Find a Job You Really Want In
Anticipating a job hunt in 2020?
If so, you might be nervous about the state of your local job market or curious how it stacks up to rival cities. Cities in the same state can have dramatically different job markets. Job hunting in one part of the state can be a piece of cake, while in another city it can be a herculean task to just land an interview.
Here at Zippia, we love math (and jobs!), so we delved into the data to determine where in 2020 it was easiest to find a job in New Jersey.
Here are the ten hottest job markets in New Jersey.
The 10 Hottest Job Markets In New Jersey
There you have it, folks- the ten cities where it was easiest to get a job in New Jersey. Keep reading for a more detailed breakdown of how we reached these results. Your city not in the top 10? Keep scrolling to see where it landed on the full list.
How we determined the best job markets in New Jersey
We used the most recent Census American Community Survey to pull data for the main New Jersey metro areas. We only looked at cities with a working civilian population above 5,000.
While unemployment rate can tell you a lot about the local job market, it is simply one metric and job markets are complex entities. We opted to take a more in-depth look at the best job market in New Jersey.
Each metro-area was ranked 1-to-110 in four categories:
- Unemployment Rate
- Change In Unemployment Rate
- Household Income Change
- Current Average Household Income
The lower the score in each category the better. For example, the East Rutherford area had the lowest unemployment rate at 1.9%, earning it the #1 spot for unemployment rate. The four ranked categories were then averaged together to produce our final list. The final list ranks the 110 metro areas from 1-to-110. Once again, the lower the score, the stronger the job market.
1. Hillsdale
Unemployment Rate: 2.91%
Average Income: $155,656
2. Princeton
Unemployment Rate: 3.25%
Average Income: $229,201
3. Westwood
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Average Income: $128,571
4. Ramsey
Unemployment Rate: 3.43%
Average Income: $184,437
5. Morristown
Unemployment Rate: 3.77%
Average Income: $127,442
6. Haddonfield
Unemployment Rate: 2.46%
Average Income: $197,495
7. Hoboken
Unemployment Rate: 3.41%
Average Income: $179,824
8. Franklin Lakes
Unemployment Rate: 4.99%
Average Income: $229,048
9. Westfield
Unemployment Rate: 3.32%
Average Income: $229,932
10. Florham Park
Unemployment Rate: 3.84%
Average Income: $170,541
MEASURING THE BEST JOB MARKETS In New Jersey
You might be reading this and thinking, ‘Hey, I live in East Rutherford and have been unemployed for months- this can’t be right!’ That’s entirely possible.
While East Rutherford and the surrounding metro area have the hottest job market in New Jersey, personal finances can be, well, personal. Education, work experience, and occupation all play a big role in securing a job. However, overall, job seekers in East Rutherford will have an easier time than those in cities near the bottom of the list.
Detailed List Of The Hottest Job Markets In New Jersey
| Rank | Place | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hillsdale | 2.91% |
| 2 | Princeton | 3.25% |
| 3 | Westwood | 2.0% |
| 4 | Ramsey | 3.43% |
| 5 | Morristown | 3.77% |
| 6 | Haddonfield | 2.46% |
| 7 | Hoboken | 3.41% |
| 8 | Franklin Lakes | 4.99% |
| 9 | Westfield | 3.32% |
| 10 | Florham Park | 3.84% |
| 11 | New Providence | 4.6% |
| 12 | Madison | 3.78% |
| 13 | Fair Lawn | 3.99% |
| 14 | Paramus | 4.27% |
| 15 | Summit | 5.48% |
| 16 | Metuchen | 3.93% |
| 17 | Dumont | 5.46% |
| 18 | Wallington | 3.73% |
| 19 | New Milford | 6.0% |
| 20 | Ridgefield Park Village | 4.05% |
| 21 | Tenafly | 3.21% |
| 22 | River Edge | 2.97% |
| 23 | Highland Park | 5.74% |
| 24 | Wanaque | 4.79% |
| 25 | Ridgewood Village | 4.12% |
| 26 | Hasbrouck Heights | 2.7% |
| 27 | Totowa | 3.68% |
| 28 | Bound Brook | 2.84% |
| 29 | Bergenfield | 3.57% |
| 30 | Rutherford | 6.15% |
| 31 | Waldwick | 2.74% |
| 32 | Maywood | 5.13% |
| 33 | Ringwood | 4.42% |
| 34 | Red Bank | 5.12% |
| 35 | Tinton Falls | 3.01% |
| 36 | Somerville | 4.94% |
| 37 | Middlesex | 3.5% |
| 38 | Dover | 5.08% |
| 39 | Point Pleasant | 5.3% |
| 40 | Cliffside Park | 3.62% |
| 41 | Collingswood | 6.03% |
| 42 | Edgewater | 4.2% |
| 43 | Lincoln Park | 4.19% |
| 44 | Hawthorne | 3.87% |
| 45 | Oakland | 4.31% |
| 46 | Audubon | 5.4% |
| 47 | Hammonton | 6.56% |
| 48 | Pompton Lakes | 4.14% |
| 49 | Englewood | 7.01% |
| 50 | Secaucus | 4.31% |
| 51 | Somers Point | 7.22% |
| 52 | Rahway | 5.59% |
| 53 | Palisades Park | 3.98% |
| 54 | Perth Amboy | 3.44% |
| 55 | Jersey | 6.69% |
| 56 | Fort Lee | 4.05% |
| 57 | Glen Rock | 3.47% |
| 58 | Eatontown | 4.97% |
| 59 | East Rutherford | 1.92% |
| 60 | North Plainfield | 5.72% |
| 61 | Asbury Park | 10.3% |
| 62 | Bayonne | 6.24% |
| 63 | North Arlington | 4.4% |
| 64 | Hackensack | 4.43% |
| 65 | Freehold | 5.01% |
| 66 | Elmwood Park | 4.68% |
| 67 | South Plainfield | 6.61% |
| 68 | Gloucester | 6.61% |
| 69 | Beachwood | 6.64% |
| 70 | Bellmawr | 7.57% |
| 71 | Guttenberg | 7.92% |
| 72 | Lodi | 6.36% |
| 73 | Woodland Park | 4.31% |
| 74 | Passaic | 5.69% |
| 75 | Elizabeth | 7.28% |
| 76 | Glassboro | 9.75% |
| 77 | Roselle Park | 5.56% |
| 78 | Plainfield | 7.05% |
| 79 | Sayreville | 5.79% |
| 80 | Kearny | 5.62% |
| 81 | Garfield | 4.56% |
| 82 | Kinnelon | 5.89% |
| 83 | Harrison | 6.07% |
| 84 | South River | 8.73% |
| 85 | Clifton | 4.56% |
| 86 | Pleasantville | 10.01% |
| 87 | Manville | 4.37% |
| 88 | Millville | 9.84% |
| 89 | East Orange | 15.31% |
| 90 | Paterson | 5.14% |
| 91 | Ridgefield | 5.02% |
| 92 | Newark | 12.77% |
| 93 | Roselle | 10.06% |
| 94 | Vineland | 6.51% |
| 95 | Trenton | 12.35% |
| 96 | Camden | 12.59% |
| 97 | Hopatcong | 5.91% |
| 98 | Long Branch | 7.34% |
| 99 | Union | 5.03% |
| 100 | Pine Hill | 7.99% |
Author
Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.
