State scorecard
New Jersey in the US Political Rank
Every place New Jersey holds across our state rankings, in one scorecard. Economy, taxes, education, crime, healthcare, and more, each measured the same way for all 50 states and each linked to the full cited ranking.
#2
of 50 on States Ranked by K-12 Education Outcomes
#50
of 20 on States Ranked by Fiscal Health: Reserves, Pensions, and What They Owe
42.6%
Governor Mikie Sherrill performance score, rank 35 of 50
10
state rankings that score New Jersey
Governor
New Jersey's governor, Mikie Sherrill (Democrat), holds performance rank 35 of 50 at 42.6% this week in the Governor Performance Rankings, scored on 263 metrics and updated every Monday.
| Ranking | New Jersey's place | Score |
|---|---|---|
| States Ranked by K-12 Education OutcomesTop five nationally in both eighth grade reading and eighth grade math in 2024, and one of only five states in the eighth grade reading top ten on both raw and demographically adjusted rankings (Learning Policy Institute, 2025; Urban Institute, 2025). | #2 of 50 | 97.6 |
| States Ranked by Health Care OutcomesLife expectancy of about 81 years, second highest of any state (CDC NCHS, 2023). | #9 of 50 | 90.1 |
| States Ranked by Violent Crime Rate217.7 per 100,000 in the nation's most densely populated state, a standing rebuttal to the assumption that density means danger (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2024). | #9 of 50 | 217.7 |
| Ranking the 50 State Economies of 2026One of the states where unemployment declined over the year ending May 2026 (BLS, 2026). The labor data is improving even as the state keeps losing residents to domestic migration (Census Bureau, Vintage 2025). | #19 of 50 | 77.2 |
| States Ranked by Infrastructure ConditionCommuters lose about 84.8 hours a year to traffic congestion, the worst tier in the nation alongside Massachusetts and New York (Reason Foundation, 29th Annual Highway Report). | #41 of 25 | 58.9 |
| Voting With Their Feet: States Ranked by Migration and Population GrowthOne of the largest sustained domestic out-migration states in the country across the 2020s (Census Bureau, Vintage 2025). Falling unemployment has not changed the direction of the moving vans (BLS, 2026). | #46 of 50 | 30.4 |
| States Ranked by Total Tax BurdenThe highest property tax burdens in the country, the highest-rate corporate income tax, one of the highest individual income taxes, and an inheritance tax; the Tax Foundation ranks its structure 49th of 50 (Tax Foundation, 2026 Index). Collections were $9,178 per capita (FY2023). | #47 of 50 | 36.9 |
| States Ranked by Business Climate: What the Major Raters Agree OnSecond-worst tax structure in the nation: the highest-rate corporate income tax, among the highest property and individual income taxes, plus an inheritance tax (Tax Foundation, 2026). CNBC is kinder at No. 30 on workforce and location (CNBC, 2025; NJBIA, 2025). | #47 of 25 | 37.2 |
| States Ranked by Fiscal Health: Reserves, Pensions, and What They OweThe weakest combined position in America: a rainy day fund Pew scores at zero days of operating costs (Pew, FY2025 data), pensions 55 percent funded (Equable, 2025), and a $44,500 per-taxpayer burden (TIA, 2025). The one bright spot is a series of 2025 credit upgrades (S&P Global Ratings; Moody's). | #50 of 20 | 29.6 |
| States Ranked by Dependence on Federal MoneyThe nation's largest net contributor per resident: a negative per-capita balance of payments of 2,011 dollars in FFY 2023, meaning New Jersey taxpayers sent in far more than the state received back in all federal spending combined (Rockefeller Institute, 2025). | #50 of 50 | 40.8 |
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