-jersey-schools-lgbtq-curriculum_us_5c539cf7e4b01d3c1f11f2c5|title=New Jersey Governor Signs Bill Requiring LGBTQ-Inclusive Curriculum In Schools. Gov. Phil Murphy was "honored" to sign the bill, an aide said|first=Nick|last=Visser|publisher=Huffpost|date=January 31, 2019|access-date=February 1, 2019|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201035507/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-jersey-schools-lgbtq-curriculum_us_5c539cf7e4b01d3c1f11f2c5|url-status=live}} In February 2019, New Jersey began allowing a neutral or non-binary gender choice on birth certificates.{{cite web|url=https://transequality.org/documents/state/new-jersey|title=New Jersey Birth Certificate Laws|publisher=National Center for Transgender Equality – New Jersey|access-date=February 1, 2019|archive-date=January 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131185440/https://transequality.org/documents/state/new-jersey|url-status=live}}

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|title=Religion in New Jersey (2014){{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/new-jersey/|title=Religious Landscape Study|date=May 11, 2015|website=PewForum.org|access-date=December 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105211425/http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/new-jersey/|archive-date=January 5, 2018|url-status=live}}

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{{bar percent|Catholic|DarkOrchid|34}}

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{{Category see also|Religion in New Jersey}}

By number of adherents, the largest religious traditions in New Jersey, according to the 2010 Association of Religion Data Archives, were the Roman Catholic Church with 3,235,290; Islam with 160,666; and the United Methodist Church with 138,052.{{cite web|url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/34/rcms2010_34_state_adh_2010.asp|title=State Membership Report|publisher=The Association of Religion Data Archives|access-date=December 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217004456/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/34/rcms2010_34_state_adh_2010.asp|archive-date=December 17, 2013|url-status=dead}} The world's largest Hindu temple outside Asia is in Robbinsville, Mercer County.{{cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/world/hindu-temple-largest-outside-india-modern-new-jersey-8954200/lite/|title=World's largest Hindu temple outside India in modern era to be inaugurated on October 8 in New Jersey|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=September 25, 2023|access-date=October 1, 2023|archive-date=October 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003015530/https://indianexpress.com/article/world/hindu-temple-largest-outside-india-modern-new-jersey-8954200/lite/|url-status=live}} In September 2021, the State of New Jersey aligned with the World Hindu Council to declare October Hindu Heritage Month. In January 2018, Gurbir Grewal became the first Sikh American to serve as state attorney general in the United States.{{cite web|url=https://nj.gov/oag/newsreleases18/pr20180116a.html|title=Gurbir S. Grewal Confirmed as 61st New Jersey Attorney General|publisher=State of New Jersey|date=January 16, 2018|access-date=September 15, 2018|quote=Gurbir S. Grewal became the 61st Attorney General of the State of New Jersey following the inauguration of Governor Phil Murphy today, January 16, 2018.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915122025/https://nj.gov/oag/newsreleases18/pr20180116a.html|archive-date=September 15, 2018|url-status=live}} In January 2019, Sadaf Jaffer of Montgomery became the first female Muslim American mayor, first female South Asian mayor, and first female Pakistani-American mayor in the U.S.{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/news/2019/05/first-female-muslim-mayor-in-the-us-calls-this-nj-town-home.html|title=First female Muslim mayor in the U.S. calls this N.J. town home|author=Olivia Rizzo|publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC|date=May 21, 2019|access-date=May 21, 2019|quote=She is now the first female South Asian mayor of a New Jersey municipality and the first female Muslim mayor in the state. She is also believed to be the first female Muslim mayor, female Pakistani-American mayor and first female South Asian-American mayor first in the nation, according to Religionnews.com.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524015524/https://www.nj.com/news/2019/05/first-female-muslim-mayor-in-the-us-calls-this-nj-town-home.html|archive-date=May 24, 2019|url-status=dead}} Large numbers of Orthodox Jews are now migrating to New Jersey from New York, due to the latter's higher cost of living.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/nyregion/ultra-orthodox-jews-hasidim-new-jersey.html|title=An Uneasy Welcome as Ultra-Orthodox Jews Extend Beyond New York|author=Joseph Berger|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 2, 2017|access-date=October 29, 2022|archive-date=October 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028083532/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/nyregion/ultra-orthodox-jews-hasidim-new-jersey.html|url-status=live}} The world's largest gathering of rabbis outside of Israel occurred in Edison on December 1, 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.tapinto.net/towns/edison/sections/religions-and-spirituality/articles/edison-expo-hall-hosts-world-s-largest-confab-of-rabbis-jewish-leaders-2|title=Edison Expo Hall Hosts 'World's Largest' Confab of Rabbis, Jewish Leaders|author=Tony Gallotto|publisher=TAPinto Edison|date=December 1, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024}}

File:Facade of Sacred Heart Cathedral, Newark.jpg|Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, the fifth-largest cathedral in North America, is the seat of the city's Roman Catholic archdiocese.

File:The old Beis Madrash Building of BMG.jpg|Beth Medrash Govoha (Hebrew: בית מדרש גבוה), in Lakewood, Ocean County, the world's largest Jewish yeshiva outside Israel. New Jersey is home to the second-highest Jewish American population per capita, after New York, and the fastest-growing Orthodox Jewish population.{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/news/2019/04/lakewood-yeshiva-looks-to-use-old-golf-course-for-new-campus.html|title=Lakewood yeshiva looks to use old golf course for new campus|author=Steve Strunsky|publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC|date=April 16, 2019|access-date=February 24, 2023|quote=Beth Medrash Gohova is said to be the world's largest Jewish-affiliated university outside of Israel.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416231806/https://www.nj.com/news/2019/04/lakewood-yeshiva-looks-to-use-old-golf-course-for-new-campus.html|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/ocean/2017/08/11_ways_lakewood_is_like_nowhere_else_in_nj.html|title=10 ways Lakewood is unlike anywhere else in N.J.|author=Stephen Stirling|date=August 3, 2017|publisher=NJ Advance Media|access-date=February 24, 2023|quote=The sea change can be pinned to one event: The founding of the Beth Medrash Govoha yeshiva in the mid-20th century. The Orthodox Jewish community has set down roots en masse around the religious school, which is now the largest yeshiva in North America.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416233313/https://www.nj.com/ocean/2017/08/11_ways_lakewood_is_like_nowhere_else_in_nj.html|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}

File:ICPCNJ.png|Islamic Center of Passaic County, Paterson, Passaic County, was founded in 1990. New Jersey is home to one of the highest Muslim population concentrations in the Western hemisphere (3.5%), and Paterson, which houses the Islamic Center of Passaic County, is the epicenter of New Jersey's Muslim community, leading South Paterson to be nicknamed Little Istanbul and Little Ramallah.{{cite web |title=Muslims By State |url=https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/muslim/ |access-date=January 25, 2022 |archive-date=January 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125192549/https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/muslim/ |url-status=live }}

File:SoShimSaBuddhaHall.jpg|So Shim Sa Zen Center in Middlesex County, serving New Jersey's Buddhist community

{{See also|New Jersey Department of Education|Post-secondary education in New Jersey|List of high schools in New Jersey|List of school districts in New Jersey}}

File:Old Queens, New Brunswick, NJ - looking north, 2014.jpg at Rutgers University, the largest state university system in New Jersey]]

File:Nassau Hall, Princeton.jpg at Princeton University, an Ivy League university and one of the world's most prominent research institutions, served briefly as the U.S. Capitol in the 18th century.]]

As of the 2020–2021 school year, there were 686 operating districts in the state. Of these, 599 were traditional public school districts and 87 were charter school districts.{{Cite web |title=All school districts in New Jersey, NJ |url=https://www.greatschools.org/schools/districts/New_Jersey/NJ/ |access-date=June 8, 2022 |website=greatschools.org |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811045635/https://www.greatschools.org/schools/districts/New_Jersey/NJ/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=New Jersey Public Schools Fact Sheet |url=https://www.nj.gov/education/doedata/fact.shtml |access-date=June 8, 2022 |website=nj.gov |archive-date=June 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617212430/https://www.nj.gov/education/doedata/fact.shtml |url-status=live }} The NJDOE reported a total district enrollment of 1,362,400 students, the lowest total enrollment since the early 2000s, though these figures do not consider homeschooled students or those attending out-of-state schools.{{Cite web|title=Fall Enrollment Reports|url=https://www.nj.gov/education/doedata/enr/index.shtml|access-date=June 8, 2022|website=nj.gov|archive-date=June 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617201137/https://www.nj.gov/education/doedata/enr/index.shtml|url-status=live}} New Jersey public schools emphasize STEM subjects, and New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere else in the world.{{cite web|url=https://nj.gov/nj/about/facts/timeline/#:~:text=New%20Jersey%20is%20home%20to,anywhere%20else%20in%20the%20world.&text=New%20Jersey%20preserves%20a%20record%2020%2C000%20acres%20of%20farmland.&text=The%20New%20Jersey%20Devils%20wint,the%20Mighty%20Ducks%20of%20Anaheim.|title=New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere else in the world.|publisher=State of New Jersey|access-date=May 19, 2023|archive-date=May 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520051234/https://nj.gov/nj/about/facts/timeline/#:~:text=New%20Jersey%20is%20home%20to,anywhere%20else%20in%20the%20world.&text=New%20Jersey%20preserves%20a%20record%2020%2C000%20acres%20of%20farmland.&text=The%20New%20Jersey%20Devils%20wint,the%20Mighty%20Ducks%20of%20Anaheim.|url-status=live}}

New Jersey is known for the high quality of its education. In 2024, New Jersey spent the second-most per public school student among all states, behind New York, amounting to $26,600 spent per pupil;{{cite web|url=https://educationdata.org/public-education-spending-statistics|title=Public K-12 Spending Per Student|author=Melanie Hanson|publisher=Education Data Initiative|date=July 14, 2024|access-date=August 7, 2024}} Over 50% of the expenditure is allocated to student instruction.{{cite web|url=http://www.governing.com/gov-data/education-data/state-education-spending-per-pupil-data.html|title=Education Spending Per Student by State|publisher=GOVERNING—e.Republic|access-date=March 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702004654/http://www.governing.com/gov-data/education-data/state-education-spending-per-pupil-data.html|archive-date=July 2, 2018|url-status=dead}}

New Jersey is home to several prestigious private universities, including Princeton University in Princeton in Mercer County, one of the world's most prominent research universities, which was ranked first for the ninth consecutive year among all national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2024 and ranked first in comparable lists published the same year by Forbes and The Wall Street Journal,{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities|title=Best National University Rankings|work=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=August 7, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://poetsandquants.com/2024/09/07/ranking-the-forbes-2024-2025-top-colleges-in-america/#:~:text=Princeton%2520University%2520was%2520ranked%2520the,%E2%80%9CAmerica's%2520Top%2520Colleges%E2%80%9D%2520ranking.|title=Ranking: The Forbes 2024-2025 Top Colleges in America|author=KRISTY BLEIZEFFER|publisher=Poets&Quants|date=September 7, 2024|access-date=September 20, 2024|quote=For the second straight year, Princeton University tops the list in Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges” ranking.}}{{cite web|url=https://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/news/wall-street-journals-2025-best-colleges-in-america/|title=Wall Street Journal's 2025 Best Colleges In America|author=KRISTY BLEIZEFFER|publisher=Poets&Quants|date=September 5, 2024|access-date=September 20, 2024|quote=Another U.S. college ranking, another first for Princeton University. Princeton topped Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S ranking, released today (September 5). It’s the second straight year Princeton has been WSJ’s top school — and it continues an impressive winning streak for the private Ivy in New Jersey.}} and public universities such as Rutgers University, headquartered in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, the state's flagship institution of higher education.{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/education/A_new_Rutgers_debuts_after_official_merger.html |title=Rutgers a 'world-class university', school president says at merger ceremony |author=Patricia Alex |date=July 2, 2013 |access-date=July 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901190055/http://www.northjersey.com/news/education/A_new_Rutgers_debuts_after_official_merger.html |archive-date=September 1, 2013 }}

