New Jersey income
What counts as a good salary in New Jersey depends on whether you mean one paycheck or a whole household, and where in the state you live. Here is how incomes actually break down, using the newest U.S. Census data.
The short answer
The typical New Jersey household earns $103,556 a year. A household income around $130,000 puts you ahead of 60% of New Jersey households, and $208,800 puts you in the top 20%. For one person working full time, the typical New Jersey paycheck is $75,841 a year.
Median household income
$103,556
Half of New Jersey households earn more, half earn less
Top 20% starts at
$208,809
Household income, all earners combined
Full-time worker median
$75,841
One person, working full time, year round
The Census Bureau splits households into five equal groups, from lowest to highest income. These are the real cutoffs for New Jersey. Household income means everyone in the home combined, before taxes.
| Group | Household income | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 20% | Under $41,447 | Lower income |
| 20% to 40% | $41,447 to $80,893 | Lower middle |
| 40% to 60% | $80,893 to $129,581 | The middle of New Jersey |
| 60% to 80% | $129,581 to $208,809 | Upper middle |
| Top 20% | $208,809 and up | High income |
About 22% of New Jersey households earn $200,000 or more. Source: Census tables B19080 (household income quintile upper limits) and B19001.
By that measure, a household income of about $130,000 or more is a solidly good income in New Jersey: it beats 60% of households. Reach $208,800 and you are in the top fifth of the state.
Here is how common household incomes stack up against every household in the state.
| Household income | Earns more than |
|---|---|
| $50,000 | About 24% of New Jersey households |
| $75,000 | About 37% |
| $100,000 | About 48% |
| $150,000 | About 67% |
| $200,000 | About 78% |
Estimated from the Census household income ranges (table B19001) for New Jersey.
Household income often includes two earners, so it runs higher than a single paycheck. The median New Jersey worker who works full time, year round earns $75,841, compared with $61,657 nationally. Counting part-time and seasonal workers too, the median is $55,173.
So for one person, a salary above about $76,000 means you out-earn most full-time workers in New Jersey. How far it goes depends heavily on local housing costs, which vary a lot from city to city.
A common guideline, used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is that housing should take no more than 30% of your income. New Jersey's median rent is $1,720 a month. To keep that at 30% of income, you need about $68,800 a year. The national median rent is $1,413.
These are New Jersey's 20 largest places, sorted by median household income. The last column shows the yearly income needed to keep the median rent at 30% of income.
| City | Median household income | Median rent | Income to afford median rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoboken | $180,579 | $2,938 | $117,520 |
| Toms River | $100,137 | $1,731 | $69,240 |
| Clifton | $98,237 | $1,711 | $68,440 |
| Jersey City | $97,710 | $2,007 | $80,280 |
| Plainfield | $85,908 | $1,767 | $70,680 |
| Hackensack | $84,277 | $1,911 | $76,440 |
| Bayonne | $83,887 | $1,682 | $67,280 |
| West New York | $71,729 | $1,716 | $68,640 |
| Vineland | $67,860 | $1,233 | $49,320 |
| Elizabeth | $66,555 | $1,523 | $60,920 |
| New Brunswick | $65,810 | $1,814 | $72,560 |
| Union City | $64,310 | $1,537 | $61,480 |
| Perth Amboy | $61,977 | $1,688 | $67,520 |
| East Orange | $60,830 | $1,441 | $57,640 |
| Lakewood | $56,968 | $1,718 | $68,720 |
| Paterson | $55,997 | $1,548 | $61,920 |
| Passaic | $55,371 | $1,465 | $58,600 |
| Trenton | $52,537 | $1,294 | $51,760 |
| Newark | $52,060 | $1,392 | $55,680 |
| Camden | $40,546 | $1,226 | $49,040 |
Rent is median gross rent per month. "Income to afford median rent" is 12 months of median rent divided by 30%. Source: Census tables B19013 and B25064, place level.
Among these places, Hoboken has the highest median household income at $180,579, while Camden has the lowest at $40,546. In New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Lakewood and Paterson, the median household earns less than it takes to comfortably afford the median rent.
How does your zip code compare?
See the median household income for every zip code in New Jersey, in one searchable table.
See income by zip code in New JerseyNew Jersey's median household income of $103,556 is 28% above the U.S. median of $80,734. The top-20% cutoff is $208,809 in New Jersey, compared with $162,235 nationally.
What is the average salary in New Jersey?
The median full-time, year-round worker in New Jersey earns $75,841. The median household, counting everyone in the home, earns $103,556.
Is $100,000 a good salary in New Jersey?
It is a solid income, though not unusual. As a household income, $100,000 is higher than about 48% of New Jersey households. As a single salary, it is about 1.3 times what the typical full-time worker earns.
What income is considered middle class in New Jersey?
The middle fifth of New Jersey households earns $80,893 to $129,581. A broader middle class, from the 20th to the 80th percentile, runs from about $41,400 to $208,800.
Where does this data come from?
All figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020 to 2024, the most recent release. See our methodology for details.