Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Jersey instead of Maryland, you would:
Health
be 10.2% less likely to be obese
In Maryland, 33.4% of adults are obese as of 2022. In New Jersey, that number is 30.0% of people as of 2022.
be 13.0% less likely to have diabetes
In Maryland, 10.8% of adults have diabetes as of 2022. In New Jersey, that number is 9.4% as of 2022.
Economy
be 21.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Maryland, 3.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Jersey, that number is 4.5% as of 2025.
Safety
be 48.8% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
Maryland has a violent crime rate of 420 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Jersey, that number is 215 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 27.5% less likely to be a victim of property crime
Maryland has a property crime rate of 2,043 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Jersey, that number is 1,481 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
be 35.6% more likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In Maryland, 7.3% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In New Jersey, that number is 9.9% as of 2023.
be 11.5% less likely to be food insecure
In Maryland, 9.6% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In New Jersey, that number is 8.5% as of 2021.
be 18.3% more likely to be uninsured
In Maryland, 6.0% of the population is without health insurance as of 2023. In New Jersey, that number is 7.1% as of 2023.
live in an area that is 98.8% more densely populated
Maryland has a population density of 245.6 people per sq km as of 2023. In New Jersey, that number is 488.2 people per sq km as of 2023.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), OECD Regional Demography (2023), Feeding America (2021). How we calculate this