In 2014, New Jersey's school systems were ranked at the top of all fifty U.S. states by financial website WalletHub.{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/education/2014/08/new_jersey_has_the_best_school_systems_in_us_report_says.html|title=New Jersey has the best school systems in U.S., report says|author=Alex Napoliello|publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC|date=August 4, 2014|access-date=August 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805010719/http://www.nj.com/education/2014/08/new_jersey_has_the_best_school_systems_in_us_report_says.html|archive-date=August 5, 2014|url-status=live}} In 2018, New Jersey's overall educational system was ranked second among all states to Massachusetts by U.S. News & World Report. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, Education Week also ranked New Jersey public schools the best of all U.S. states.{{cite news|url=https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/map-a-f-grades-rankings-for-states-on-school-quality/2021/09|title=Map: A-F Grades, Rankings for States on School Quality|newspaper=Education Week|date=September 1, 2021|access-date=August 7, 2024}}

In 2016, nine New Jersey-based high schools were ranked among the top 25 in the nation, more than any other state, in "America's Top High Schools 2016", published by Newsweek.{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/high-schools/americas-top-high-schools-2016|title=America's Top High Schools 2016|work=Newsweek|year=2016|access-date=August 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223235147/http://www.newsweek.com/high-schools/americas-top-high-schools-2016|archive-date=December 23, 2016|url-status=live}}

In November 2023, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law legislation eliminating testing for prospective teachers in reading, writing, and math, replacing it with an alternative certification process.{{cite web | url=https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/new-jersey-drops-basic-skills-requirement-for-new-teachers-caved-to-teacher-union-demands-education-association-reading-writing-math-proficiency-phil-murphy-crisis-in-the-classroom | title=New Jersey drops basic skills requirement for new teachers: 'Caved to ... union demands' | author=Watrobski, Kristina | publisher=WHAM-TV | accessdate=December 3, 2023 | date=November 29, 2023 | quote=Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law Monday the elimination of the state's basic skills test requirement. Passing the exam was previously required for teachers to become certified if they did not score in the top one-third percentile of the SAT, ACT or GRE. Under the new law, teachers can now skip the exam and instead receive an alternate teaching certificate. | archive-date=December 3, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203000626/https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/new-jersey-drops-basic-skills-requirement-for-new-teachers-caved-to-teacher-union-demands-education-association-reading-writing-math-proficiency-phil-murphy-crisis-in-the-classroom | url-status=live }}

{{See also|New Jersey locations by per capita income}}

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that New Jersey's gross state product in the third quarter of 2022 was $753 billion.[{{cite web|url=https://www.bea.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/stgdppi3q22.xlsx|title=Table 1. Gross Domestic Product by State and Region: Level and Percent Change from Preceding Period|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis|access-date=February 21, 2023|archive-date=March 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329234329/https://apps.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?0=1200&isuri=1&reqid=70&step=10&1=1&2=200&3=sic&4=1&5=xx&6=-1&7=-1&8=-1&9=70&10=levels|url-status=live}}

File:Map of Income by Location in New Jersey.png

New Jersey's per capita gross state product routinely ranks among the highest in the nation. In 2020, New Jersey had more millionaires both per capita and per square mile, representing roughly 9.76% of all New Jersey household, than any state in the nation.

The state is ranked second in the nation by the number of places with per capita incomes exceeding the national average with 76.4%. Three of New Jersey's counties are among the 20 highest income U.S. counties in the nation as of 2023.{{Cite web |last=Depietro |first=Andrew |date=2023-01-31 |title=Richest and Poorest Counties in the U.S. |url=https://www.creditkarma.com/insights/i/richest-and-poorest-counties-in-us |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Intuit Credit Karma |language=en-US}}

New Jersey has seven tax brackets that determine state income tax rates, which range from 1.4% (for income below $20,000) to 8.97% (for income above $500,000).[http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/pdf/current/njtaxratesch.pdf New Jersey Tax Rate Schedules 2017] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127104339/http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/pdf/current/njtaxratesch.pdf |date=January 27, 2018 }}, New Jersey Department of Treasury. Retrieved February 26, 2018.

The standard sales tax rate as of January 1, 2018, is 6.625%, applicable to all retail sales unless specifically exempt by law. This rate, which is comparably lower than that of New York City, often attracts numerous shoppers from New York City, often to suburban Paramus, New Jersey, which has five malls, one of which (the Garden State Plaza) has over {{Convert | 2 | e6ft2 | sigfig = 1 }} of retail space. Tax exemptions include most food items for at-home preparation, medications, most clothing, footwear and disposable paper products for use in the home.[http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/pdf/pubs/sales/su4.pdf New Jersey Sales Tax Guide] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222042908/http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/pdf/pubs/sales/su4.pdf |date=February 22, 2018 }}, New Jersey Department of Treasury. Retrieved February 26, 2018. There are 27 Urban Enterprise Zone statewide, including sections of Paterson, Elizabeth, and Jersey City. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125% sales tax rate (half the rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants.[http://www.nj.gov/njbusiness/financing/uez/ Urban Enterprise Zone Program] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314041128/http://www.nj.gov/njbusiness/financing/uez/ |date=March 14, 2018 }}, State of New Jersey. Retrieved January 8, 2018.[http://www.nj.gov/dca/affiliates/uez/publications/pdf/NJUEZ_Locations.pdf New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone Locations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119223540/https://www.nj.gov/dca/affiliates/uez/publications/pdf/NJUEZ_Locations.pdf |date=November 19, 2018 }}, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, locations as of January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2018.[http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/news/2017/p12272017a.pdf "NJ Division of Taxation Reminds Consumers & Business Owners That Sales Tax Rate Will Change to 6.625% in the New Year"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205011020/http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/news/2017/p12272017a.pdf|date=February 5, 2018 }}, New Jersey Department of Treasury, press release dated December 27, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2018. "The New Jersey Division of Taxation is reminding business owners that the State Sales and Use Tax rate will be reduced to 6.625% on Jan. 1, 2018.{{nbsp}}... Rates for State Sales Tax in Urban Enterprise Zones also will change on Jan. 1, 2018. The rate in a designated UEZ will be 50 percent of the Sales Tax rate, or 3.3125 percent. The previous UEZ rate was 3.4375 percent."

New Jersey has the highest cumulative tax rate of all 50 states with residents paying a total of $68 billion in state and local taxes annually with a per capita burden of $7,816 at a rate of 12.9% of income.{{cite web|url=http://247wallst.com/2011/07/21/108558/3/|title=States Where People Pay The Most (And Least) In Taxes|publisher=24/7 Wall St.|date=July 21, 2011|access-date=May 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517160818/http://247wallst.com/2011/07/21/108558/3/|archive-date=May 17, 2012|url-status=live}} All real property located in the state is subject to property tax unless specifically exempted by statute. New Jersey does not assess an intangible personal property tax or an estate tax, but it does impose an inheritance tax (which is levied only on heirs who are not direct descendants).{{Cite web|title=Beware the New Jersey Inheritance Tax — February 13, 2019|date=February 13, 2019|url=https://www.lindabury.com/firm/insights/beware-the-new-jersey-inheritance-tax.html|access-date=September 4, 2021|archive-date=September 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904000751/https://www.lindabury.com/firm/insights/beware-the-new-jersey-inheritance-tax.html|url-status=live}} In 2023, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law a new tax-relief program known as StayNJ that will provide for an annual property-tax cut of 50% for those aged 65 and over with incomes below $500,000; the cut will go into effect in January 2026 and be capped at $6,500, but with this cap rising as indexed to the increase in New Jersey's overall property taxes.{{cite web|url=https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562023/approved/20230630f.shtml|title=Governor Murphy Signs Fiscal Year 2024 Budget into Law|publisher=State of New Jersey|date=June 30, 2023|access-date=July 4, 2023|quote=The StayNJ senior property tax credit affordability program expands income limits and modifies ownership requirements with the aim of cutting property taxes in half for many eligible New Jersey seniors by providing a direct credit of up to $6,500 on property tax bills when fully implemented.|archive-date=July 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704060514/https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562023/approved/20230630f.shtml|url-status=live}}Han, Daniel. [https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/01/murphy-signs-54-billion-budget-staynj-00104514 "New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signs $54B budget along with 'StayNJ{{'"}}], Politico, July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023. "Key to the budget negotiations was the creation of the new property tax relief program for seniors, dubbed StayNJ. The plan will provide tax credits worth half a senior's property tax bill up to $6,500 for incomes up to $500,000. Benefits for the program do not go out until January 2026." {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707162827/https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/01/murphy-signs-54-billion-budget-staynj-00104514 |date=July 7, 2023 }}.

New Jersey consistently ranks as having one of the highest proportional levels of disparity of any state in the U.S., based upon what it receives from the federal government relative to what it pays. In 2015, WalletHub ranked New Jersey the state that was least dependent on federal government aid overall and the state with the fourth-lowest return on taxpayer investment from the federal government, at 48 cents per dollar.{{cite web|url=http://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-least-dependent-on-the-federal-government/2700/#main-findings|title=2015's States Most & Least Dependent on the Federal Government|website=WalletHub |publisher=Evolution Finance |first1=John S |last1=Kiernan |access-date=April 26, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://archive.today/20150427004458/http://wallethub.com/edu/states-most-least-dependent-on-the-federal-government/2700/%23main-findings |archive-date= April 27, 2015 }}

New Jersey has one of the highest tax burdens of any state the nation.{{cite web | url=http://taxfoundation.org/state-tax-climate/new-jersey | title=New Jersey | at=New Jersey's State and Local Tax Burden Above National Average | publisher=Tax Foundation | access-date=January 4, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104205615/http://taxfoundation.org/state-tax-climate/new-jersey | archive-date=January 4, 2014 | url-status=dead }} Factors for this include the large federal tax liability, which is not adjusted for New Jersey's higher cost of living and Medicaid funding formulas.

{{further|Biotech and pharmaceutical companies in New Jersey}}

File:Cranberrys beim Ernten.jpeg harvest]]

New Jersey's economy is multifaceted, featuring high levels of both productivity and retail consumption; the Garden State's economy comprises the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, information technology, the financial industry, tourism, filmmaking, telecommunications, gambling, food processing, electrical equipment manufacturing, printing, and publishing. New Jersey's agricultural outputs are nursery stock, horses, vegetables, fruits and nuts, seafood, and dairy products.{{cite web|url=http://www.njbiz.com/article/20170613/NJBIZ01/170619950/maersk-aims-to-shore-up-nj-shipping-industry-with-direct-financing-service.|title=Maersk aims to shore up N.J. shipping industry with direct financing service—NJBIZ|date=June 13, 2017|access-date=June 23, 2017|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804090212/http://www.njbiz.com/article/20170613/NJBIZ01/170619950/maersk-aims-to-shore-up-nj-shipping-industry-with-direct-financing-service.|url-status=live}} New Jersey ranks second among states in blueberry production, third in cranberries and spinach, and fourth in bell peppers, peaches, and head lettuce.{{cite news|author=Judith H. Dobrzynski|title=A Garden Crawl Through the Garden State|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/garden/25garden.html|work=The New York Times|date=June 24, 2010|access-date=June 25, 2010|author-link=Judith H. Dobrzynski|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627041310/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/garden/25garden.html|archive-date=June 27, 2010|url-status=live}} The state harvests the fourth-largest number of acres planted with asparagus.{{cite news|title=It's No Tomato, but a Stalk Gets Some Respect|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/nyregion/in-new-jersey-asparagus-takes-its-place-at-the-table.html#h|work=The New York Times|date=May 4, 2012|access-date=May 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508154350/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/nyregion/in-new-jersey-asparagus-takes-its-place-at-the-table.html#h|archive-date=May 8, 2012|url-status=live}} South Jersey has become an East Coast epicenter for logistics and warehouse construction.{{cite web|url=https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2021/05/warehouses-sprawl-northern-nj-central-nj-newmark-reports-greenfields/amp/|title=Report details surge in warehouse construction...|author=Jon Hurdle|publisher=NJ Spotlight News|date=May 13, 2021|access-date=January 3, 2023|quote=In South Jersey, the area has become the "epicenter" of warehouse construction in the greater Philadelphia region.|archive-date=July 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709172509/https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2021/05/warehouses-sprawl-northern-nj-central-nj-newmark-reports-greenfields/amp/|url-status=dead}}

