New Jersey Is One Of The Best States To Live In

I know NJ is the butt of a lot of jokes. I also know that it seems like everyone who lives here is not happy with living here. Maybe it's one of those "grass is greener on the other side" situations, because while we gripe and moan about everything, from the outside NJ is apparently a really good state to live in.

How "good" is "good"? Anything over 25th would be above average, but NJ goes way past that - not just Top 10, not just Top 5, but according to 24/7 Wall St, New Jersey is the THIRD BEST STATE!

Here's what they say about the Garden State:

> 10-yr. population change: +2.3% (12th lowest)
> 2018 unemployment: 4.1% (15th highest)
> Poverty rate: 9.5% (5th lowest)
> Life expectancy at birth: 80.5 years (6th longest)
Along with Massachusetts and Connecticut, New Jersey is one of three states in the Northeast to rank among the five best states to live in. Like those other states, New Jersey has a well-educated population, with a bachelor’s degree attainment rate of 40.8%, well above the comparable national rate of 32.6%. New Jersey is also a relatively prosperous state, with a median annual household income of $81,740 — nearly $20,000 more than the national median.
Like most of the best states to live in, New Jersey is relatively safe. There were just 208 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in New Jersey in 2018, well below the national violent crime rate of 369 per 100,000.

This is...blowing my mind. Our population is apparently growing over the past year, despite what seems like daily stories about people fleeing, and even personal anecdotal evidence that everyone I know is looking to move out. And the fact that we make more money than the national average doesn't mean anything when you realize that it costs a lot more to buy a house or rent an apartment than the national average.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to live in one of the Best States, I'm just saying I don't totally agree with the reasons they say we're the best.