New Data Shows NJ Residents Now Must Work Harder For Bare Minimum To Survive

• Americans now work up to 87 days a year just to afford life’s basic necessities, and for many of us here in New Jersey, it definitely feels like it.

Have you ever wondered how much of your year is spent just to earn for survival? Not family time or vacations, but rent, groceries, and a used car? I’ve certainly found myself wondering how far my dollar is stretching these days.

Apparently, it isn’t very far.

My mom was a single mom who busted her butt to make sure I had a decent life, yet nowadays I feel like I have to work harder than she did to reap even less of a reward. That’s especially true for people here in the Garden State.

Apparently, I'm onto something...

Americans Are Now Working More Just To Cover The Basics

According to a recent analysis, Americans now work up to 87 workdays a year just to afford three core essentials: housing, food, and transportation.

What’s even more wild is that wages have actually increased by almost 70% since 2007, but the cost of those necessities has climbed even faster. That means that even though we’re technically earning more money, it doesn’t stretch nearly as far as it used to.

• READ MORE: A Lot Of South Jersey Residents Live Too Far From The Cheapest Grocery Store In NJ

That's a big reason why so many people feel like they’re running on a financial treadmill. Plenty of people here in NJ do, for sure.

The cost of living squeeze is certainly real.

The analysis compared hourly earnings with the rising costs of everyday necessities across all 50 states between 2007 and 2025. Most states are definitely feeling the squeeze right about now.

• READ MORE: NJ Drivers Face Largest Insurance Hike After Accidents

Housing costs in particular have skyrocketed, which helps explain another surprising finding from a recent LendingTree survey: about one-third of Americans say they’re actually hoping for a housing market crash just so they can finally afford a home.

That might sound extreme, but it shows just how desperate things have started to feel.

Why It Feels Like We Work Even Harder For Less In NJ Right Now

If you live in New Jersey, this probably isn’t surprising.

Between higher housing prices, rising grocery bills, and transportation costs, the amount of work it takes just to cover the basics can feel overwhelming. For many millennials especially (like me), it can feel like we’re doing everything right. We’re working hard, paying bills, trying to get ahead, but still barely keeping up.

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It's BEYOND frustrating.

More and more Americans aren’t trading their time for progress anymore. They’re trading it just to survive. It's so sad.