New Jersey Facts -- National Geographic

Fast Facts

Population:: 8,638,396
Capital:: Trenton; 85,650
Area:: 8,721 square miles (22,588 square kilometers)
Per Capita Income:: U.S. $39,567
Date Statehood Achieved:: December 18, 1787

Wedged between Philadelphia and New York City, New Jersey has long been a distributor of goods and a giant of industry. The state ranks first in production of pharmaceuticals, which account for 12 percent of all jobs. Along a narrow strip—part of the megalopolis stretching from Boston to Washington, D.C.—population density far exceeds that of India, yet 57 percent of the state remains forested or in farms. In million-acre Pinelands National Reserve, a model of pragmatic environmental management, development is diverted from the most fragile areas. Ocean resorts from Cape May to Asbury Park were fashionable by the late 19th century. Today some $300 million in taxes collected from Atlantic City casinos are used to benefit the state's elderly and handicapped.

ECONOMY

Industry: Chemicals, printing and publishing, food processing, machinery, electronics
Agriculture: Nursery stock, vegetables, grain and hay, fruits and berries, dairy products

Related Features

Hike the Triple Crown

Get inspired with our Ultimate Adventure Bucket List, a collection of 40 trips that range from totally extreme to actually doable.
One on One: Andrew Carroll

Traveler Editor-in-Chief Keith Bellows chats with Andrew Carroll about his search for the nation's forgotten historic sites.
U.S. Atlantic Coast Quiz

Think you know the history behind Camp David, Sleepy Hollow, and the Bodie Island Lighthouse? Take the Atlantic states quiz and find out.