New Jersey has a strong scientific economy and is home to major pharmaceutical and telecommunications firms, drawing on the state's large and well-educated labor pool, including one of the highest concentrations of engineers and other scientists in the world. There is also a robust service economy in retail sales, education, and real estate, serving residents who work in New York City or Philadelphia. Thomas Edison invented the first electric light bulb at his home in Menlo Park, Edison in 1879. New Jersey is also a key participant in the renewable wind industry. New Jersey has more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere in the world,{{Cite web |title=New Jersey leads world in number of scientists, engineers per square mile |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2012/sep/06/choose-new-jersey/new-jersey-leads-world-number-scientists-engineers/ |access-date=March 18, 2022 |website=@politifact |language=en-US |archive-date=March 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318225324/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2012/sep/06/choose-new-jersey/new-jersey-leads-world-number-scientists-engineers/ |url-status=live }} and is a global leader in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, life sciences, and technology.{{Cite web |title=Business.NJ.gov {{!}} What are New Jersey's principal industries? |url=https://business.nj.gov/faqs/what-are-new-jerseys-principal-industries |access-date=March 18, 2022 |website=business.nj.gov |archive-date=March 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319081949/https://business.nj.gov/faqs/what-are-new-jerseys-principal-industries |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=New Jersey's Economy: The Top Industries Driving GDP Growth |url=https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/011316/new-jerseys-economy-9-industries-driving-gdp-growth.asp |access-date=March 18, 2022 |website=Investopedia |language=en |archive-date=March 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318225325/https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/011316/new-jerseys-economy-9-industries-driving-gdp-growth.asp |url-status=live }}

New Jersey hosts numerous business headquarters, including twenty-four Fortune 500 companies.{{cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2007/states/NJ.html|title=Fortune 500 2007—States: New Jersey|date=March 30, 2007|access-date=May 30, 2007|publisher=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609221731/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2007/states/NJ.html|archive-date=June 9, 2007|url-status=live}} Paramus in Bergen County has become the top retail ZIP code (07652) in the United States, with the municipality generating over US$6 billion in annual retail sales.{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/bergen/2019/03/more-shopping-money-is-spent-in-this-nj-town-than-on-rodeo-drive-take-that-cali.html|title=Inside the N.J. town where retail spending beats Hollywood and tourism rivals Disney|author=Allison Pries|publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC|date=March 10, 2019|access-date=May 5, 2019|quote=The former farming community already sees more retail sales than any other zip code in the country{{nbsp}}... More than $6 billion in retail sales happen in Paramus each year.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030055322/https://www.nj.com/bergen/2019/03/more-shopping-money-is-spent-in-this-nj-town-than-on-rodeo-drive-take-that-cali.html|archive-date=October 30, 2019|url-status=live}} Several New Jersey counties, including Somerset (7), Morris (10), Hunterdon (13), Bergen (21), and Monmouth (42), have been ranked among the highest-income counties in the United States.

Shipping is a key industry in New Jersey because of the state's strategic geographic location, the Port of New York and New Jersey being the busiest port on the East Coast. The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal was the world's first container port and today is one of the world's largest. New Jersey's location at the center of the Eastern North American population belt has made the state a prime hub for the logistics, warehousing, and supply chain management industries. The manufacturing economy in New Jersey had declined for several decades in the post-Industrial Revolution era but has since resumed growth.

File:A sunset view of the beach in Atlantic City, NJ.jpg on the beach at Atlantic City, an oceanfront resort and the nexus of New Jersey's gambling industry]]

New Jersey's location at the center of the Northeast megalopolis and its extensive transportation system have put over one-third of all United States residents and many Canadian residents within overnight distance by land. This accessibility to consumer revenue has enabled seaside resorts such as Atlantic City and the remainder of the Jersey Shore, as well as the state's other natural and cultural attractions, to contribute significantly to the record 111 million tourist visits to New Jersey in 2018, providing US$44.7 billion in tourism revenue, directly supporting 333,860 jobs, sustaining more than 531,000 jobs overall including peripheral impacts, and generating US$5 billion in state and local tax revenue.{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/business/2019/05/tourism-spending-is-up-in-nj-and-itll-be-even-better-when-american-dream-is-built-murphy-says.html|title=Tourism spending is up in N.J., and it'll be even better when American Dream is built, Murphy says|author=Bill Duhart|publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC|date=May 9, 2019|access-date=May 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510001420/https://www.nj.com/business/2019/05/tourism-spending-is-up-in-nj-and-itll-be-even-better-when-american-dream-is-built-murphy-says.html|archive-date=May 10, 2019|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Gambling in New Jersey}}

In 1976, a referendum by Jersey voters approved casino gambling in Atlantic City, where the first legalized casino opened in 1978.{{cite web|url=http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/history/30-and-counting-legalized-gambling.html|title=30 and Counting: Legalized Gambling|author=Brett Avery|website=New Jersey Monthly|date=February 5, 2008|access-date=October 24, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030001609/http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/history/30-and-counting-legalized-gambling.html|archive-date=October 30, 2013}} At that time, Las Vegas was the only other casino resort in the country.{{cite news |title=Gambling Becomes Legal in New Jersey |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ejEeAAAAIBAJ&pg=4008,3062175&dq=gambling+in+new+jersey&hl=en |quote=The nation's only legal gambling casino outside Nevada won state approval Thursday night and planned Friday morning opening{{nbsp}}... |agency=Associated Press |date=May 26, 1978 |access-date=November 4, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713173036/http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2011/americas-best-high-schools.html |archive-date=July 13, 2011 }} Today, several casinos lie along the Atlantic City Boardwalk, the oldest and longest boardwalk in the world, at {{Convert|5+1/2|mi}} in length.{{cite web |last1=Fazzalaro |first1=Kristinna |title=The 9 Best Boardwalks in the USA |url=https://www.oyster.com/articles/the-9-best-boardwalks-in-the-u-s/ |website=Oyster |date=April 10, 2015 |access-date=January 25, 2022 |archive-date=January 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125155933/https://www.oyster.com/articles/the-9-best-boardwalks-in-the-u-s/ |url-status=live }} Atlantic City experienced a dramatic contraction in its stature as a gambling destination after 2010, including the closure of multiple casinos since 2014, spurred by competition from the advent of legalized gambling in other northeastern U.S. states.{{cite web|url=http://philly.curbed.com/2016/8/4/12376514/trump-taj-mahal-closed-atlantic-city-casinos|title=The Shuttered Casinos of Atlantic City|author=Melissa Romero|date=August 4, 2016|access-date=December 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220150814/http://philly.curbed.com/2016/8/4/12376514/trump-taj-mahal-closed-atlantic-city-casinos|archive-date=December 20, 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/revel-had-wanted-to-shut-down-casino-on-monday-1.1068856|title=Revel had wanted to shut down casino on Monday|author=Wayne Parry, Associated Press|newspaper=Northjersey.com |date=August 17, 2014|access-date=August 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903180728/http://www.northjersey.com/news/revel-had-wanted-to-shut-down-casino-on-monday-1.1068856|archive-date=September 3, 2014|url-status=live}}

On February 26, 2013, Governor Chris Christie signed online gambling into law.{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/02/gov_christie_signs_internet_ga.html|title=Gov. Christie signs internet gambling into law|author=Ryan Hutchins|date=February 27, 2013|work=The Star-Ledger|access-date=April 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306012127/http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/02/gov_christie_signs_internet_ga.html|archive-date=March 6, 2013|url-status=live}} Sports betting has become a growing source of gambling revenue in New Jersey, with sportsbooks bringing in almost $12 billion in bets, making over $1 billion in revenue in 2023. Since being legalized across the nation by the U.S. Supreme Court on May 14, 2018, New Jersey led all states in sports betting handle until New York passed them.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/14/politics/sports-betting-ncaa-supreme-court/index.html|title=Supreme Court lets states legalize sports gambling|author=Ariane de Vogue and Maegan Vazquez|publisher=CNN|date=May 14, 2018|access-date=May 9, 2019|quote=The 6–3 ruling is a victory for New Jersey and other states who have considered allowing sports gambling as a way to encourage tourism and tax revenue.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514002620/https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/14/politics/sports-betting-ncaa-supreme-court/index.html|archive-date=May 14, 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/betting/2022/07/01/sportsbook-handle-revenue-may-2022-new-york-leads-states|title=New York Leads States in May Sportsbook Handle|author=Frankie Tadded|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=July 1, 2022|access-date=February 18, 2023|quote=New York posted the highest sportsbook handle for May, followed by New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania.|archive-date=February 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218082411/https://www.si.com/betting/2022/07/01/sportsbook-handle-revenue-may-2022-new-york-leads-states|url-status=live}} In September 2022, the lifetime revenue from online casinos operating in New Jersey for the nine years since the industry's launch had surpassed $5 billion.{{Cite web|title=US Online Gambling is Poised for Expansion|url=https://apnews.com/article/sports-new-jersey-illinois-atlantic-city-2287780f1d9aa12f59cf0ced1f25fca2|date=September 23, 2022|access-date=January 23, 2023|website=APNews|language=en-US|archive-date=January 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123141339/https://apnews.com/article/sports-new-jersey-illinois-atlantic-city-2287780f1d9aa12f59cf0ced1f25fca2|url-status=live}}

File:USA telephone area code map - New Jersey.svg]]

{{Main|Television and film of New Jersey}}

New Jersey is a growing center for filmmaking and television production,{{cite web|url=https://njmonthly.com/articles/arts-entertainment/hollywood-east-inside-new-jerseys-thriving-film-and-tv-industries/|title=Hollywood East: Inside New Jersey's Thriving Film and TV Industries|author=Jacqueline Mroz|publisher=New Jersey Monthly|date=November 18, 2022|access-date=February 28, 2023|archive-date=February 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228180613/https://njmonthly.com/articles/arts-entertainment/hollywood-east-inside-new-jerseys-thriving-film-and-tv-industries/|url-status=live}} with media companies, enticed by its proximity to Manhattan, in conjunction with tax incentives, collectively spending billions of dollars to develop large new studio facilities and sound stage complexes.{{cite web|url=https://jerseydigs.com/netflix-studio-new-jersey/|title=Netflix Bets Big on New Jersey, Unveils $900M Mega-Studio|author=Chris Fry|publisher=Jersey Digs|date=February 28, 2023|access-date=February 28, 2023|archive-date=February 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228183713/https://jerseydigs.com/netflix-studio-new-jersey/|url-status=live}} Motion picture technology was developed by Thomas Edison, with much of his early work done at his West Orange laboratory. Edison's Black Maria was the first motion picture studio. America's first motion picture industry started in 1907 in Fort Lee and the first studio was constructed there in 1909.{{cite web|url=http://www.fortleefilm.org/|title=Fort Lee Film Commission | Fort Lee, NJ|publisher=Fortleefilm.org|access-date=May 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420104317/http://www.fortleefilm.org/|archive-date=April 20, 2012|url-status=live}} DuMont Laboratories in Passaic developed early sets and made the first broadcast to the private home.

A number of television shows and films have been filmed in New Jersey. Since 1978, the state has maintained a Motion Picture and Television Commission to encourage filming in-state.{{cite web|url=http://www.njfilm.org/|title=NJ Motion Picture & Television Commission|publisher=Njfilm.org|access-date=May 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510000920/http://www.njfilm.org/|archive-date=May 10, 2012|url-status=live}} New Jersey has long offered tax credits to television producers. Governor Chris Christie suspended the credits in 2010, but the New Jersey State Legislature in 2011 approved the restoration and expansion of the tax credit program. Under bills passed by both the state Senate and Assembly, the program offers 20 percent tax credits (22% in urban enterprise zones) to television and film productions that shoot in the state and meet set standards for hiring and local spending.{{cite news|last=Wright|first=E. Assata|title=Getting the film crews back to NJ Gov. to decide future of tax credit that benefited Hudson County|work=Hudson Reporter|date=February 20, 2011|url=http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/11505447/article-Getting-the-film-crews-back-to-NJ-Gov--to-decide-future-of-tax-credit-that-benefited-Hudson-County-?|access-date=February 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712230629/http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/11505447/article-Getting-the-film-crews-back-to-NJ-Gov--to-decide-future-of-tax-credit-that-benefited-Hudson-County-|archive-date=July 12, 2011|url-status=dead}} When Governor Phil Murphy took office, he instated the New Jersey Film & Digital Media Tax Credit Program in 2018 and expanded it in 2020. The benefits include a 30% tax credit on film projects and a 40% subsidy for studio developments.{{cite news |last1=Bergeron |first1=Tom |title=Every state is looking to take business from Georgia — here's why N.J. has legitimate chance to do so |url=https://www.roi-nj.com/2021/04/05/opinion/editors-desk/every-state-is-looking-to-take-business-from-georgia-heres-why-n-j-has-legitimate-chance-to-do-so/ |access-date=April 7, 2021 |work=ROI NJ |archive-date=April 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405185516/https://www.roi-nj.com/2021/04/05/opinion/editors-desk/every-state-is-looking-to-take-business-from-georgia-heres-why-n-j-has-legitimate-chance-to-do-so/ |url-status=live }}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• Asbury Park Press
• Burlington County Times
• Courier News
• Courier-Post
• Daily Record (Morristown){{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/mediakit/ |title=New Jersey Advertising |work=The Star-Ledger |access-date=July 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20080919141432/http://www.nj.com/mediakit/ |archive-date=September 19, 2008 }}
• The Express-Times
• Gloucester County Times
• Herald News
• Home News Tribune
• Hunterdon County Democrat
• Jersey Journal
• New Jersey Herald{{cite web|url=http://www.njherald.com|title=The New Jersey Herald: Top Stories|publisher=Njherald.com|access-date=July 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721213410/http://www.njherald.com/|archive-date=July 21, 2010|url-status=live}}
• The News of Cumberland County
• The Press of Atlantic City
• The Record{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com|title=providing local news, sports & classifieds for Northern New Jersey!|publisher=NorthJersey.com|access-date=July 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724182047/http://www.northjersey.com/|archive-date=July 24, 2010|url-status=live}}
• South Jersey Times
• The Star-Ledger
• The Times (Trenton)
• Today's Sunbeam
• Trentonian (Mercer)

{{div col end}}

{{main|List of radio stations in New Jersey}}

New Jersey has several PBS member stations: WNET (13) in Newark, WNJN (50) in Montclair, WNJB (58) in New Brunswick, WNJS (23) in Camden and WNJT (52) in Trenton.

