The State:

• Profile: Click here for political history and analysis.
• Size: 8,721 square miles
• Population in 2000: 8,414,350; 94.3% urban; 5.7% rural
• Population in 1990: 7,730,188
• Population Change: Up 8.6% 1990-2000; Up 5.0% 1980-1990
• Population Rank: 9th of 50; 3.0% of total U.S. population
• Most Populous Cities: Newark (277,911); Jersey City (239,097); Paterson (150,782); Elizabeth (123,215); Trenton (85,314)
• Registered Voters: 1,163,224 D (23.2%); 884,801 R (17.7%); 2,957,934 unaffiliated and minor parties (59.1%)
• Presidential Votes: Click here for analysis and past returns.
• Congressional Redistricting: Click here for additional details. An expanded map of the current lines is also available.
• State Senate: 22 D 18 R
• State General Assembly: 47 D 33 R
• State Legislative Term Limits: No

The People:
For definitions and additional details regarding the data below, please see the Almanac 2006 Guide to Usage.

• Race/Ethnic Origin: 5,557,209 (66.0%) white; 1,096,171 (13.0%) black; 477,012 (5.7%) Asian; 11,338 (0.1%) American Indian; 2,175 (0.0%) Pacific islander/Hawaiian; 133,689 (1.6%) two-plus races; 19,565 (0.2%) other; 1,117,191 (13.3%) Hispanic origin
• Ancestry: 13.8% Italian, 12.2% Irish, 9.7% German, 5.3% Polish, 4.8% English
• State Natives: 53.4% of residents were born in-state.
• Non-Citizens: 9.4% of residents are foreign-born and not U.S. citizens
• Language Spoken, by Household: 73.0% English; 11.7% Spanish; 10.4% Other Eur.
• Education: 82.1% high school graduates; 29.8% college graduates
• Military Veterans: 672,217 (10.6%); WWII: (26.3%); Korea: (15.8%); Vietnam: (28.1%); First Gulf War: (6.2%)

The Economy:
For definitions and additional details regarding the data below, please see the Almanac 2006 Guide to Usage.

• Industry: 0.3% agriculture; 5.6% construction; 8.9% finance; 4.4% information; 17.9% manufacturing; 31.3% professional; 4.5% public administration; 15.7% trade; 11.3% other
• Work Force: 19.7% blue collar; 66.5% white collar; 13.8% gray collar
• Work Sector: 80.8% private; 13.9% government; 5.0% self-employed; 0.2% unpaid family workers
• Unemployment: 0.2% unemployed
• Median Household Income: $55,146
  • 8.5% are below the poverty line
  • 11.7% less than $15,000
  • 19.4% $15-35,000
  • 14.3% $35-50,000
  • 33.3% $50-100,000
  • 12.8% $100-150,000
  • 8.6% more than $150,000
• Median Home Value: $167,900
  • 3.0% less than $50,000
  • 14.4% $50-100,000
  • 46.1% $100-200,000
  • 20.4% $200-300,000
  • 11.7% $300-500,000
  • 4.4% more than $500,000