From Rutgers Today, April 29, 2026
New Jersey Housing Construction Rose Sharply in the Early 2020s
A Rutgers study sheds light on emerging production trends amid housing availability shortfalls in the Garden State
New Jersey is on pace to build about 45% more houses in the 2020s than were built in the 2010s, an emerging shift in long-term construction trends identified in the latest Rutgers Regional Report published this month.
From 2020 to 2024, the state produced nearly 180,000 housing units and experienced its strongest five-year production level since the 1980s. If trends persist, the potential production upswing of the 2020s – 359,300 units – would represent the highest decade of the 21st century.
From Farmland to Suburban Front Yards to High Density Frontiers: Housing Production in the Garden State Since 1940 marks the 42nd installment of the Rutgers Regional Report and provides a long-term perspective on the cyclical nature of housing production trends in New Jersey. The report was authored by James W. Hughes, a university professor and dean emeritus of Rutgers’ Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and Connie Hughes, former chief of management and policy in the New Jersey Office of the Governor.
Altogether, these economic, demographic and geographic factors provide a broader framework for understanding recent housing production trends within the state’s evolving economic and population landscape.
James W. Hughes
Professor and Dean Emeritus, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
“New Jersey’s housing production rollercoaster has been defined by long-term crests and falls since the 1940s – from the postwar golden age of home building in the 1950s and 1960s to the prolonged slowdown that followed,” James Hughes said. “The increase in construction during the 2020s so far suggests a potential turning point that adds important context to ongoing policy discussions about housing supply in New Jersey.”
As the nation’s most densely populated state, New Jersey faces persistent pressure on its housing supply.
“A key question going forward is whether this production uptrend can be sustained or expanded, and whether it will be sufficient to meet growing housing demand in the state,” Connie Hughes said. “Public policy discussions benefit from recognizing the long‑term economic and demographic forces that have consistently shaped housing production in New Jersey.”
Beyond housing production data, the authors of the Rutgers Regional Report also examine how long‑term economic cycles, demographic change and shifting development patterns have influenced where and how housing has been built throughout the state since the 1940s.
For example, after decades of suburban‑oriented growth, the 2000s marked the beginning of a renewed focus on urban redevelopment in New Jersey. During that period, Hudson County emerged as one of the more prominent centers of housing production, with its share of statewide construction increasing significantly compared with the 1990s.
“Altogether, these economic, demographic, and geographic factors provide a broader framework for understanding recent housing production trends within the state’s evolving economic and population landscape,” James Hughes said.
The Rutgers Regional Report was published by the Rutgers University Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation within the School of Engineering.
Now in its 37th year, the Rutgers Regional Report series was established in 1989 to provide timely analysis of economic, demographic, and development trends affecting New Jersey and the broader region. The reports are designed to inform policymakers, planners, business leaders, educators and the public by placing current issues within a broader historical and regional context.