There are no standard commercial network affiliates in the state. WMGM-TV (Wildwood) lost its affiliation with NBC in 2014. Viewers in northern New Jersey receive New York City market stations over cable or over the air; southern New Jersey viewers receive Philadelphia market stations over cable or over the air.

WMGM now affiliates with the True Crime Network. WJLP (Middletown) affiliates with the retro network MeTV. There are Telemundo affiliates in Fort Lee, Linden and Mount Laurel, and Univision affiliates in Paterson and Vineland.

Image:Jersey City Skyline sunset (cropped).jpg, dubbed Wall Street West]]

Jersey City's Hudson River waterfront, from Exchange Place to Newport, is known as Wall Street West[https://cms.dot.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/NJ%20Jersey%20City.pdf A Vision for Smart Transit in Jersey City] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226215056/https://cms.dot.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/NJ%20Jersey%20City.pdf |date=December 26, 2016 }}, United States Department of Transportation, February 4, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2017. "Development along the Hudson River waterfront led to the development of the 'Wall Street West' financial district, one of the largest centers of banking and finance in the nation." and has over 13 million square feet of Class A office space. One third of the private sector jobs in the city are in the financial services sector: more than 60% are in the securities industry, 20% are in banking and 8% in insurance.{{cite web|title=Your Gateway to Opportunity, Enterprise Zone Five Year Strategic Plan 2010|url=http://www.jcedc.org/Pages/JerseyCity%20UEZ_Economics.pdf|publisher=Jersey City Economic Development Corporation|access-date=May 23, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028234728/http://www.jcedc.org/Pages/JerseyCity%20UEZ_Economics.pdf|archive-date=October 28, 2013}} Jersey City is home to the headquarters of Verisk Analytics and Lord Abbett,Todd, Susan. [http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2009/10/verisk_analytics_sells_8525_mi.html "Verisk Analytics of Jersey City raises $1.9B in stock offering"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214175447/https://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2009/10/verisk_analytics_sells_8525_mi.html |date=February 14, 2019 }}, The Star-Ledger, October 8, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2009. a privately held money management firm.[http://www.lordabbett.com/us/la2/contact_us Lord Abbett: Contact Us] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225202053/http://www.lordabbett.com/us/la2/contact_us |date=December 25, 2011 }}. Retrieved April 2, 2011. Companies such as Computershare, ADP, IPC Systems, and Fidelity Investments also conduct operations in the city.[http://www.hudsonedc.org/hudson-employers.pdf Major Employer's List] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718191705/http://www.hudsonedc.org/hudson-employers.pdf |date=July 18, 2011 }}, Hudson County Economic Development Corporation. Retrieved March 18, 2011. In 2014, Forbes magazine moved its headquarters to the district, having been awarded a $27 million tax grant in exchange for bringing 350 jobs to the city over a ten-year period.Staff. [http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2014/12/forbes_moving_to_new_jersey_city_offices_monday_report_says.html 'Forbes moving into Jersey City offices on Monday, report says"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915084634/https://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2014/12/forbes_moving_to_new_jersey_city_offices_monday_report_says.html |date=September 15, 2018 }}, The Jersey Journal, December 12, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2015. "Forbes has committed to spending 10 years in Jersey City, for which it will receive a $27 million Grow New Jersey tax grant because of its pledge to bring at least 350 jobs to the state." By the early 2020s, the construction of residential skyscrapers Downtown made median rental rates in Jersey City amongst the highest of any city in the United States.{{cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2022/07/29/jersey-city-is-now-americas-most-expensive-city-to-live-in/|title=This New Jersey city is now America's most expensive to live in|author=Mary K. Jacob|newspaper=New York Post|date=July 29, 2022|access-date=March 1, 2023|archive-date=January 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130223949/https://nypost.com/2022/07/29/jersey-city-is-now-americas-most-expensive-city-to-live-in/amp/|url-status=live}}

{{See also|List of power stations in New Jersey}}

Limited mining activity of zinc, iron, and manganese still takes place in the area in and around the Franklin Furnace in Sussex County.

Although New Jersey is home to many energy-intensive industries, its energy consumption is only 2.7% of the U.S. total, and its carbon dioxide emissions are 0.8% of the U.S. total. New Jersey's electricity comes primarily from natural gas and nuclear power.{{Cite web|title=New Jersey – State Energy Profile Overview|url=https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=NJ|access-date=January 9, 2022|website=U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)|archive-date=January 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109060908/https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=NJ|url-status=live}} New Jersey is seventh in the nation in solar power installations,{{Cite web|title=New Jersey Solar|url=https://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/new-jersey-solar|access-date=January 9, 2022|website=SEIA|language=en|archive-date=January 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109060220/https://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/new-jersey-solar|url-status=live}} enabled by one of the country's most favorable net metering policies and renewable portfolio standard. The state has more than 140,000 solar installations.{{Cite web|title=Solar Activity Reports {{!}} NJ OCE Web Site|url=https://njcleanenergy.com/renewable-energy/project-activity-reports/project-activity-reports|access-date=January 9, 2022|website=njcleanenergy.com|archive-date=January 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120175005/https://njcleanenergy.com/renewable-energy/project-activity-reports/project-activity-reports|url-status=live}}

Due to past industrial activity, New Jersey has more Superfund toxic waste sites than any other state in the union despite its small geographic size. By 2024, only 35 of New Jersey's Superfund sites (out of about 150 that have been on the EPA's list since the Superfund law was passed in 1980) have been cleaned up.[https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-national-priorities-list-npl Superfund: National Priorities List (NPL) ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211110856/https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-national-priorities-list-npl |date=February 11, 2018 }} on the website of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In late 2023, a concern became public about PFAs (so-called "forever chemicals") existing in the state's water supplies.[https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/09/epa-finds-more-forever-chemicals-in-new-jersey-water-systems/ EPA finds more 'forever chemicals' in New Jersey water systems] by Jon Hurdle on NJ Spotlight News, Sept. 1, 2023. Last access 9/4/2023.

{{Main|Transportation in New Jersey}}

New Jersey's population density and location at the geographic center of the Northeast Megalopolis have rendered it a vital transportation for hub for both passengers and industry.

{{See also|State highways in New Jersey}}

File:Map of New Jersey NA.png

File:George Washington Bridge from New Jersey-edit.jpg, connecting Fort Lee (foreground) in Bergen County across the Hudson River to New York City (background), is the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge.{{cite web|url=http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/george-washington-bridge.html|access-date=March 10, 2014|title=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey—George Washington Bridge|publisher=The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920192211/http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/george-washington-bridge.html|archive-date=September 20, 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/george-washington-bridge-painters-dangerous-job-top-worlds/story?id=17771877|title=GW Bridge Painters: Dangerous Job on Top of the World's Busiest Bridge|author1=Bod Woodruff|author2=Lana Zak|author3=Stephanie Wash|name-list-style=amp|publisher=ABC News|date=November 20, 2012|access-date=March 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928002159/http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-washington-bridge-painters-dangerous-job-top-worlds/story?id=17771877|archive-date=September 28, 2013|url-status=live}}]]

The New Jersey Turnpike is one of the most prominent and heavily trafficked roadways in the United States. This toll road, which overlaps with Interstate 95 for much of its length, carries traffic between Delaware and New York, and up and down the East Coast in general. Commonly referred to as simply "the Turnpike", it is known for its numerous rest areas named after prominent New Jerseyans.

The Garden State Parkway, or simply "the Parkway", carries relatively more in-state traffic than interstate traffic and runs from New Jersey's northern border to its southernmost tip at Cape May. It is the main route that connects the New York metropolitan area to the Jersey Shore. With a total of fifteen travel and six shoulder lanes, the Driscoll Bridge on the Parkway, spanning the Raritan River in Middlesex County, is the widest motor vehicle bridge in the world by number of lanes as well as one of the busiest.{{cite web|url=http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/1492|title=Garden State Parkway opens world's widest bridge—15 lanes|author=Peter Samuel|date=April 11, 2006|publisher=TOLLROADSnews|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323215304/https://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/1492|archive-date=March 23, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=June 6, 2011}}

New Jersey is connected to New York City via various key bridges and tunnels. The double-decked George Washington Bridge carries the heaviest load of motor vehicle traffic of any bridge in the world, at 102 million vehicles per year, across fourteen lanes. It connects Fort Lee, New Jersey to the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, and carries Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1/9 across the Hudson River. The Lincoln Tunnel connects to Midtown Manhattan carrying New Jersey Route 495, and the Holland Tunnel connects to Lower Manhattan carrying Interstate 78. New Jersey is also connected to Staten Island by three bridges—from north to south, the Bayonne Bridge, the Goethals Bridge, and the Outerbridge Crossing.

New Jersey has interstate compacts with all three of its neighboring states. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Delaware River Port Authority (with Pennsylvania), the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (with Pennsylvania), and the Delaware River and Bay Authority (with Delaware) operate most of the major transportation routes in and out of the state. Bridge tolls are collected only from traffic exiting the state, with the exception of the private Dingman's Ferry Bridge over the Delaware River, which charges a toll in both directions.

It is unlawful for a customer to serve themselves gasoline in New Jersey. It became the last remaining U.S. state where all gas stations are required to sell full-service gasoline to customers at all times in 2016, after Oregon's introduction of restricted self-service gasoline availability took effect.{{cite web|url=http://www.hoodrivernews.com/news/2016/jan/06/self-serve-gas-legal-rural-oregon/|author=Patrick Mulvihill|title=Self-serve gas legal in rural Oregon|publisher=Eagle Newspapers, Inc|date=January 5, 2016|access-date=April 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513020831/http://www.hoodrivernews.com/news/2016/jan/06/self-serve-gas-legal-rural-oregon/|archive-date=May 13, 2016|url-status=live}}

File:NEC train 3967 passing through Rahway station, June 2007.jpg train on the Northeast Corridor in Rahway]]

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is one of the busiest airports in the United States. Operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, it is one of the three main airports serving the New York metropolitan area, along with John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, which are both in Queens, New York. United Airlines is the airport's largest tenant, operating an entire terminal (Terminal C) there, which it uses as one of its primary hubs. FedEx Express operates a large cargo terminal at EWR as well. The adjacent Newark Airport railroad station provides access to Amtrak and NJ Transit trains along the Northeast Corridor Line.

Two smaller commercial airports, Atlantic City International Airport and rapidly growing Trenton-Mercer Airport, also operate in other parts of the state. Teterboro Airport in Bergen County and Millville Municipal Airport in Cumberland County are general aviation airports popular with private and corporate aircraft due to their proximity to New York City and the Jersey Shore, respectively.

