Go go New Jersey!

[Little Raven]

Breaking into new territory!

Poverty in New Jersey continued to grow even as the national recession lifted, reaching a 52-year high in 2011, according to a report released today.

The annual survey by Legal Services of New Jersey found 24.7 percent of the state’s population — 2.1 million residents — was considered poor in 2011. That’s a jump of more than 80,000 people — nearly 1 percent higher than the previous year and 3.8 percent more than pre-recession levels.

Did Jersey Shore finally fizzle out or something?

[stessier]

Yeah, but being "considered poor in NJ" means anyone making under $1 million, right?

[Octavious]

The problem is that the cost of living has flown WAYYYYYY past the salaries in this state. I don't have a horrible salary and I just scrape by in a tiny hut of a house. If you have a decent sized house you will be paying 1,000+ a month just in property taxes. Renting isn't much cheaper either. Apartments in the okay to good areas are like 1,700 and up. If I hadn't of bought my house I would have left the state already, it's totally and completely broken.

[Octavious]

Defines being poor in New Jersey as a family of three making less than $37,060.
37,060 and a family of three? You would be living in a box at that salary in NJ. Anything under 100,000 and you are going to have a rough time. Did I mention I hate this state?

[Smoove_B]

Home prices are also a function of how far you're willing to drive. But even that isn't now completely accurate as there are apparently plenty of people now willing to brave ridiculous traffic to get a bigger house. Hell, one of our daughter's school friends -- her parents moved from an apartment in the Caldwells ($$$$) to our town to buy a house. The mother flat-out told my wife getting the largest house possible was their goal. But now they hate it out in the country because there's nothing out here - and their house is worth considerably less than it was when they purchased it. Their misery is palpable.

That's an amazing figure -- below $37K a year for a family of three to be poor in NJ. I honestly don't know how you could survive in this state making that much but you're sure as hell not a homeowner.

[Octavious]

Ya I didn't go far enough West. I should have gone about 2-3 more exits and I would at least have a decent sized house. Of course that would be another 20 minutes on my drive. I think that might have been my mental breaking point. Who am I kidding... I'm way past my mental breaking point.

To further depress me the guy next door is short selling his house and it's now listed at 99,999. People are STILL not coming to look at it.

[Smoove_B]

Defines being poor in New Jersey as a family of three making less than $37,060.
37,060 and a family of three? You would be living in a box at that salary in NJ. Anything under 100,000 and you are going to have a rough time. Did I mention I hate this state?

Just as an update to the material released last fall (that started this discussion), now we know that 38% of NJ households are struggling to make ends meet and as mind boggling as it sounds, when you adjust for cost of living:

While 11 percent of [NJ] residents fall below the Federal Poverty Line, which stands at an annual income of $22,811 for a family of four, the report found that when adjusted for cost of living the same family needs nearly triple that -- $61,200 – just to meet a basic survival budget.

Family of four needs to pull down $61K a year in NJ to barely survive. I mean really, man.

[Isgrimnur]

Sounds like they need their own recession to drive down prices.

[malchior]

Prices on some homes in my area are at the same level as they were in 2003 and still can't sell. The market here is abysmal. I keep trying to convince my wife we need to exit because the state has high property taxes, high income taxes, high sales taxes and we still don't have enough money to cover our commitments by a signficant margin. There is a heck of a reckoning coming and I don't want to be left holding the bag. I hate this state as well and it is mostly due to our political class being completely (but legally) corrupt.

[Smoove_B]

People are fleeing NJ faster than any other state:

New Jersey had the greatest percentage of outbound moves of any state nationally last year with almost 65 percent departing, according to a company which bills itself as the largest transporter of household goods in the country.

The Garden State has led the nation in outward migration for the fourth time in five years.

In all, United said it tracked 4,003 moves out of New Jersey in 2014 compared to 2,169 inbound.

I can believe it. I'm pretty sure the suburbs are in a slow death spiral and people are moving back to urban areas...or out of the state altogether.

[malchior]

Hard to believe. Let's see: High property taxes. Check. Super high tax load period. Check. High cost of living. Check. High unemployment. Check. Shitty infrastructure. Check. Obviously corrupt (but legal due to self-serving shitbags) political structure. Check. Our state is so dreamy.

[Rip]

Hard to believe. Let's see: High property taxes. Check. Super high tax load period. Check. High cost of living. Check. High unemployment. Check. Shitty infrastructure. Check. Obviously corrupt (but legal due to self-serving shitbags) political structure. Check. Our state is so dreamy.

On the bright side I hear there are lots of nice gardens.

[LawBeefaroni]

People are fleeing NJ faster than any other state:

New Jersey had the greatest percentage of outbound moves of any state nationally last year with almost 65 percent departing, according to a company which bills itself as the largest transporter of household goods in the country.

The Garden State has led the nation in outward migration for the fourth time in five years.

In all, United said it tracked 4,003 moves out of New Jersey in 2014 compared to 2,169 inbound.

I can believe it. I'm pretty sure the suburbs are in a slow death spiral and people are moving back to urban areas...or out of the state altogether.

And Allied says it is Illinois. Beware the veracity of data from these PR fluff "surveys.

United.

Allied.

All they really show is where each company has greater market share in markets with a lot of movement in or out.

Not that people aren't fleeing New Jersey and with good reason.

[Isgrimnur]

If you want a deep dive, you can try the Census data. But I couldn't get the files to open properly on my work machine.

[Sectoid]

Best License plate frame I ever saw:

[Smoove_B]

New report released - how much can you earn and still be considered low income in New Jersey?

In 2017, a family of four in New Jersey earning $68,000 a year or less is considered low-income, according to HUD.

That number is determined as an adjusted 80 percent of median family income which HUD calculated as $91,200 a year for New Jersey in 2017. The $68,000 figure is not exactly 80 percent of the median because HUD adjusts for high housing costs relative to income, among other things.

[Isgrimnur]

My family is above median for New Jersey!