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| For Release October 11, 2005 | Contact Jon Shure 609-393-1145 |
Puts New Jersey in Perspective
and many other topics accessible and understandable
TRENTON-New Jersey has many opportunities to chant, "We're number one!"
But is that good or bad?
Having the highest median household income in the nation is nice.
Having the most hazardous waste sites-not so nice.
From the pages of the newly published New Jersey Snapshots 2006 comes the information that New Jersey also leads the nation in these categories (you can decide if they're good or not so good):
- Population Density
- Number of Municipalities per Square Mile
- Zip Codes with Broadband Service
- Property Taxes per Capita
- Average Monthly Social Security Benefit
- Income Level for Paying Top State Income Tax Rate
- Work Hours Required to Afford Apartment Rent
- Percent of Prisoners in Jail for Drug Offenses
- Net Loss of Students to Out-of-State Colleges
- Powers of the Governor
These are just a bit of what can be found in Snapshots 2006, the third edition of New Jersey Policy Perspective's acclaimed booklet that compares New Jersey to all the other states in significant statistical categories.
This year Snapshots has been expanded to 105 easy-to-read tables, each listing New Jersey and the 49 other states in the areas of: Economic Life; Taxes & Government Finance; Housing; Criminal Justice; Health & Human Services; Transportation; Education; Environment; and State Government.
"Geographically, New Jersey starts out at sea level and rises, for the most part gradually, with the highest elevations to be found in the northwest corner of the state," writes NJPP President Jon Shure in the Introduction. "But statistically speaking, New Jersey's story is one of rather pronounced peaks and valleys."
As in the past, Snapshots points out that New Jersey relies more on burdensome local property taxes than any state-and shows by the numbers that there is room for the state to make its overall tax system more fair by increasing the use of broad-based state levies. For example, almost every state that has an income tax gets a higher percentage of total revenue from it than does New Jersey.
But Snapshots is about more than taxes. It is intended to put New Jersey in context as an aid to anyone who cares about a range of public policy issues that confront the state. Snapshots is a comprehensive resource for educators, researchers, lawmakers, advocates, journalists and anyone else striving to understand the complexities, cost of living and common concerns of New Jersey.
Bottom line: it is clear that New Jersey is neither as "good" nor as "bad" a place as some might think. But it is a place where there is much work to be done. When the question comes up, "how does New Jersey compare..." the pages of Snapshots have the answers. Unlike NJPP's other work, Snapshots contains no policy recommendations or commentary.
Copies of Snapshots 2006 can be purchased for $15 each, shipping included. Checks should be made out to "NJPP" and mailed to 145 W. Hanover St., Trenton, NJ 08618. Discounts are available for multiple orders; for information contact NJPP via email at njpp@njpp.org, phone at 609-393-1145 or click "Get New Jersey Snapshots 2006" on NJPP's website at www.njpp.org.
New Jersey Policy Perspective is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational organization established in 1997 with the mission of promoting broad, vigorous debate about important issues facing the people of New Jersey. Its goal is a state where everyone can achieve to his or her full potential in an economy that offers a widely shared, rising standard of living.
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