{{Main|NJ Transit}}

{{Further|New Jersey Transit Bus Operations|New Jersey Transit Rail Operations|Port Authority Trans-Hudson|PATCO Speedline|List of New Jersey railroads}}

File:Hudson bergen exchange place.jpg trains in Jersey City]]

File:MVCapeHenlopen.jpg connects New Jersey and Delaware across Delaware Bay.]]

NJ Transit operates extensive rail and bus service throughout the state. A state-run corporation, it began with the consolidation of several private bus companies in North Jersey in 1979. In the early 1980s, it acquired Conrail's commuter train operations that connected suburban towns to New York City. NJ Transit has 12 rail lines that run through different parts of the state and 165 stations statewide.{{Cite web |title=NJT Facts at a Glance |url=https://www.njtransit.com/about/facts-glance |access-date=December 18, 2023 |archive-date=May 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516055259/https://www.njtransit.com/about/facts-glance |url-status=live }} Most of the lines end at either Penn Station in New York City or Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, although some lines serve service to both terminal stations. One line provides service between Atlantic City and Philadelphia.

NJ Transit also operates three light rail systems in the state. The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail connects Bayonne to North Bergen, through Hoboken and Jersey City. The Newark Light Rail is partially underground, and connects downtown Newark with other parts of the city and its suburbs, Belleville and Bloomfield. The River Line connects Trenton and Camden.

The PATH is a rapid transit system consisting of four lines operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. It links Hoboken, Jersey City, Harrison, and Newark with New York City. The PATCO Speedline is a rapid transit system that links Camden County to Philadelphia. Both the PATCO and the PATH are two of only five rapid transit systems in the United States to operate 24 hours a day.

Amtrak operates numerous long-distance passenger trains in New Jersey, both to and from neighboring states and around the country. In addition to the Newark Airport connection, other major Amtrak railway stations include Trenton Transit Center, Metropark, and the historic Newark Penn Station.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA, has two commuter rail lines that operate into New Jersey. The Trenton Line terminates at the Trenton Transit Center, and the West Trenton Line terminates at the West Trenton Rail Station in Ewing.

AirTrain Newark is a monorail connecting the Amtrak/NJ Transit station on the Northeast Corridor to the airport's terminals and parking lots.

Some private bus carriers still remain in New Jersey. Most of these carriers operate with state funding to offset losses and state owned buses are provided to these carriers, of which Coach USA companies make up the bulk. Other carriers include private charter and tour bus operators that take gamblers from other parts of New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia, and Delaware to the casino resorts of Atlantic City.

New York Waterway has ferry terminals at Belford, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, and Edgewater, with service to different parts of Manhattan. Liberty Water Taxi in Jersey City has ferries from Paulus Hook and Liberty State Park to Battery Park City in Manhattan. Statue Cruises offers service from Liberty State Park to the Statue of Liberty National Monument, including Ellis Island. SeaStreak offers services from the Raritan Bayshore to Manhattan, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket.

The Delaware River and Bay Authority operates the Cape May–Lewes Ferry on Delaware Bay, carrying both passengers and vehicles between New Jersey and Delaware as part of US 9. The agency also operates the Forts Ferry Crossing for passengers across the Delaware River. The Delaware River Port Authority operates the RiverLink Ferry between the Camden waterfront and Penn's Landing in Philadelphia.

File:GatewayVueNB.jpg, nicknamed the Hub city and the Healthcare City, is a focus city for academia, healthcare, and culture in New Jersey.]]

File:A 50's Style Diner.jpg in Orange]]

New Jersey has continued to play a prominent role as a U.S. cultural nexus. Like every state, New Jersey has its own cuisine, religious communities, museums, and halls of fame.

New Jersey is the birthplace of many modern inventions, including FM radio, the motion picture camera, the lithium battery, the light bulb, transistors, and the electric train. Other New Jersey creations include: the drive-in movie, the cultivated blueberry, cranberry sauce, the boardwalk, the zipper, the phonograph, saltwater taffy, the dirigible, the seedless watermelon,{{cite web |url=http://www.njinvent.njit.edu/1992/pioneer_inductees_1992/andrews.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901073622/http://www.njinvent.njit.edu/1992/pioneer_inductees_1992/andrews.html |archive-date=September 1, 2006 |title=New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame |publisher=Njinvent.njit.edu |access-date=July 25, 2010 |url-status=dead }} the first use of a submarine in warfare, and the ice cream cone.{{cite news|title=His Cones 'Original'|volume=20|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1798&dat=19711019&id=EPgeAAAAIBAJ&pg=6103,3154999|access-date=June 11, 2014|issue=130|work=Sarasota Journal|date=November 19, 1971|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101085836/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1798&dat=19711019&id=EPgeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HY0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6103,3154999|archive-date=January 1, 2016|url-status=live}}

Diners are iconic to New Jersey. The state is home to many diner manufacturers and has over 600 diners, more than any other place in the world.{{cite web|url=http://www.50states.com/facts/newjerse.htm|title=New Jersey Facts and Trivia|publisher=50states.com|access-date=July 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130164102/http://www.50states.com/facts/newjerse.htm|archive-date=November 30, 2010|url-status=dead}}

New Jersey is the only state to have never had a state song;Walker, Tamara. [https://www.app.com/story/news/local/2023/04/03/here-are-some-of-njs-weirdest-official-state-symbols/70046650007/ "State microbe? Here are some of NJ's most bizarre official state symbols"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715014108/https://www.app.com/story/news/local/2023/04/03/here-are-some-of-njs-weirdest-official-state-symbols/70046650007/ |date=July 15, 2023 }}, Asbury Park Press, April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023. "There are more symbols but one New Jersey lacks is more surprising. New Jersey is the only state without a state song." as of 2021, it is one of only two states (the other being Maryland{{cite news |url=https://www.wjla.com/news/local/on-bill-signing-day-hogan-officially-legalizes-sports-betting-repeals-state-song |title=On bill-signing day, Hogan officially legalizes sports betting, repeals state song |date=May 18, 2021 |publisher=WJLA-TV |agency=Associated Press |access-date=September 24, 2023 |archive-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127184036/https://wjla.com/news/local/on-bill-signing-day-hogan-officially-legalizes-sports-betting-repeals-state-song |url-status=live }}) that are currently without a state song. "I'm From New Jersey" is incorrectly listed on many websites as being the New Jersey state song, but it was not even a contender when the New Jersey Arts Council submitted state song suggestions to the New Jersey Legislature in 1996.{{cite web|url=http://www.aboutnewjersey.com/editorials/stateSong_3_15_04.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811193314/http://www.aboutnewjersey.com/editorials/stateSong_3_15_04.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 11, 2007|title=The History of the New Jersey State Song?|publisher=Aboutnewjersey.com|access-date=July 25, 2010}}

New Jersey is frequently the target of jokes in American culture,{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-does-new-jersey-get-no-respect/|title=Why does New Jersey get no respect?|author=|publisher=CBS News|date=January 16, 2011|access-date=April 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417151930/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-does-new-jersey-get-no-respect/|archive-date=April 17, 2016|url-status=live}} especially from New York City-based television shows, such as Saturday Night Live.{{cite book |last1=Rockland |first1=Michael Aaron |author1-link=Michael Aaron Rockland |editor1-last=Lurie |editor1-first=Maxine N. |editor2-last=Mappen |editor2-first=Marc |title=Encyclopedia of New Jersey |publisher=Rutgers University Press |location=New Brunswick |isbn=9780813533254 |pages=401–402 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_r9Ni6_u0JEC&pg=PA402 |chapter=Image |year=2004 |access-date=March 19, 2023 |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405185916/https://books.google.com/books?id=_r9Ni6_u0JEC&pg=PA402 |url-status=live }} Academic Michael Aaron Rockland attributes this to New Yorkers' view that New Jersey is the beginning of Middle America. The New Jersey Turnpike, which runs between two major East Coast cities, New York City and Philadelphia, is also cited as a reason, as people who traverse through the state may only see its industrial zones.{{cite news|url=http://www.nj.com/washington-township-times/index.ssf/2014/07/the_jersey_joke_rutgers_profes.html|title=The Jersey Joke: Rutgers professor recounts long history of New Jersey as a punchline|last=Caffrey|first=Michelle|work=South Jersey Times|date=July 8, 2014|access-date=April 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424205702/http://www.nj.com/washington-township-times/index.ssf/2014/07/the_jersey_joke_rutgers_profes.html|archive-date=April 24, 2016|url-status=live}} Reality television shows like Jersey Shore and The Real Housewives of New Jersey have reinforced stereotypical views of New Jersey culture,{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/2010-07-27/news/24969876_1_real-housewives-new-jersey-turnpike-new-jerseyans|title='Jersey Doesn't Stink' website defends state|last=Whelan|first=Aubrey|website=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=July 27, 2010|access-date=April 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422174238/http://articles.philly.com/2010-07-27/news/24969876_1_real-housewives-new-jersey-turnpike-new-jerseyans|archive-date=April 22, 2016|url-status=dead}} but Rockland cited The Sopranos and the music of Bruce Springsteen as exporting a more positive image.

The "New" in "New Jersey" is often omitted in casual conversation.{{cite news|first=William|last=Safire|author-link=William Safire|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/30/magazine/on-language-jersey-s-vanishing-new.html|title=ON LANGUAGE; Jersey's Vanishing 'New'|work=The New York Times Magazine|date=July 30, 1995|access-date=June 8, 2024}}

{{main|Cuisine of New Jersey}}

New Jersey is known for several foods developed within the region, including Taylor Ham (also known as pork roll), sloppy joe sandwiches, tomato pies, salt water taffy, and Texas wieners. Just as New York City's cuisine has an influence on North Jersey, Philadelphia's cuisine influences South Jersey.

New Jersey's third-largest industry is food and agriculture just behind pharmaceuticals and tourism. New Jersey is one of the top 10 producers of blueberries, cranberries, peaches, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, apples, spinach, squash, and asparagus in the United States. Many restaurants in the state offer locally grown ingredients because of this.{{cite web |title=Department of Agriculture |url=https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/about/overview.html |website=NJ.GOV |access-date=January 25, 2022 |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113141649/https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/about/overview.html |url-status=live }}

Campbell's Soup Company has been headquartered in Camden since 1869.{{cite web|url=http://www.campbellsoupcompany.com/about-campbell/|title=About Us|website=Campbellsoupcompany.com|access-date=October 14, 2017|archive-date=March 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301192232/https://www.campbellsoupcompany.com/about-campbell/|url-status=live}} Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, operates a corporate headquarters in Jersey City.{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/goya-foods-opens-largest-corporate-headquarters-in-company-history-to-support-global-expansion-300068190.html|title=Goya Foods Opens Largest Corporate Headquarters in Company History to Support Global Expansion|access-date=October 14, 2017|archive-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125155935/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/goya-foods-opens-largest-corporate-headquarters-in-company-history-to-support-global-expansion-300068190.html|url-status=live}} Mars Wrigley Confectionery's US headquarters has been based in Hackettstown and Newark since 2007.{{Cite web |date=December 5, 2007 |title=Mars Wrigley to base U.S. Headquarters in Hackettstown & Newark, New Jersey; Global Headquarters Remain in Chicago |url=https://www.mars.com/news-and-stories/press-releases/hackettstown-us-base |website=Mars.com |access-date=February 4, 2023 |archive-date=February 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204121059/https://www.mars.com/news-and-stories/press-releases/hackettstown-us-base |url-status=live }}

Several states with substantial Italian American populations take credit for the development of submarine sandwiches, including New Jersey.{{cite web|url=http://www.verbatimmag.com/28_3.pdf|title=Vol. 28/3|access-date=November 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140123095147/http://www.verbatimmag.com/28_3.pdf|archive-date=January 23, 2014|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Music of New Jersey}}

New Jersey has long been an important origin for both rock and rap music. Prominent musicians from or with significant connections to New Jersey include:

