The overall average in New Jersey for what is considered to be middle class income for a family of four is between $60,000 and $177,000 a year.
According to Rutgers University economist James Hughes, “middle class” can mean many things these days. But “somebody earning $60,000 in New Jersey would really be struggling to say they’re in the middle class.”
New Jersey implemented paid family leave (PFL) in 2009, called the Family Leave Insurance program, and expanded it 10 years later to increase wage replacement rates, lengthen leave duration, and broaden eligibility. In 2026, additional amendments expanded access to...
Some bold and creative urban planning and design proposals emerged from the Spring 2026 graduate cohort of Graphic Communications, taught by Prof. Carmelo Ignaccolo and Lab Assistant Vivek Dsouza. In this course, Masters in City and Regional Planning students develop...
By Nicholas V. Longo and Elizabeth C. Matto As the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it is worth highlighting a revision made as the document was being crafted. In an early draft, Thomas Jefferson referred to the colonists as...
On Monday, June 22nd, the New Jersey State Policy Lab’s summer intern cohort joined with students from the Eagleton Institute of Politics, the Rutgers Democracy Lab, and the Rutgers Scarlet Service Internship program as part of an immersive, one-day civics program at...
The Bloustein School is pleased to announce the recent promotion of Dr. Michael Smart to Professor and Dr. Nicholas Longo, Director of the Rutgers Democracy Lab, on appointment and tenure as a Professor in the Bloustein School. “I am thrilled to recognize these...