Thursday, June 18, 2026
The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) shows that 859,026 New Jerseyans lived below the federal poverty level (FPL) in 2024—a slight decline from 9.7% in 2023 to 9.2% in 2024. Any number of individuals or families lifted from poverty is welcome news. However, a deeper analysis suggests a cautious interpretation, as the decline is minimal and not statistically significant. Most importantly, analysis of poverty using the FPL threshold underestimates the number of residents actually facing financial hardships in New Jersey. PRI’s research suggests that the Census’ FPL figure misses more than 2.2 million residents experiencing such hardships in the state. Overall, about 3 million New Jerseyans experienced deprivation in 2024—three times the figure reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. This is because the federal government’s 60-year-old method of calculating poverty is outdated, and ignores local differences in the cost of living. As a result, it severely understates poverty for high-cost states like New Jersey. This essential context must be borne in mind before interpreting any data on poverty for New Jersey. The hard reality is that poverty remains deeply entrenched, with millions left behind—a paradox for a state considered among the wealthiest in the nation.