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New Jersey Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
General Information
Capital Trenton
Statehood December 18, 1787
the 3rd state
State nickname The Garden State
Name for residents New Jerseyans or New Jerseyites
State motto Liberty and prosperity
Abbreviation NJ
New Jersey State Flag
New Jersey State Flag
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New Jersey State FlagNew Jersey State Flag New Jersey State Bird: American GoldfinchNew Jersey State Bird: American Goldfinch New Jersey State Flower: VioletNew Jersey State Flower: Violet
New Jersey State Tree: Red OakNew Jersey State Tree: Red Oak New Jersey State SealNew Jersey State Seal
Land
Total area 22,587 sq km
8,721 sq mi
Rank among states in total area 46th
Land area 19,214 sq km
7,419 sq mi
Highest point High Point
550 m/1,803 ft
Forested land as a share of total area 44.9 percent (2002)
Federally owned land as a share of land area 3.9 percent (2002)
People
Population 8,724,560 (2006 estimate)
Rank among states in population 11th
Ten-year population growth 8.9 percent (1990-2000)
Population density 454 persons per sq km (2006 estimate)
1,176 persons per sq mi (2006 estimate)
Urban population 94.4 percent (2000)
Largest cities (by population)
Newark 280,666 (2005 estimate)
Jersey City 239,614 (2005 estimate)
Paterson 149,843 (2005 estimate)
Elizabeth 125,809 (2005 estimate)
Edison 100,499 (2005 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Whites 72.6 percent (2000)
Blacks 13.6 percent (2000)
Asians 5.7 percent (2000)
Native Americans 0.2 percent (2000)
Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders less than 0.1 percent (2000)
Mixed heritage or not reporting 7.9 percent (2000)
Hispanics (of any race) 13.3 percent (2000)
Health and Education
Life expectancy 75.4 years (1989-1991)
Infant mortality rate 6 deaths per 1,000 live births (2002)
Residents per physician 327 people (2004)
Residents per hospital bed 396 people (2004)
Share of population not covered by health insurance 15.3 percent (2004)
Number of students per teacher (K-12) 12.7 (2003)
Government spending per student (K-12) $13,884 (2002-2003)
Share of students attending private school 15.4 percent (1999)
Share of people over age 25 with high school diploma 87.6 percent (2004)
Government
State government
Governor Jon Corzine
(acting governor, term ends January, 2010)
Legislature Senate, 40 members
General Assembly, 80 members
National representation
Members of the U.S. Senate 2
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives 13
Electoral votes 15
Economy
Gross state product (GSP) $431 billion (2005 approximate)
Income per capita $41,636 (2004)
GSP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing 0.1 percent (2004)
Industry
Construction 4.3 percent (2004)
Manufacturing 10.9 percent (2004)
Mining 0 percent (2004)
Transportation and utilities 5 percent (2004)
Services
Finance, insurance, and real estate 24.2 percent (2004)
Government 10.1 percent (2004)
Information technology 5 percent (2004)
Retail trade 6.5 percent (2004)
Wholesale trade 8 percent (2004)
Other services 26.2 percent (2004)
Employment
Number of workers 4,518,000 (2006 estimate)
Unemployment rate 4.6 percent (2006 estimate)
Share of workers in unions 20.5 percent (2005)
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Share from geothermal, solar, and wind 2.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Share from hydroelectric 0.1 percent (2005 estimate)
Share from nuclear 51.8 percent (2005 estimate)
Share from thermal 46.3 percent (2005 estimate)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 141 newspapers per 1,000 people (2005 estimate)
Share of households with Internet access 60.5 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of library books circulated per resident 6.3 books per person (2002)
Length of highways 61,351 km (2004)
38,122 mi (2004)
Length of interstate highways 694 km (2004)
431 mi (2004)
Length of railroad tracks 1,476 km (2004)
917 mi (2004)
Airports 4 (2007)
Sources
The Association of American Railroads (www.aar.org), Bureau of Economic Analysis (www.bea.doc.gov), Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov), Census Bureau (www.census.gov), Energy Information Administration (www.eia.doe.gov), Federal Aviation Administration (www.faa.gov), Federal Highway Administration (www.fhwa.dot.gov), Forest Service (www.fs.fed.us), General Services Administration (www.gsa.gov), National Agricultural Statistics Service (www.usda.gov/nass), National Center for Education Statistics (nces.ed.gov), National Center for Health Statistics (www.cdc.gov/nchs), National Telecommunications and Information Administration (www.ntia.doc.gov).
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