Education, health, low crime: NJ is not a bad place to live, report says

🔵 Is New Jersey a good state to live in?

🔵 U.S. News & World Report put out a list of the best states in which to live

🔵 Rankings were based on health, education, crime, infrastructure, and more

Health care. Education. Economy. Fiscal Stability. Where does your state excel?

U.S. News & World Report put out a list of “The Best States” in which to live, drawing on thousands of data points to measure how well states are performing for their citizens.

The rankings take into account health care and education, as well as a state’s economy, its roads, bridges, internet, and other infrastructure, its public safety, natural environment, the fiscal stability of state government, and the opportunity it affords its residents.

Health care and education were weighted more heavily, based on a survey of what mattered most to people, according to the publication. Then came state economies, infrastructure, and the opportunities states offer. Fiscal stability followed in the weighting, then crime and corrections, and a state’s natural environment.

So, where does New Jersey rank?

It’s not bad.

With 8,719 square miles, a gross domestic product (GDP) of $799 billion, more than 50 percent of the population with a college diploma, a population of more than 9.2 million, and a median income of $51,884, New Jersey is the 14th best state to live in, according to the report.

“The home of native music legends such as Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Frank Sinatra, and Whitney Houston, New Jersey is known for more than producing popular hit-makers. It has world-class universities, leading technology, biological science firms, and one fast turnpike,” U.S. News & World Report said.

New Jersey became an important manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution and both World Wars, and served as a prime defense hub during the Cold War, the report pointed out.

The New Jersey Turnpike opened in 1951, and two light rails (the Hudson-Bergen and the River Lines) contributed to urban revitalization in the 21st century, particularly in North Jersey, it added.

Many information and tech companies are also based in New Jersey, and the state is a leader in the pharmaceutical and biotechnical industries, with Johnson & Johnson and Merck both headquartered in the state.

The tourism industry in New Jersey also serves as a huge boost to its economy. The report specifically mentions Atlantic City as “the East Coast’s answer to mega-casino hub Las Vegas, and the rest of the Jersey Shore attracting millions of visitors every year,” U.S. News & World Report said.

New Jersey ranked #4 in the Education and Healthcare categories and #5 in Crime and Corrections. It is 16th when it comes to Infrastructure and #24 in the Economy and Natural Environment categories.

However, New Jersey ranked #43 when it comes to the opportunities it affords its citizens and #48 in the Fiscal Stability category.

Utah is the best state to live in based on the metrics used by U.S. News & World Report. New Hampshire is the second-best state to live in followed by Nebraska, Minnesota, and Idaho.

For a full list of state rankings, visit here.

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