• Singer Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken. He sang with a neighborhood vocal group, the Hoboken Four, and appeared in neighborhood theater amateur shows before he became an Academy Award-winning actor.
• Singer Whitney Houston was born in Newark, New Jersey. Houston began singing at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark as a child and became a background vocalist while in high school. She then became the best-selling New Jersey musician ever, having sold over 220 million records worldwide.
• Bruce Springsteen, who has sung of New Jersey life on most of his albums, is from Freehold. Some of his songs that represent New Jersey life are "Born to Run", "Spirit in the Night", "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)", "Thunder Road", "Atlantic City", and "Jungleland".
• Irvington's Queen Latifah was one of the first female rappers to succeed in music, film, and television.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tAM5n9JVhYwC&q=queen+latifah+irvington&pg=PA34|title=Queen Latifah|last=Ruth|first=Amy|date=2001|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|isbn=9780822549888|access-date=November 18, 2020|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220154024/https://books.google.com/books?id=tAM5n9JVhYwC&q=queen+latifah+irvington&pg=PA34|url-status=live}}
• Southside Johnny, eponymous leader of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes was raised in Ocean Grove. He is considered the "Grandfather of the New Jersey Sound"{{Cite news|url=http://www.whatsupmag.com/2018/12/03/184732/southside-johnny|title=Southside Johnny {{!}} What's Up Magazine|website=www.whatsupmag.com|date=December 2, 2018|access-date=December 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215225051/http://www.whatsupmag.com/2018/12/03/184732/southside-johnny|archive-date=December 15, 2018|url-status=live}} and is cited by Jersey-born Jon Bon Jovi as his reason for singing.{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/04/13/602128269/jon-bon-jovi-reflects-on-a-music-career-that-surpassed-his-wildest-dreams|title=Jon Bon Jovi Reflects On A Music Career That Surpassed His 'Wildest Dreams'|website=NPR.org|access-date=December 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917183223/https://www.npr.org/2018/04/13/602128269/jon-bon-jovi-reflects-on-a-music-career-that-surpassed-his-wildest-dreams|archive-date=September 17, 2018|url-status=live}}
• Jon Bon Jovi, from Sayreville, reached fame in the 1980s with hard rock outfit Bon Jovi. The band has also written many songs about life in New Jersey, including "Livin' On A Prayer",{{Cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2014/06/20/story-behind-song-livin-prayer/11103409/|title=Story Behind the Song: 'Livin on a Prayer'|website=The Tennessean|access-date=January 11, 2019|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220153322/https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2014/06/20/story-behind-song-livin-prayer/11103409/|url-status=live}} and named one of their albums after the state.
• Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan was born and raised in Newark. After singing in her church's choir as a child, she was sneaking into Newark nightclubs to sing and play piano by the time she was a teenager.{{cite book|last=Gourse|first=Leslie |title=Sassy: The Life Of Sarah Vaughan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kvImwPArpeYC|date=August 5, 2009|publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=978-0-7867-5114-3}}
• In 1964, the Isley Brothers founded the record label T-Neck Records, named after Teaneck, their home at the time.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-FOSAgAAQBAJ&q=T-Neck&pg=PA1053|title=Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound|last=Hoffmann|first=Frank|date=November 12, 2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135949501|access-date=November 18, 2020|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220154023/https://books.google.com/books?id=-FOSAgAAQBAJ&q=T-Neck&pg=PA1053|url-status=live}}
• The Broadway musical Jersey Boys is based on the lives of the members of the Four Seasons, three of whose members were born in New Jersey (Tommy DeVito, Frankie Valli, and Nick Massi) while a fourth, Bob Gaudio, was born in the Bronx but raised in Bergenfield.{{cite web |title=An original 'Jersey Boy' returns to Bergenfield |url=http://bergenfieldalumni.com/news-archive/Gaudio.shtml |first1=Eunnie |last1=Park |date=March 31, 2007 |website=Bergenfield HS Alumni |access-date=January 26, 2022 |archive-date=January 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126145033/http://bergenfieldalumni.com/news-archive/Gaudio.shtml |url-status=live }}

{{main|Sports in New Jersey}}

File:New Meadowlands Stadium Mezz Corner.jpg in East Rutherford, one of only two NFL stadiums shared by two teams, is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets.]]

New Jersey currently has six teams from major professional sports leagues playing in the state, although one Major League Soccer team and two National Football League teams identify themselves as being from the New York metropolitan area.

File:Pudcentnewarkjeh.JPG in Newark, home of the NHL's New Jersey Devils]]

The National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils, based in Newark at the Prudential Center, is the only major league sports franchise to bear the state's name. Founded in 1974 in Kansas City, Missouri, as the Kansas City Scouts, the team played in Denver, Colorado, as the Colorado Rockies from 1976 until the spring of 1982 when naval architect, businessman, and Jersey City native John J. McMullen purchased, renamed, and moved the franchise to Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford's Meadowlands Sports Complex. While the team was poor to mediocre in Kansas City, Denver, and its first years in New Jersey, qualifying for the playoffs once in the 13 seasons from 1974 to 1987, the Devils ultimately established themselves in late 1980s and early 1990s during the tenure of Hall of Fame president and general manager Lou Lamoriello. As of 2023, the Devils have appeared in 23 postseasons in 40 seasons in New Jersey, reaching five Stanley Cup Finals (most recently in 2012) and winning it in 1995, 2000, and 2003. The organization is the youngest of the nine "Big Four" major league teams based in New York metropolitan area, ultimately establishing its core following throughout the northern and central portions of the state and carving a place in a media market once dominated by the New York Rangers and Islanders which has the distinction of being the only metropolitan area in the country with three major league professional sports teams participating in the same sport.

In 2018, the Philadelphia Flyers renovated and expanded their training facility, the Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone, in Voorhees Township in the southern portion of the state.{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2018/02/22/virtua-flyers-training-facility-voorhees-remodeled.html |url-access=subscription |first1=John |last1=George |title=Check out the Flyers renovated & expanded South Jersey training facility|work=Philadelphia Business Journal|date=February 22, 2018|access-date=April 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225053737/https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2018/02/22/virtua-flyers-training-facility-voorhees-remodeled.html|archive-date=February 25, 2018|url-status=live}}

The New York metropolitan area's two National Football League teams, the New York Giants and the New York Jets, play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford's Meadowlands Sports Complex.{{Cite web |title=Official Website of MetLife Stadium, Home of Super Bowl 48, New York Giants and New York Jets |url=http://www.newmeadowlandsstadium.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221032534/http://www.newmeadowlandsstadium.com/ |archive-date=December 21, 2013 |access-date=June 14, 2010 |website=newmeadowlandsstadium.com }} Built for about $1.6 billion,{{cite news|first=Ken|last=Belson|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/sports/football/09stadium.html |url-access=subscription |work=The New York Times|title=New Stadium, a Football Palace, Opens Saturday With Lacrosse|date=April 8, 2010|access-date=March 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413043347/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/sports/football/09stadium.html|archive-date=April 13, 2010|url-status=live}} the venue is one of the most expensive stadiums ever built.{{cite web|url=http://www.totalprosports.com/2011/10/27/11-most-expensive-stadiums-in-the-world/|title=11 Most Expensive Stadiums In The World|publisher=Total Pro Sports|author=Esteban|date=October 27, 2011|access-date=September 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827201315/http://www.totalprosports.com/2011/10/27/11-most-expensive-stadiums-in-the-world/|archive-date=August 27, 2012|url-status=dead}} On February 2, 2014, MetLife Stadium hosted Super Bowl XLVIII.

The New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer play in Sports Illustrated Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium in Harrison across the Passaic River from downtown Newark. On July 27, 2011, Red Bull Arena hosted the 2011 MLS All-Star Game.{{cite news|title=Manchester United's 4–0 Romp Over MLS All-Stars More Proof U.S. Pro Soccer Not Up to Snuff|first=Filip|last=Bondy|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2011/07/28/2011-07-28_results_show_mls_lacks_solid_footing.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908224831/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2011/07/28/2011-07-28_results_show_mls_lacks_solid_footing.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 8, 2012|work=Daily News|location=New York|date=July 28, 2011|access-date=December 26, 2017}} New Jersey hosted matches during the 1994 FIFA World Cup at Giants Stadium and will be one of 16 cities to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, at MetLife Stadium, which will also host the tournament final.{{cite news |last=Sobko |first=Katie |date=February 6, 2024 |title=World Cup 2026: Murphy estimates $2B impact for NJ as funding questions linger |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2024/02/06/world-cup-2026-nj-financial-impact-gov-phil-murphy/72486312007/ |work=NorthJersey.com |accessdate=February 14, 2024 |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213101720/https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2024/02/06/world-cup-2026-nj-financial-impact-gov-phil-murphy/72486312007/ |url-status=live }}

From 1977 to 2012, New Jersey had a National Basketball Association team, the New Jersey Nets.{{cite book |last= Jozsa Jr.|first=Frank P. |author-link= |date= October 2014|title= National Basketball Association Strategies: Business Expansions, Relocations, and Mergers |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=H02qBAAAQBAJ |location= |publisher= Springer International Publishing|pages= 54–55|isbn= 9783319100586}} WNBA's New York Liberty played in New Jersey from 2011 to 2013 while their primary home arena, Madison Square Garden was undergoing renovations.{{cite web |url=https://nypost.com/2018/02/09/liberty-leaving-madison-square-garden-re-sign-two-free-agents/ |title=Liberty leaving Madison Square Garden, re-sign two free agents |website=New York Post |access-date=December 25, 2019 |date=February 10, 2018 |archive-date=December 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225121037/https://nypost.com/2018/02/09/liberty-leaving-madison-square-garden-re-sign-two-free-agents/ |url-status=live }} In 2016, the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA opened their new headquarters and training facility, the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex, in Camden.{{cite web|last1=Seltzer|first1=Brian|title=On the Beat: New Training Complex Brings Modern Feel, Promise|url=http://www.nba.com/sixers/beat-new-training-complex-brings-modern-feel-promise|publisher=National Basketball Association|access-date=January 31, 2018|date=September 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119061947/http://www.nba.com/sixers/beat-new-training-complex-brings-modern-feel-promise/|archive-date=November 19, 2017|url-status=live}}

The Meadowlands Sports Complex is home to the Meadowlands Racetrack, one of three major harness racing tracks in the state. The Meadowlands Racetrack and Freehold Raceway in Freehold are two of the major harness racing tracks in North America. Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport is a popular spot for thoroughbred racing in New Jersey and the northeast. It hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2007, and its turf course was renovated in preparation.

{{See also|List of college athletic programs in New Jersey}}

New Jerseyans' collegiate allegiances are predominantly split among the three major NCAA Division I programs in the state: the Rutgers University (New Jersey's flagship state university) Scarlet Knights, members of the Big Ten Conference; the Seton Hall University (the state's largest Catholic university) Pirates, members of the Big East Conference; and the Princeton University (the state's Ivy League university) Tigers.

The intense rivalry between Rutgers and Princeton athletics began with the first intercollegiate football game in 1869. The schools have not met on the football field since 1980, but they continue to play each other annually in all other sports offered by the two universities.

Rutgers, which fields 24 teams in various sports, is nationally known for its football program, with a 6–4 all-time bowl record; and its women's basketball programs, which appeared in a National Final in 2007. In 2008 and 2009, Rutgers expanded their football home, Rutgers Stadium, now called SHI Stadium, on the Busch Campus. The basketball teams play at the Rutgers Athletic Center on Livingston Campus. Both venues and campuses are in Piscataway, across the Raritan River from New Brunswick. The university also fields men's basketball and baseball programs. Rutgers' fans live mostly in the western parts of the state and Middlesex County; its alumni base is the largest in the state.

Rutgers' satellite campuses in Camden and Newark each field their own athletic programs—the Rutgers–Camden Scarlet Raptors and the Rutgers–Newark Scarlet Raiders—which both compete in NCAA Division III.

Seton Hall fields no football team, but its men's basketball team is one of the Big East's storied programs. No New Jersey team has won more games in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, and it is the state's only men's basketball program to reach a modern National Final. The Pirates play their home games at Prudential Center in downtown Newark, about {{Convert | 4 | mi | 0}} from the university's South Orange campus. Their fans hail largely from the predominantly Roman Catholic areas of the northern part of the state and the Jersey Shore. The annual inter-conference rivalry game between Seton Hall and Rutgers, whose venue alternates between Newark and Piscataway, the Garden State Hardwood Classic, is planned through 2026.{{cite web |url=https://www.app.com/story/sports/college/2018/04/30/rutgers-seton-hall-basketball-garden-state-hardwood-classic/563768002/ |title=Rutgers vs. Seton Hall basketball series formally extended |work=Ashbury Park Press |last=Carino |first=Jerry |date=April 30, 2018 |access-date=August 5, 2021 |archive-date=January 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129233047/https://www.app.com/story/sports/college/2018/04/30/rutgers-seton-hall-basketball-garden-state-hardwood-classic/563768002/ |url-status=live }}

The state's other Division I schools include the Monmouth University Hawks (West Long Branch), the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Highlanders (Newark), the Rider University Broncs (Lawrenceville), and the Saint Peter's University Peacocks and Peahens (Jersey City).

