Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Rhode Island instead of New Jersey, you would:
Economy
be 10.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In New Jersey, 9.3% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Rhode Island, however, that number is 10.3% as of 2023.
make 19.6% less money
New Jersey has a GDP per capita of $70,788 as of 2024, while in Rhode Island, the GDP per capita is $56,938 as of 2024.
Safety
be 23.4% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
New Jersey has a violent crime rate of 215 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Rhode Island, that number is 165 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 25.6% less likely to be a victim of property crime
New Jersey has a property crime rate of 1,481 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Rhode Island, that number is 1,102 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 13.8% less for a home
The median home value in New Jersey is $427,600 as of 2023, compared to $368,800 in Rhode Island as of 2023.
pay 23.0% less in rent
The median monthly gross rent in New Jersey is $1,653 as of 2023, while in Rhode Island, it is $1,273 as of 2023.
earn 14.5% less money
The median household income in New Jersey is $101,050 as of 2023, while in Rhode Island, it is $86,372 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
commute 5.4 minutes less
The average one-way commute in New Jersey takes 30.9 minutes as of 2023. In Rhode Island, it takes 25.5 minutes as of 2023.
be 40.8% less likely to be uninsured
In New Jersey, 7.1% of the population is without health insurance as of 2023. In Rhode Island, that number is 4.2% as of 2023.
live in an area that is 16.5% less densely populated
New Jersey has a population density of 488.2 people per sq km as of 2023. In Rhode Island, that number is 407.8 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 15.1% more likely to smoke
In New Jersey, 11.9% of adults smoke as of 2022. In Rhode Island, that number is 13.7% as of 2022.
be 10.3% less likely to have a bachelor's degree
In New Jersey, 29.0% of the population holds a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2023. In Rhode Island, that number is 26.0% as of 2023.
be 33.3% less likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In New Jersey, 9.9% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In Rhode Island, that number is 6.6% as of 2023.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), OECD Regional Demography (2023). How we calculate this
