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Comparing New Jersey and California for Business
Where can your business innovate for the future?
California and New Jersey have long histories of innovation. Before Silicon Valley, New Jersey was the center of invention and discovery in the U.S., from Thomas Edison to the renowned scientists and engineers at Bell Labs. Today, New Jersey is reclaiming its legacy, and forging a new chapter. For companies looking to relocate, expand, or start up, geography may be the deciding factor. New Jersey offers same business day dealings with European countries, in addition to a talented workforce and a more affordable cost of living and doing business.
Choose New Jersey has provided the following stats and ranking to consider between New Jersey and California. If you don’t see the information you’re looking for, please submit a request to Choose New Jersey with your inquiry. All resources provided by Choose New Jersey are complementary.
Statistics and Rankings: New Jersey & California
Innovation Rankings
| wdt_ID | Ranking | New Jersey | California |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Public Schools¹ | 1 | 23 |
| 2 | Concentration of scientists and engineers² | 1 | 9 |
| 3 | Broadband Access³ | 1 | 13 |
| 4 | NAEP Reading⁴ | 2 | 34 |
| 5 | High School Graduation Rate⁴ | 2 | 29 |
| 6 | Concentration of employees working for FDI companies⁵ | 3 | 24 |
| 7 | Public Transit Usage⁶ | 2 | 9 |
| 8 | NAEP Math⁴ | 4 | 38 |
| 9 | College Readiness⁴ | 5 | 31 |
| 10 | Patents from 1976-2020⁷ | 11 | 1 |
| 11 | Minority Business Ownership⁸ | 6 | 2 |
| 12 | Advanced Credentials⁹ | 7 | 25 |
| 14 | Top Company HQs¹⁰ | 12 | 18 |
Future STEM Workforces¹¹
| wdt_ID | Programs and Occupations | SOC Codes | New Jersey (Degrees Awarded) | California (Degrees Awarded) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Total Degrees Awarded | 35,436 | 180,217 | |
| 3 | % of STEM awards to all graduates | 34% | 27% | |
| 4 | Agriculture, General | 1 | 8 | 302 |
| 5 | Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 3.01 | 289 | 3,202 |
| 6 | Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services | 11 | 4,935 | 19,741 |
| 7 | Engineering | 14 | 5,223 | 24,575 |
| 8 | Engineering Technologies and Engineering-Related Fields | 15 | 1,397 | 6,722 |
| 9 | Biological and Biomedical Sciences | 26 | 3,851 | 19,750 |
| 10 | Mathematics and Statistics | 27 | 1,351 | 9,166 |
| 11 | Physical Sciences | 40 | 1,077 | 7,971 |
| 12 | Science Technologies/Technicians | 41 | 71 | 68 |
| 13 | Health Professions and Related Programs | 51 | 17,234 | 88,720 |
General Stats
| wdt_ID | Stat | New Jersey | California |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | % of GDP¹² | 3% | 8% |
| 2 | Population¹³ | 8,882,190 | 19,378,102 |
| 3 | Square Mileage¹⁴ | 8,722 sq mi. | 54,556 |
Rankings
| wdt_ID | Stats | New Jersey | California |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Early Childhood Education¹⁵ | 1 | 12 |
| 12 | Raising a Child¹⁶ | 1 | 13 |
| 13 | Public Safety¹⁷ | 4 | 35 |
| 14 | Air and Water Quality¹⁸ | 5 | 15 |
| 15 | Health Care¹⁹ | 6 | 7 |
| 16 | Economic Opportunity²⁰ | 6 | 20 |
| 17 | Diversity²¹ | 4 | 1 |
| 18 | Economic Impact of Immigration²² | 3 | 2 |
Real Estate
| wdt_ID | Type | New Jersey | California |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Class A Office Space²³ | $36.78 (North), $30.44 (Central), $24.67 (South) | $86.31 (San Francisco), $40.23 (Los Angeles), $44.36 (San Diego) |
| 4 | LAB Space²⁴ | $22.28 (Statewide) | $49.21 (San Francisco), $47.28 (San Diego), $17.79 (Los Angeles) |
| 7 | FLEX Space²⁵ | $13.39 (Statewide) | $22.68 (Statewide) |
| 8 | Industrial Space²⁶ | $6.77 (North), $7.43 (Central), $6.18 (South) | $19.02 (San Francisco), $10.85 (Los Angeles), $13.28 (San Diego) |
Sources:
¹Education Week, Quality Counts 2020, ²National Science Foundation: Science & Engineering Indicators 2020, ³Broadband Now 2020, ⁴US News & Work Report: 2020 Pre-K-12 Ranking, ⁵Bureau of Economic Analysis: Activities of US Affiliates of Foreign Multinational Enterprises 2017, ⁶US News & Work Report: 2020 Transportation Rankings, ⁷US Patent & Trademark Office 2020, ⁸US Census 2016 Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs, ⁹Lumina Foundation: A Stronger Nation Report 2020 South NJ Q1 2020, ¹⁰US News & World Report: 2020 Business Enviroment Ranking, ¹¹JobsEQ, ¹²Bureau of Economic Analysis: GDP by State Q1 2020, ¹³US Census 2019, ¹⁴enchantedlearning.com: US States Area and Ranking, ¹⁵24/7 Wall Street: States with the Best & Worst Early Education May 2018, ¹⁶Save the Children 2020, ¹⁷US News & World Report: 2020 Public Safety Ranking, ¹⁸US News & World Report: 2020 Air & Water Quality Rankings, ¹⁹US News & World Report: 2020 Health Care, ²⁰US News & World Report: 2020 Economic Opportunity Rankings, ²¹WalletHub: Most & Least Diverse States in America September 2019, ²²WalletHub: Economic Impact of Immigrants by state, ²³Cushman & Wakefield Office Marketbeat Q2 2020 (Q1 2020 South NJ), ²⁴JLL 2019 Life Sciences Outlook, ²⁵Flex CoStar Analytics August 2020, ²⁶Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat for Manufacturing Q2 2020 (Q1 2020 South NJ)
Welcome to New Jersey, the State of Innovation
New Jersey’s highly-educated workforce, robust infrastructure, and strategic East Coast location can take your business to the next level. We surpass our competitors in many key areas, including education, talent, diversity and quality of life. What’s more, we offer all the accessibility at a more affordable cost than other major metro areas like New York City, Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area. We invite you to discover all the possibilities of a New Jersey location:
- Hire from the highest concentration of scientists and engineers per square mile in the U.S.
- Reach 40% of the U.S. population within a day’s drive from anywhere in the State
- Find a new home here as the #1 state to raise children with the #1 public school system in the U.S.
- Partner with top higher education institutions including the #1 university in the U.S. for 9 consecutive years — Princeton University
- Feel welcomed within our vibrant multicultural communities. New Jersey is proud of our immigrant history as 4th most diverse state in the nation with a 45% minority population.
- Plug into most connected state in the U.S. with leading broadband access
New Jersey’s Key Industries:
A strong workforce and location, diverse culture and lifestyle options, and established industry foundations make New Jersey the place to be for business. Choose New Jersey suggests the following industries inquire for more information:
- Logistics
- Cybersecurity
- Fintech
- Clean Energy
- Financial Services
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Life Sciences
- Food Innovation
- Technology
- Film and Digital Media
- Cell & Gene Therapy
- Biotechnology
Choose New Jersey is Here To Help
Choose New Jersey is a private, non-profit economic development organization for the state of New Jersey. Relocation & expansion services, such as detailed market assessments, as well as site visits and economic development connections, are all complementary resources for businesses to take advantage of through the organization. Keep in touch with what’s going on in New Jersey by subscribing to our newsletter or, if you’re ready to get started, please fill out the form below to tell us how we can help.
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WHAT CAN CHOOSE New Jersey DO FOR YOU
Relocation & Expansion Services
We provide customized RFI responses, demographics, detailed market assessments and other complimentary business relocation and expansion services. When your company chooses to grow in New Jersey, we also will help you publicize your good news.
Site Visits
We’ll make your property search seamless, so you find the site that best meets your relocation or expansion needs.
Economic Development Connections
Our public and private partners provide a wide range of services. From higher education research collaboration to regulatory and legal assistance to workforce training, they’ll ensure you have a smooth landing.
Rena Sherman
Research Manager
Bill Noonan
Chief Business Development Officer