One more way NJ leads the pack in being the absolute worst (Opinion)

Why is it that New Jersey is always stuck with the bad distinctions? Highest property taxes. The only state where you can’t pump your own gas. Some of the highest rent prices in the country. And of course, we’ve always known that we are the most densely populated state in the country.

And now, according to rent.com, two of our cities are also considered the most densely populated country-wide. Not that it’s going to be a shock to anyone, but Jersey City and Newark both make the list of the top 10 most crowded cities in America, according to their new study. Now how do they come to this conclusion? Well, the rent.com people looked at every city that has at least 10 square feet of land and a population of over 50,000. Then, they divided that number by each city‘s land area and what they came up with is what’s known as “population density.“

The study ranked the top 50, and if you go down this list you will see some surprises. For instance, who would think that the humble town of Providence, Rhode Island would make the list at number 16? But with a population of 179,883 and a land area of only 18.4 square miles, they certainly are packed in like sardines, with a population density of 9776.25. On the other hand, no one would be shocked that New York City is the most densely populated city in the country, with 8,336,817 people jammed into 302.64 square miles of space.

When you think of crowded New Jersey cities, I’m sure Jersey City and Newark come to mind. Coming in at numbers three and nine on the list respectively, Jersey City crams its 262,075 residents into only 14.79 square miles, and Newark’s 282,011 residents reside in a relatively small 24.19 square miles.

Elizabeth and Clifton, while not on the top 10, make the top fifty list, with the former at number 15 most crowded city in the US and the latter at 34th. But we really can’t complain. With only four cities on the top 50, we are doing way better than California, which has 23 towns on the list of the top 50 most crowded cities in America. Compared to it, we’re practically Anchorage, Alaska, which at 288,000 residents in 1704.68 square miles, is the LEAST crowded city in America.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco. Any opinions expressed are Judi's own.