Best Community Colleges in New Jersey

Why Attend Community College in New Jersey?

New Jersey has a wide range of cohesive and highly affordable options for all types of students. One of the most affordable is the Hudson County Community College (with a net price of $4,436 per year) which is located in Jersey City. Other great options include Rutgers, the state university and Essex County College (with a net price of $7,275 per year).

What Career Pathways Are Available in New Jersey?

New Jersey is number 15 in terms of the number of job types available in the state - 756 of them to be exact. This is a whopping 4.7% higher than the national median of 722 across the U.S. In total, the state of New Jersey employs around 3.85 million people, the 11th largest labor force in the country. This works out to be slightly over 2.73% of the total nation’s labor force, placing the state in the 80th percentile. Comparing this to the median state of Oregon (1.825 million employees) and it’s clear that New Jersey is quite a bit more successful in terms of job employment - outscoring it’s median competitor by a whopping 110.9%, or by more than 2 million total professionals. The Garden State is particularly renowned for its pharmaceutical industry, as well as its technology and financial sectors.

What Are The Most Common Jobs in New Jersey?

New Jersey is a hotspot for many employers, and as such, many different jobs have become commonplace. Some of the most popular positions include receptionists, general managers, and software developers.

Receptionists

The state of New Jersey is the 5th largest for receptionists and information clerks, employing 52,670 such professionals across the state. Although Texas boasts the highest number at 82,220 (so slightly more than double the output of New Jersey), the salary comparisons are solid. In fact, New Jersey has the 8th highest median salary for this profession at $36,350 vs Texas, whose median salary actually is slightly lower than New Jersey’s.

General Managers

New Jersey ranks 21st in the nation for general and operations managers at 48,310. When considering the national total of 2.98 million, New Jersey is responsible for just 1.62% of the nation’s total. Where the Garden State really shines, though, is in its compensation - it offers the 2nd highest median salary in the nation at $149,290 each year. That’s better than 98% of states at just 2% of the nation’s total.

Software Developers

New Jersey also ranks among the most popular states for software developers, employing up to 46,630 such professionals. The median salary for software developers in the state is $127,100, which places it at 8th in the nation vs the national median of Pennsylvania ($100,720). This means that developers in New Jersey can expect a median salary of 26.2% more than the national median. If you perform high, you may even be eligible additional upside of 33% (which would put you in the 90th percentile of software developer earners in the state).