New Jersey

This article is about the U.S. state. For other uses, see New Jersey (disambiguation).
"NJ" redirects here. For other uses, see NJ (disambiguation).

New Jersey
State
The flag shows the state's coat of arms in a yellow background
Flag
The seal shows a shield with three plows, a gold helmet facing forward, a horse on top looking left, and two female figures, Liberty on the left and Ceres on the right. Liberty is holding a staff with the Phrygian cap on the right hand while Ceres holds a cornucopia overflowing with various fruits with one of the hands of both figures touching the shield. At the bottom, the state's motto, "Liberty and Prosperity" and the year, 1776. Outside of the coat of arms, the words "The Great Seal of the State of New Jersey" is printed circling around a circle border.
Seal
Nickname: 
The Garden State[1]
Motto(s): 
Liberty and prosperity
Map of the United States with New Jersey highlighted
Map of the United States with New Jersey highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodProvince of New Jersey
Admitted to the UnionDecember 18, 1787 (3rd)
CapitalTrenton
Largest cityNewark
Largest county or equivalentBergen
Largest metro and urban areasNew York
Government
 • GovernorPhil Murphy (D)
 • Lieutenant governorTahesha Way (D)
LegislatureNew Jersey Legislature
 • Upper houseSenate
 • Lower houseGeneral Assembly
JudiciarySupreme Court of New Jersey
U.S. senatorsCory Booker (D)
George Helmy (D)
U.S. House delegation8 Democrats
3 Republicans
1 vacant (list)
Area
 • Total8,722.58 sq mi (22,591.38 km2)
 • Land7,354.22[2] sq mi (19,047.34 km2)
 • Water1,368.36 sq mi (3,544.04 km2)  15.7%
 • Rank47th
Dimensions
 • Length170 mi (273 km)
 • Width70 mi (112 km)
Elevation
250 ft (80 m)
Highest elevation
(High Point[3][a])
1,803 ft (549.6 m)
Lowest elevation
(Atlantic Ocean[3])
0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (2020[5][6])
 • Total9,288,994
 • Rank11th
 • Density1,263.0/sq mi (487.6/km2)
  • Rank1st
 • Median household income
$97,126 in 2022[4]
 • Income rank
3rd
Demonym(s)New Jerseyan (official),[7] New Jerseyite[8][9]
Language
 • Official languageNone
 • Spoken language
Time zoneUTC– 05:00 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC– 04:00 (EDT)
USPS abbreviation
NJ
ISO 3166 codeUS-NJ
Traditional abbreviationN.J.
Latitude38°56′ N to 41°21′ N
Longitude73°54′ W to 75°34′ W
Websitenj.gov

New Jersey is a state in both the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is the most densely populated state and at the center of the Northeast megalopolis. New Jersey is bordered to the northeast by New York state; on its east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on its west by the Delaware River and Pennsylvania; and on its southwest by Delaware Bay and Delaware. At 7,354 square miles (19,050 km2), New Jersey is the fifth-smallest state in land area, but with close to 9.3 million residents as of the 2020 United States census, it ranks 11th in population. The state capital is Trenton, and the state's most populous city is Newark. New Jersey is the only U.S. state in which every county is deemed urban by the U.S. Census Bureau.

New Jersey was first inhabited by Paleo-Indians as early as 13,000 B.C.E. The Lenape were the dominant Indigenous group when Europeans arrived in the early 17th century, and they were subdivived into dialectal groups such as the Munsee, in the north, and the Unami and the Unalachtigo, elsewhere.[10][11] Dutch and Swedish colonists founded the first European settlements in the state,[12] with the British later seizing control of the region and establishing the Province of New Jersey, named after Jersey.[13][14] The colony's fertile lands and relative religious tolerance drew a large and diverse population. New Jersey was among the Thirteen Colonies that supported the American Revolution, hosting several pivotal battles and military commands in the American Revolutionary War. New Jersey remained in the Union during the American Civil War and provided troops, resources, and military leaders in support of the Union Army. After the war, the state emerged as a major manufacturing center and a leading destination for immigrants, helping drive the Industrial Revolution in the U.S. New Jersey was the site of many industrial, technological, and commercial innovations.[15] Many prominent Americans associated with New Jersey have proven influential nationally and globally, including in academia, advocacy, business, entertainment, government, military, non-profit leadership, and other fields.

