Quote:
What tipped you off ?

I honestly just think it's because people from NYC are moving here with their incomes. 2 income household working in Manhattan definetly helps to boost the numbers.

A state of plenty and of poverty
Census underlines dual nature of N.J.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008
BY RON MARSICO
Star-Ledger Staff

When it comes to family income, New Jersey remains a study in contrasts.

On the whole, state residents do quite well, with a median household income of $67,035 -- the second highest in the nation, according to Census figures released yesterday. Only Maryland was higher.

But while suburban Hunterdon County ranks as the nation's wealthiest county among those with a population under 250,000, Camden and Passaic remain among the nation's poorest cities.

And while the median household income was up nationwide for the third straight year, income levels in New Jersey remained essentially flat compared with 2006, the Census reported.

"Our income didn't grow as fast as the nation," said James W. Hughes, dean of the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, referring to last year's results. "Job growth flat-lined in 2007." He also noted job growth slowed nationally.

Bucking the trend was Jersey City, where household income jumped 19 percent in 2007 from the prior year, according to the figures.

Across the United States, real median household income grew 1.3 percent, hitting $50,233, according to the Census -- meaning half the households brought in more than that figure, and half brought in less.

Since 1999, median income in New Jersey has soared 22 percent, while the national rate has risen 17 percent.

Typically, however, year-to-year Census data changes are minimal, Hughes said.

The U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 American Community Survey also found New Jersey's poverty rate was 8.6 percent, significantly below the national rate of 12.5 percent. Only four states reported lower poverty rates.

But Passaic and Camden ranked near the bottom of the nation's cities. Camden, where half the households had an income of less than $25,389, was listed as the third poorest city of at least 65,000 residents; Passaic was 10th poorest with a median income of $27,691.

While Camden's poverty rate of 28.3 percent was grim, it was still a vast improvement from two years ago, when nearly one of every two residents was below the poverty line, making it the poorest city in America.

Nationwide, about 37.3 million people were deemed to be at or below poverty level in 2007.

"Although lower than the national rates, the persistence of poverty in one of the wealthiest states in the nation during a relatively strong economic year is disturbing," said Serena Rice, managing director of the Legal Services of New Jersey Poverty Research Institute, in a statement.

New Jersey Policy Perspective, a think tank, also issued a bleak assessment of the figures.

"Bottom line: The sixth year of national economic growth brought no improvement in the lives of a lot of New Jerseyans," according to a statement from the liberal-leaning group. "Poverty in the state and the typical worker's income were for the most part stuck where they were the year before."

Household income in the Garden State, meanwhile, differed widely by race in 2007.

White households had median incomes of more than $72,500, compared to $44,700 for those headed by African-Americans, according to the figures. Median incomes for Asian households was nearly $95,800, while Hispanic households were $47,300.

Among counties, Hunterdon ranked the highest in the state with a median household income of $100,327. The two lowest-ranked counties -- Essex and Hudson -- were both below $52,000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.