Somerset is one of the top NJ counties to start a career, survey finds

A person's career and where they live can have huge implications on whether he or she is able to reach their personal financial goals. That could be either buying a home, starting a business or even retiring, says AJ Smith, vice president of financial education at SmartAsset, a personal finance technology company headquartered in Manhattan.

SmartAsset looked at four different factors to come up with its list of the top 10 New Jersey counties to start a career. Smith said they looked at purchasing power (how far does a person's money go in that area), income growth (the opportunities in a certain area to bring home more money). They also looked at the unemployment rate, which she said is a general economic indicator but also how likely someone will be able to find a job in that area. They also looked at college costs.

To understand the numbers, Smith said the net median income for the state of New Jersey is $30,316. Cost of living is $24,506. Annual college costs in New Jersey is $31,641.

Morris County is the best county in New Jersey to start a career. Smith said the net median income there is $47,521. The cost of living is much lower than that of the rest of the state. Purchasing Power is at 1.9 compared to the state average of 1.2, so money will go a lot further in Morris. The unemployment rate is low and the income growth is high at 9.2%.

Somerset County is in the top three for best places in New Jersey to start a carer. Smith said some top highlights there include net median income, which is higher than both the state and the national average at $33,341. The unemployment rate is lower than both New Jersey and the national averages.

Union County ranked 7th on the list. Primarily, the net median income is higher than both the New Jersey and national averages at $35,519. The purchasing power is higher than both the state and national averages at 1.4.

Ocean County cracked the top 10, coming in at number 9. The unemployment rate is lower than both the state and national averages. Net median income in Ocean County is stronger than the national average but not stronger than the New Jersey average, at $28,498. Cost of living is lower than the state average in Ocean County, at $24,076.

Coming in at number 10 was Monmouth County with the highlights there being the unemployment rate. Smith also said when they looked numbers like cost of living, that's lower than the state average. Purchasing power is a little bit higher at 1.3 so money will go a little bit further in Monmouth than in other parts of the state.

The unemployment rate in Middlesex County is lower than both the New Jersey and national averages. The net median income there is higher than the national average at $27,735. But Smith said the reason why Middlesex ranked 13th on the list and did not make the top 10 is because the net median income is lower than the New Jersey average.

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