Fairleigh Dickinson University competes in both Division I and Division III. It has two campuses, each with its own sports teams. The teams at the Metropolitan Campus are known as the FDU Knights, and compete in the Northeast Conference and NCAA Division I. The college at Florham (FDU-Florham) teams are known as the FDU-Florham Devils and compete in the Middle Atlantic Conferences' Freedom Conference and NCAA Division III.

Among the various Division III schools in the state, the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks have fielded the longest continuously running collegiate men's lacrosse program in the country. 2009 marked the 125th season.

New Jersey high schools are divided into divisions under the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).{{cite web|url=http://www.njsiaa.org/|title=NJSIAA—New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association—NJSIAA|access-date=March 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525203826/http://www.njsiaa.org/|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=dead}}'[http://www.ihigh.com/NJ/ New Jersey High School News and Sports] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418224118/http://www.ihigh.com/NJ/ |date=April 18, 2009 }}. iHigh.com, Inc—The High School Internet Network. Retrieved January 26, 2011.

• Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
• Trenton Speedway
• Atlantic City Race Course
• Freehold Raceway
• Garden State Park Racetrack
• Monmouth Park Racetrack
• Meadowlands Sports Complex
• Meadowlands Arena
• Meadowlands Racetrack
• Meadowlands Grand Prix

{{main|Government of New Jersey}}

{{Further|Governor of New Jersey|Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey}}

{{multiple image

|align = right

|direction = horizontal

|caption_align = center

|image1 = Gov.Phil Murphy2022.jpg

|width1 = 175

|caption1 = Phil Murphy (D)
56th Governor
since January 16, 2018

|image2 = Tahesha Way.jpg

|width2 = 175

|caption2 = Tahesha Way (D)
3rd Lt. Governor
since September 8, 2023

}}

The position of Governor of New Jersey is one of the most powerful in the nation. The governor is elected on a ticket with their lieutenant governor as the only statewide elected executive officials in the state; the governor appoints the entire executive cabinet and judges of the Supreme and Superior Courts. Phil Murphy (D) is the governor. The governor's mansion is Drumthwacket, located in Princeton, Mercer County.

Before 2010, New Jersey was one of the few states without a lieutenant governor. Republican Kim Guadagno was elected the first lieutenant governor of New Jersey on the Republican ticket with Governor Chris Christie and took office on January 19, 2010. The position was created as the result of a Constitutional amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution passed by the voters in 2005. Previously a gubernatorial vacancy would be filled by the president of the New Jersey State Senate as acting governor, thus directing half of the legislative and all of the executive process.

{{Main|New Jersey Legislature}}

File:NJ Capitol.JPG in Trenton differs from most other U.S. state houses in not resembling the U.S. Capitol.]]

The current version of the New Jersey State Constitution was adopted in 1947. It provides for a bicameral New Jersey Legislature, consisting of an upper house Senate of 40 members and a lower house General Assembly of 80 members. Each of the 40 legislative districts elects one state senator and two Assembly members. Assembly members are elected for a two-year term in all odd-numbered years; state senators are elected in years ending in 1, 3, and{{nbsp}}7 and thus serve either four- or two-year terms.

New Jersey is one of only five states that elects its state officials in odd-numbered years (the others are Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Virginia). New Jersey holds elections for these offices every four years, in the year following each federal Presidential election year.

{{main|Judiciary of New Jersey}}

The New Jersey Supreme Court{{cite web|url=http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/supreme/index.htm|title=Supreme Court of New Jersey|publisher=Judiciary.state.nj.us|access-date=July 25, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216011351/http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/supreme/index.htm|archive-date=December 16, 2008}} consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. All are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of a majority of the membership of the state senate. Justices serve an initial seven-year term, after which they can be reappointed to serve until age 70.

Most of the day-to-day work in the New Jersey courts is carried out in the Municipal Court, where simple traffic tickets, minor criminal offenses, and small civil matters are heard.

More serious criminal and civil cases are handled by the Superior Court for each county. All Superior Court judges are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of a majority of the membership of the state senate. Each judge serves an initial seven-year term and can be reappointed to serve until age 70. New Jersey's judiciary is unusual in that it still has separate courts of law and equity, like its neighbor Delaware but unlike most other U.S. states. The New Jersey Superior Court is divided into Law and Chancery Divisions at the trial level; the Law Division hears both criminal cases and civil lawsuits where the plaintiff's primary remedy is damages, while the Chancery Division hears family cases, civil suits where the plaintiff's primary remedy is equitable relief, and probate trials.

The Superior Court also has an Appellate Division, which functions as the state's intermediate appellate court. Superior Court judges are assigned to the Appellate Division by the Chief Justice.

There is also a Tax Court, which is a court of limited jurisdiction. Tax Court judges hear appeals of tax decisions made by County Boards of Taxation. They also hear appeals on decisions made by the director of the Division of Taxation on such matters as state income, sales and business taxes, and homestead rebates. Appeals from Tax Court decisions are heard in the Appellate Division of Superior Court. Tax Court judges are appointed by the governor for initial terms of seven years, and upon reappointment are granted tenure until they reach the mandatory retirement age of 70. There are 12 Tax Court judgeships.

{{Further|List of New Jersey counties}}

New Jersey is divided into 21 counties; 13 date from the colonial era. New Jersey was completely divided into counties by 1692; the present counties were created by dividing the existing ones; most recently Union County in 1857.{{cite web |last1=Kent |first1=Spencer |title=How NJ's 21 counties got their names |url=https://www.nj.com/expo/news/g66l-2019/02/4a5f4485007948/how-njs-21-counties-got-their-names.html |website=The Star-Ledger |date=February 14, 2019 |access-date=February 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214233929/https://www.nj.com/expo/news/g66l-2019/02/4a5f4485007948/how-njs-21-counties-got-their-names.html |archive-date=February 14, 2019 |url-status=live }} New Jersey was formerly the only state in the nation where elected county officials were called freeholders. Elected county officials are now called county commissioners as of bill S855 signed by Governor Murphy on August 8, 2020. The county commissioners govern each county as part of its own Board of Chosen County Commissioners{{Cite web|title=Office of the Governor {{!}} Governor Murphy Signs Legislation to Eliminate the Title of "Freeholder" from Public Office|url=https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562020/20200821b.shtml|access-date=December 21, 2021|website=www.nj.gov|archive-date=December 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221021006/https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562020/20200821b.shtml|url-status=live}} The number of county commissioners in each county is determined by referendum, and must consist of three, five, seven or nine members.

Depending on the county, the executive and legislative functions may be performed by the Board of County Commissioners or split into separate branches of government. In 16 counties, the County Commissioners perform both legislative and executive functions on a commission basis, with each commissioner assigned responsibility for a department or group of departments. In the other five counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Mercer), there is a directly elected County Executive who performs the executive functions while the commissioners retain a legislative and oversight role. In counties without an Executive, a County Administrator (or County Manager) may be hired to perform day-to-day administration of county functions.Hill, Michael. [https://www.njspotlightnews.org/video/the-structure-and-role-of-county-government-in-new-jersey/ "The structure and role of county government in New Jersey"], NJ Spotlight News, February 25, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2022. "Atlantic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Mercer Counties have the freeholder-executive form. Union County's freeholders select a manager who can veto some of their actions. The other 15 counties have freeholders — 3 to 9 members depending on population. They appoint a chair or president, and the freeholders themselves take on the executive branch duties, such as running different departments." {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715014157/https://www.njspotlightnews.org/video/the-structure-and-role-of-county-government-in-new-jersey/ |date=July 15, 2023 }}.

{{Further|List of municipalities in New Jersey}}

New Jersey currently has 564 municipalities; the most recent dissolution of a municipality was when Pine Valley merged into Pine Hill on January 1, 2022. Unlike other states, all New Jersey land is part of a municipality. In 2008, Governor Jon Corzine proposed cutting state aid to all towns under 10,000 people, to encourage mergers to reduce administrative costs.{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90090911|title=Small Towns in N.J. Told to Merge or Face Cuts|newspaper=NPR.org|publisher=NPR|access-date=July 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127122835/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90090911|archive-date=January 27, 2010|url-status=live}} In May 2009, the Local Unit Alignment Reorganization and Consolidation Commission began a study of about 40 small communities in South Jersey to decide which ones might be good candidates for consolidation.[http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20090529_N_J__town_mergers_could_start_in_18_months.html "N.J. town mergers could start in 18 months"] by Jan Hefler, The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 29, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2009 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614182032/http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20090529_N_J__town_mergers_could_start_in_18_months.html |date=June 14, 2009 }}

{{NJmunigov}}

Starting in the 20th century, largely driven by reform-minded goals, a series of six modern forms of government was implemented. This began with the Walsh Act, enacted in 1911 by the New Jersey Legislature, which provided for a three- or five-member commission elected on a non-partisan basis. This was followed by the 1923 Municipal Manager Law, which offered a non-partisan council, provided for a weak mayor elected by and from the members of the council, and introduced a Council-manager government structure with an appointed manager responsible for the day-to-day administration of municipal affairs.

The Faulkner Act, originally enacted in 1950 and substantially amended in 1981, offers four basic plans: Mayor-Council, Council-Manager, Small Municipality, and Mayor-Council-Administrator. The act provides many choices for communities with a preference for a strong executive and professional management of municipal affairs and offers great flexibility in allowing municipalities to select the characteristics of its government: the number of seats on the council; seats selected at-large, by wards, or through a combination of both; staggered or concurrent terms of office; and a mayor chosen by the council or elected directly by voters. Most large municipalities and a majority of New Jersey's residents are governed by municipalities with Faulkner Act charters. Municipalities can also formulate their own unique form of government and operate under a Special Charter with the approval of the New Jersey Legislature.Cerra, Michael F. [https://www.njlm.org/809/3982/Forms-of-Govt-Magazine-Article "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716084544/https://www.njlm.org/809/3982/Forms-of-Govt-Magazine-Article |date=July 16, 2022 }}, New Jersey State League of Municipalities, March 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2022.

While municipalities retain their names derived from types of government, they may have changed to one of the modern forms of government, or further in the past to one of the other traditional forms, leading to municipalities with formal names quite baffling to the general public. For example, though there are four municipalities that are officially of the village type, none use the village form of government. Loch Arbour and Ridgefield Park (now with a Walsh Act form), Ridgewood (now with a Faulkner Act Council-Manager charter) and South Orange (now operates under a Special Charter) all migrated to other non-village forms.Liberman, Si. [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/10/nyregion/loch-arbour-journal-to-educate-its-children-a-village-pays-and-pays.html "Loch Arbour Journal; To Educate Its Children, a Village Pays and Pays"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715155014/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/10/nyregion/loch-arbour-journal-to-educate-its-children-a-village-pays-and-pays.html |date=July 15, 2022 }}, The New York Times, October 10, 1993. Retrieved July 15, 2022. "These concerns led to approval of a referendum that created what today is New Jersey's only municipality organized as a village. (South Orange, Ridgewood and Ridgefield Park call themselves villages, but have different municipal governments.)"Shields, Nancy. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98717297/loch-arbour-changes-from-village-form/ "Loch Arbour to change government; staying village for now; Will switch from five-member board of trustees to three-member board of commissioners"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208010738/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98717297/loch-arbour-changes-from-village-form/ |date=February 8, 2023 }}, Asbury Park Press, December 21, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Village residents Tuesday voted 51–35 to change its form of government from a five-member board of trustees to a three-member board of commissioners. The vote in the special election means that Loch Arbour is still a village, at least for now, but the town will have three commissioners elected at the same time every four years.... The special election to change the form of government under the Walsh Act is part of a number of steps being taken in search of an answer to a very high school-tax bill, which residents were forced to take on after the state in 2008 ended a special financial deal the village worked out with Ocean Township a decade ago to keep school taxes low."

