Top New Jersey Cities
Camden | Cherry Hill | Edison | Newton | Newark | Paterson | Salem | Stanton | Trenton | Vineland

New Jersey Economy

Only four states are smaller in size than New Jersey, yet New Jersey ranks ninth in the nation in population and has the highest population density of any U.S. state, facts owing in part to its proximity to both New York City and Philadelphia but also indicative of its economic importance. New Jersey is a major industrial center, an important transportation corridor and terminus, and a long-established playground for summer vacationers.

The state is noted for its output of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, machinery, and a host of other products, including electronic equipment, printed materials, and processed foods. Bayonne is the terminus of pipelines originating in Texas and Oklahoma, and there are oil refineries at Linden and Carteret. The long history of heavy industry in New Jersey has left the state with the largest inventory of U.S. Superfund sites, and industrial cleanup is an important issue in its cities.

New Jersey has been a leader in industrial research and development since the establishment in 1876 of Thomas Edison's research facility in Menlo Park. Color televison, the videotape recorder, and the liquid crystal display were invented in New Jersey corporate research labs.

Today telecommunications and biotechnology are major industries in the state, and the area near Princeton has developed into a notable high-tech center. Finance, warehousing, and “big box” retailing have also become important to the state's economy, attracting corporations and shoppers and to a large extent reversing New Jersey's onetime role as a suburb for commuters to New York City and Philadelphia.

Top New Jersey Attractions
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Oceanville
Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
Long Beach Island, Beach Haven
Resorts Atlantic City Casino, Atlantic City
Atlantic City Boardwalk, Atlantic City
Physick Estate, Cape May
The Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor
Adventure Aquarium, Camden
Lucy the Margate Elephant, Margate City
Tuckerton Seaport, Tuckerton