- Nickname: Garden State
- Motto: Liberty and Prosperity
- Flower: Purple violet
- Bird: Eastern goldfinch
- Area: 8,721 square miles (2000; U.S. rank: 47th)
- Elevation: Ranges from sea level to 1,803 feet
- Climate: Moderate with marked differences between
the northwest and southeast extremities
- Admitted to Union: December 18, 1787
- Capital: Trenton
- Head Official: Governor Richard Codey (D) (until
2006)
- Population
- 1980: 7,365,000
- 1990: 7,730,188
- 2000: 8,414,350
- 2004 estimate: 8,698,879
- Percent change, 1990–2000: 8.9%
- U.S. rank in 2004: 10th
- Percent of residents born in state: 53.4% (2000)
- Density: 1,134.4 people per square mile (2000)
- 2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 259,789
- Racial and Ethnic Characteristics (2000)
- White: 6,104,705
- Black or African American: 1,141,821
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 19,492
- Asian: 480,276
- Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 3,329
- Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race):
1,117,191
- Other: 450,972
- Age Characteristics (2000)
- Population under 5 years old: 563,785
- Population 5 to 19 years old: 1,720,322
- Percent of population 65 years and over: 13.2%
- Median age: 36.7 years (2000)
- Vital Statistics
- Total number of births (2003): 117,127
- Total number of deaths (2003): 73,589 (infant
deaths, 660)
- AIDS cases reported through 2003: 17,089
- Economy
- Major industries: Manufacturing, tourism,
agriculture, services, trade, mining, fishing
- Unemployment rate: 4.2% (April 2005)
- Per capita income: $40,002 (2003; U.S. rank: 3rd)
- Median household income: $55,221 (3-year average,
2001-2003)
- Percentage of persons below poverty level: 8.2%
(3-year average, 2001-2003)
- Income tax rate: 1.4% on first $20,000; 1.75% on
next
- $30,000; 2.45% on next $20,000, 3.5% on next $10,000,
5.525% on $70,000, 6.37% over $150,000
- Sales tax rate: 6%
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