The most remarkable thing about post-recession New Jersey isn't that the state is struggling, it's how indiscriminate the pain has been.
A middling farmer in Cumberland County. A poor resident of crime-torn Newark. A member of the state's highest tax bracket in Somerset County.
All are likely worse off today than they were a decade ago.
New data from the Census, released today, shows wide swaths of the Garden State remain slow to get back on their feet following the Great Recession.
There are exceptions, of course. Urban-adjacent communities like Maplewood, Summit or Westfield have seen growth in most key economic areas, but overall the news is not good.
Census data show median income in the state fell nearly 5 percent from the years leading up to the recession when compared to the five years that followed, outpacing the national decline during that time period.
Housing values too have dropped 20 percent in New Jersey between those time periods, while they fell only 13 percent nationally. However, housing costs have the opposite trend -- New Jersey housing costs fell less than the national average, and remain higher than the rest of the nation.
A closer look at year-to-year data reveals weak growth in the past few years. New Jersey was ranked last in the nation in income growth from 2014 to 2015.
The state has been lagging behind the country in unemployment as well, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While unemployment has dropped from its high in 2009, the state has not quite reached pre-recession levels.
New Jersey vs. United States unemployment rate
New Jersey entered the recession in a difficult fiscal situation, which put it in a tough spot when the economy began to tank, said Jon Whiten, vice president of New Jersey Policy Perspectives, a liberal-leaning, Trenton-based think tank.
"The impulse of the state legislature and governor was to cut costs, when usually a recession is a time to increase revenue," he said.
In an era of growth concentrated on urban centers, the state has continuously struggled to revive major cities that could attract jobs and businesses, he said.
Many young people are leaving the state to get better access to jobs and better living environments, he said. The state has the highest percentage of millennials living with their parents, a large obstacle to growth in New Jersey.
"When you combine high costs with a stagnated economy, there's no path for people starting out in the job market," he said.
Meanwhile, Census data has previously shown that residents have been moving out of the state, leading to a slowdown in its population increase.
Erin Petenko may be reached at epetenko@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @EPetenko. Find NJ.com on Facebook.