{{Main|Politics of New Jersey}}

{{See also|LGBT rights in New Jersey|Gun laws in New Jersey}}

Socially, New Jersey is considered one of the more liberal states in the nation. Polls indicate that 60% of the population are self-described as pro-choice, although a majority are opposed to late trimester and intact dilation and extraction and public funding of abortion.{{cite web|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/17086/poll-says-majority-of-americans-opposed-to-abortion-funding-in-health-care-bill|title=Poll says majority of Americans opposed to abortion funding in health care bill :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)|agency=Catholic News Agency|access-date=July 25, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2005/50StateAbortion0805SortedbyState.htm|title=SurveyUSA Pro-Life vs. Pro Choice Sorted by State|publisher=Surveyusa.com|access-date=July 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106172717/http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2005/50StateAbortion0805SortedbyState.htm|archive-date=January 6, 2011|url-status=live}} As of 2022, all aspects of reproductive choice (including abortion) are protected by law.[https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2020/AL21/375_.PDF Text of the reproductive choice law passed by NJ in 2022] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217182445/https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2020/AL21/375_.PDF |date=December 17, 2022 }}, from the state of NJ website, last access September 12, 2022

In a 2009 Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll, a plurality supported same-sex marriage 49% to 43% opposed.{{cite web|url=http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6776022&rss=rss-wpvi-article-6776022|title=Poll: NJ voters support gay marriage|publisher=Abclocal.go.com|date=April 23, 2009|access-date=January 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604043330/http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=6776022&rss=rss-wpvi-article-6776022|archive-date=June 4, 2011|url-status=dead}} On October 18, 2013, the New Jersey Supreme Court rendered a provisional, unanimous (7–0) order authorizing same-sex marriage in the state, pending a legal appeal by Governor Chris Christie,{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/10/nj_supreme_court_gay_marriage_christie.html|title=Same-sex weddings can begin pending appeal, N.J. Supreme Court rules|author=Salvador Rizzo|publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC|date=October 18, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018204614/http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/10/nj_supreme_court_gay_marriage_christie.html|archive-date=October 18, 2013|url-status=live}} who then withdrew this appeal hours after the inaugural same-sex marriages took place on October 21, 2013.{{cite web |author1=Melissa Hayes |author2=Kibret Markos |author3=Chris Harris |author4=Scott Fallon |date=October 21, 2013 |title=Christie drops appeal of ruling allowing gay marriage in NJ |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/state/Christie_administration_withdraws_appeal_of_ruling_allowing_gay_marriage_in_NJ.html?page=all |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209185716/http://www.northjersey.com/news/state/Christie_administration_withdraws_appeal_of_ruling_allowing_gay_marriage_in_NJ.html?page=all |archive-date=February 9, 2014 |access-date=October 21, 2013}}

New Jersey also has some of the most stringent gun control laws in the U.S. These include bans on assault firearms, hollow-nose bullets and slingshots. No gun offense in New Jersey is graded less than a felony. BB guns and black-powder guns are all treated as modern firearms. New Jersey does not recognize out-of-state gun licenses and aggressively enforces its own gun laws.[http://www.nraila.org/statelawpdfs/NJSL.pdf NRAILA.org] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210170131/http://www.nraila.org/statelawpdfs/NJSL.pdf |date=December 10, 2011 }}

In 2020, the state's voting population passed a public question[https://ballotpedia.org/New_Jersey_Public_Question_1,_Marijuana_Legalization_Amendment_(2020) New Jersey Public Question 1, Marijuana Legalization Amendment (2020)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227153849/https://ballotpedia.org/New_Jersey_Public_Question_1,_Marijuana_Legalization_Amendment_(2020) |date=February 27, 2024 }} on Ballotpedia.org, last access February 26, 2024. that amended the state constitution to legalize marijuana and erase past legal convictions for possession. The measure passed by a two-thirds vote. At the time the measure was enacted, about a dozen other U.S. states had also legalized the sale and possession of marijuana. As of 2024, local governments and municipalities are still in the process of regulating marijuana-related businesses within their jurisdictions.

{{Main|Elections in New Jersey}}

{{See also|Political party strength in New Jersey}}{{multiple image

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New Jersey is a Democratic stronghold. New Jersey Democrats have majority control of both houses of the New Jersey Legislature (Senate, 24–16, and Assembly, 46–34), 9–3 split of the state's twelve seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and both U.S. Senate seats. There have been recent Republican governors, however: Christine Todd Whitman won election in 1993 and 1997 and Chris Christie in 2009 and 2013.

In federal elections, the state leans heavily towards the Democratic Party, having last voted for a Republican for president in 1988. New Jersey was a crucial swing state in the elections of 1960, 1968, and 1992. The last elected Republican to hold a Senate seat from New Jersey was Clifford P. Case in 1979. Newark Mayor Cory Booker was elected in October 2013 to join Robert Menendez to make New Jersey the first state with concurrently serving black and Latino U.S. senators.{{cite news|url=http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/10/booker_and_menendez_form_historic_duo_as_first_black_and_latino_senators_from_the_same_state.html|title=Booker and Menendez form historic duo as first black and Latino senators from the same state|author=David Giambusso|newspaper=The Star-Ledger|date=October 20, 2013|access-date=October 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021101504/http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/10/booker_and_menendez_form_historic_duo_as_first_black_and_latino_senators_from_the_same_state.html|archive-date=October 21, 2013|url-status=live}}

File:New Jersey Presidential Election Results 2024.svg by county in New Jersey {{leftlegend|#4389E3|Democratic}}{{leftlegend|#AA0000|Republican}}]]

The state's Democratic strongholds include Camden County, Essex County (the state's most Democratic county—it includes Newark, the state's largest city), Hudson County (the second-strongest Democratic county, including Jersey City, the state's second-largest city); Mercer County (especially around Trenton and Princeton), Middlesex County, and Union County (including Elizabeth, the state's fourth-largest city).{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/05/republican_vs_democratic_which_political_party_dom.html|title=Your neighbors lean red or blue? How many Republicans and Democrats are in all 21 counties|date=May 28, 2017|access-date=May 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170528133622/http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/05/republican_vs_democratic_which_political_party_dom.html|archive-date=May 28, 2017|url-status=live}} Other suburban counties, especially Bergen County and Burlington County, had the majority of votes go to the Democratic Party.

The northwestern and southeastern counties of the state are reliably Republican: Republicans have support along the coast in Ocean County and Cape May County as well as in the mountainous northwestern part of the state, especially in Hunterdon County, Sussex County, and Warren County.

To be eligible to vote in a U.S. election, all New Jerseyans are required to start their residency in the state 30 days prior to an election and register 21 days prior to election day.{{cite web|url=http://www.njelections.org/voting-information.html|title=New Jersey Department of State—Division of Elections|access-date=March 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326035037/http://www.njelections.org/voting-information.html|archive-date=March 26, 2017|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Capital punishment in New Jersey}}

On December 17, 2007, Governor Jon Corzine signed into law a bill that would eliminate the death penalty in New Jersey. New Jersey was the first state to pass such legislation since Iowa and West Virginia eliminated executions in 1965.Hester Jr., Tom (2007), [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna22296966 "N.J. Bans Death Penalty"], Associated Press Corzine also signed a bill that would downgrade the Death Row prisoners' sentences from "Death" to "Life in Prison with No Parole".Peters, Jeremy W. "[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/nyregion/18death.html?pagewanted=print Corzine Signs Bill Ending Executions, Then Commutes Sentences of Eight]".{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701054225/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/nyregion/18death.html?pagewanted=print |date=July 1, 2017 }} The New York Times. December 18, 2007. Retrieved December 25, 2009.

File:Atlantic City Boardwalk view north from Caesars Atlantic City by Silveira Neto June 24 2012.jpg boardwalk seen from Caesars Atlantic City, which opened in 1870 as the world's first boardwalk{{cite web|url=https://visitnj.org/atlantic-city-boardwalk|title=Atlantic City Boardwalk|date=January 31, 2014 |publisher=State of New Jersey|access-date=August 18, 2023}} At {{Convert|5+1/2|mi|km}} long, it is also the world's longest and busiest boardwalk.{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/politics/2023/08/nj-s-aging-boardwalks-to-get-a-100m-facelift.html|title=N.J.'s aging boardwalks to get a $100M facelift|author=Derek Hall|publisher=NJ Advance Media|date=August 15, 2023|access-date=August 15, 2023}} New Jersey is home to the world's highest concentration of boardwalks.|alt=People walking along a wide pathway near the ocean on a sunny day]]

Many communities along the Jersey Shore have a boardwalk with various attractions, entertainment, shopping, dining, arcades, water parks, and amusement parks. The Atlantic City boardwalk, opened in 1870, as the world's first boardwalk. At {{Convert|5+1/2|mi|km}} long, it is also the world's longest and busiest boardwalk.

{{See also|List of museums in New Jersey}}

{{See also|List of National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey|List of New Jersey state parks}}

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Crossroads of the American Revolution
• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
• Gateway National Recreation Area
• Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River
• Morristown National Historical Park
• New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve
• Patterson Great Falls National Historical Park
• Statue of Liberty National Monument (with Ellis Island)
• Thomas Edison National Historical Park
• Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/state/nj/list.htm|title=New Jersey—List View|author=National Park Service|access-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323112854/https://www.nps.gov/state/nj/list.htm|archive-date=March 23, 2019|url-status=live}}

Visitors and residents take advantage of and contribute to performances at the numerous music, theater, and dance companies and venues located throughout the state, including:

{{Wide image|SFGadv Skyline.jpg|1200px|The skyline of Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township in Ocean County, the world's largest theme park as of 2013{{cite web|url=http://njtoday.net/2012/08/30/six-flags-great-adventure-to-become-the-worlds-largest-theme-park-in-2013|publisher=2012 njtoday.net—Everything New Jersey. All Rights Reserved|access-date=September 2, 2012|date=August 30, 2012|title=Six Flags Great Adventure To Become The World's Largest Theme Park in 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117072847/http://njtoday.net/2012/08/30/six-flags-great-adventure-to-become-the-worlds-largest-theme-park-in-2013/|archive-date=January 17, 2013|url-status=dead}} To the far left is Kingda Ka, the world's tallest roller coaster until its closure in 2024.{{cite web |last=Williams |first=Damon C. |date=November 12, 2024 |title=Did Six Flags Great Adventure shut down Kingda Ka? |url=https://www.app.com/story/news/2024/11/12/did-six-flags-great-adventure-shut-down-kingda-ka-rollerscoaster/76216416007/ |access-date=November 17, 2024 |website=Asbury Park Press NJ}}{{Cite news |date=2024-11-14 |title=Six Flags Great Adventure announces end of Kingda Ka to make way for new 'record-breaking' coaster |work=NBC New York |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-jersey/six-flags-great-adventure-kingda-ka-twister-green-lantern/5984538/ |access-date=2024-11-14}}|center}}

{{portal|New Jersey|United States}}

• Index of New Jersey–related articles
• List of people from New Jersey
• Outline of New Jersey
• COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey

{{notelist}}

{{reflist|group=note}}

{{reflist}}

{{Sister project links|voy=New Jersey}}

• [https://www.nj.gov/ Official New Jersey state web site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218230349/https://www.nj.gov/ |date=February 18, 2021 }}
• [https://visitnj.org/ New Jersey travel and tourism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206014617/https://www.visitnj.org/ |date=December 6, 2019 }} information from the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080515221624/http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/New_Jersey New Jersey State Databases]—annotated list of searchable databases produced by New Jersey state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110114163158/http://www.njslom.org/types.html Descriptions of NJ forms of government] (township, borough, etc.) from State League of Municipalities

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080507034707/http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=NJ Energy Data & Statistics for New Jersey]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070821165759/https://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=NJ USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of New Jersey]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20131031213659/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/34000.html US Census Bureau]
• [http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=34&StateName=New%20Jersey USDA New Jersey State Facts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810153742/http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=34&StateName=New%20Jersey |date=August 10, 2014 }}

• [https://www.njdigitalhighway.org/ The New Jersey Digital Highway, the statewide cultural heritage portal to digital collections from the state's archives, libraries and museums] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213192039/https://njdigitalhighway.org/ |date=February 13, 2021 }}
• {{OSM relation|224951}}
• [https://guides.loc.gov/new-jersey-state-guide New Jersey: State Resource Guide, from the Library of Congress] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213180155/https://guides.loc.gov/new-jersey-state-guide |date=December 13, 2021 }}

{{New Jersey|expanded}}

{{Northeast US}}

{{Thirteen Colonies}}

{{United States political divisions}}

{{Authority control}}

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Category:1787 establishments in New Jersey

Category:Mid-Atlantic states

Category:Northeastern United States

Category:States and territories established in 1787

Category:States of the East Coast of the United States

Category:States of the United States

Category:Contiguous United States