New Jersey's central location in the Northeast megalopolis helped fuel its rapid growth and suburbanization in the second half of the 20th century. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the state's economy has become highly diversified, with major sectors including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, information technology, finance, and tourism, and it has become an Atlantic seaboard epicenter for logistics and distribution. New Jersey remains a major destination for immigrants and is home to one of the world's most multicultural populations.[16][17] Echoing historical trends, the state has increasingly re-urbanized, with growth in cities outpacing suburbs since 2008.[18]

New Jersey is one of the most educated, affluent, healthy, diverse and highly developed states in the U.S., ranking it high in several quality of life metrics.[19] As of 2022, New Jersey had the highest annual median household income, at $96,346, of all 50 states.[20] Almost one-tenth of all households in the state, or over 323,000, are millionaires, the highest representation of millionaires among all states.[21] New Jersey's public school system consistently ranks at or among the top of all U.S. states.[22][23][24][25] In 2024, New Jersey was ranked as having the second-healthiest population overall.[26] New Jersey was ranked as the fourth most diverse state in 2024.[27] New Jersey ranks near the top on both the American Human Development Index and the standard Human Development Index. According to climatology research by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, New Jersey has been the fastest-warming state by average air temperature over a 100-year period beginning in the early 20th century, which has been attributed to warming of the North Atlantic Ocean.[28]

  1. ^ The Garden State and Other New Jersey State Nicknames Archived September 2, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Robert Lupp, New Jersey Reference Services, New Jersey State Library, October 12, 1994.
  2. ^ "New Jersey". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on October 31, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  4. ^ "Quickfacts New Jersey". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  5. ^ "QuickFacts New Jersey". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  6. ^ "2020 Census Apportionment Results". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  7. ^ "GPO Style Manual 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 21, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  8. ^ "New Jersey—Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary". Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  9. ^ "Definition of New Jerseyite". Dictionary.reference.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  10. ^ "New Jersey Indian Tribes and Languages". www.native-languages.org. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Swanton, John Reed. The Indian Tribes of North America. pp. 48–55.
  12. ^ "NJ History Outline". USGenNet. Archived from the original on April 30, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  13. ^ "New Jersey". MSN Encarta. Archived from the original on October 29, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2010 – via Webcitation.org.
  14. ^ "Encyclopedia—New Jersey History". 2000–2011 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  15. ^ Mansnerus, Laura (September 26, 1999). "New Jersey's Cities: Sad Urban Presence Encircled by Wealth". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  16. ^ Sheingold, Dave (March 24, 2016). "Bergen County leads population growth trend, halts flow to other parts of N.J". northjersey.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  17. ^ Lynn, Kathleen (October 25, 2015). "What's the future for suburban office space?". northjersey.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  18. ^ Maag, Chrispher (April 15, 2016). "Population rebounds around train stations in N.J". northjersey.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  19. ^ "These are America's best states for quality of life in 2024". CNBC.com. July 13, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  20. ^ Katie Kausch (September 14, 2023). "N.J. ranks highest in U.S. for household income. See new Census list". NJ Advance Media. Archived from the original on September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  21. ^ Burrows, Dan. "Millionaires in America 2020: All 50 States Ranked How many millionaires are in America and where do they live? The states with the highest number of millionaire households just might surprise you." Archived January 28, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, Kiplinger, May 28, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020. "Millionaire households: 323,443 Total households: 3,312,916 Concentration of millionaires: 9.76%... For the second year in a row, New Jersey is the top spot for millionaires per capita in the U.S. Like Connecticut, New Jersey has a high concentration of millionaires largely thanks to its proximity to New York City."
  22. ^ Heyboer, Kelly (September 2, 2020). "N.J. has the best public schools in the nation – again, ranking says". New Jersey On-Line LLC. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  23. ^ Heyboer, Kelly (September 4, 2019). "N.J. has the No. 1 public schools in the nation, ranking says". New Jersey On-Line LLC. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  24. ^ Napoliello, Alex (August 4, 2014). "New Jersey has the best school systems in U.S., report says". New Jersey On-Line LLC. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  25. ^ Hubbard, Kaia (February 27, 2018). "The 10 Best U.S. States for Education—2. New Jersey". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  26. ^ "10 States With the Healthiest Populations". U.S. News and World Report. May 7, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  27. ^ "Most Diverse States 2024". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  28. ^ Bruce A. Scruton (August 30, 2021). "New Jersey tops list of states warming up the fastest". New Jersey Herald. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.


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