How New Jersey Ranks Among The Healthiest States In America

SmartAsset analyzed all 50 states using 10 key health metrics, including self-reported physical and mental well-being, obesity rates, smoking prevalence, excessive drinking, air quality, sleep adequacy, and more.

Wand_Prapan

Where does New Jersey rank?

New Jersey is the 13th healthiest state in the country. The research points out that New Jersey has 11.86% physically unhealthy days 15.06% mentally unhealthy days. A great contributor to the higher ranking is that only 10.7% of adults smoke. That number is down significantly, which was over 20% 10 years ago. New Jersey has a 29.0% obesity rate, with 77.2% of adults getting exercise.

The percentage of adults who drink heavily has also gone down to 18.4%. I am assuming that COVID was a key factor as more people were not going out to bars, restaurants, and clubs.

twinsterphoto

I was surprised that New Jersey registered 8.1 on air pollution metric. I thought it would be higher. Any number that registers under 50 is good. The diabetes rate in adults is 9.5%, another decrease, could be from the administering of drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and other GLP-1 and Semaglutide products.

The drug overdose deaths per 100,000 is 32.40.

People enjoy their sleep with an average of 62.1% of adults getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night. 7 hours are the recommended hours of sleep your body requires each night.

Canva / TSM Illustration

The benefits of being healthy can put ease on your wallet

Poor health will put a strain on your finances. Your health insurance premiums will escalate, the increase in medical bills, including large out-of-pocket costs, lost wages from being unhealthy and missing work, are all factors of more problems to deal with.

Healthy lifestyle correlates with greater productivity, higher incomes, and lower health costs.

The population of a healthy state will benefit from lower insurance premiums and, of course, a better quality of life.

Getty Images

Congratulations, New Jersey, you are in surprisingly decent shape. Your next physical will be in January of 2027. Stay healthy, my friends.

Here are 9 Farm-to-Table Restaurants to Check Out in the Garden State

For those who like farm-fresh food and ingredients when they dine out, you’ll be happy to know that New Jersey has a vibrant farm-to-table dining scene with many restaurants committed to sourcing local and seasonal ingredients.

Gallery Credit: Jen Ursillo

What Makes Lidl's Grocery Shopping Experience in New Jersey Stand Out

New Jersey shoppers looking for new options to keep grocery bills as manageable as possible have a growing choice in the state. In the past decade, Lidl has expanded its presence with over two dozen New Jersey stores as of fall 2025.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Big Joe Henry. Any opinions expressed are Big Joe’s own.

Report a correction 👈