Who Should NOT Move to New Jersey?
New Jersey is probably not the right fit for movers expecting a low overall tax burden, anyone assuming its flood risk is confined to the Jersey Shore, anyone counting on genuine statewide housing affordability, or anyone underweighting the state's real, current, and sizable net outbound-migration pattern.
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Learn moreMovers expecting a low overall tax burden
Anyone assuming New Jersey's comparatively simple sales tax or its graduated (often-modest-at-lower-incomes) income tax adds up to an overall low-tax state should reconsider: New Jersey's real, nation-leading property tax rate applies regardless of income level, and this record does not let the state's other, comparatively lighter taxes offset that reality.
Anyone assuming New Jersey's flood risk is confined to the Jersey Shore
Anyone assuming New Jersey's flood risk only applies to Shore-adjacent properties should reconsider, given the real, separate inland flood risk FEMA rates high or very-high in 13 of New Jersey's 21 counties -- reaching well past the Shore into North, Central, and South Jersey.
Anyone counting on genuine statewide housing affordability
Anyone counting on genuine statewide housing affordability should reconsider, given New Jersey's real ranking among the five most expensive states in the nation by average home value ($584,681, June 2026) -- even accounting for South Jersey's and the Skylands's more affordable pockets.
Anyone underweighting New Jersey's real, current net outbound-migration pattern
This pass's own research (distinct from new-jersey.js's own metrics, which did not identify a comparably sourced domestic-migration breakdown) finds United Van Lines' 2025 National Movers Study naming New Jersey the nation's top outbound state for the eighth consecutive year, with roughly 62% of tracked New Jersey moves being outbound. Separately, Census Bureau data shows New Jersey recorded a net domestic-migration loss of roughly 35,554 residents in 2024, with many former residents relocating to Pennsylvania, New York, and Florida. This is a real, current, and disclosed pattern -- not proof New Jersey is a poor fit for everyone, since the state's overall population is still real and modestly growing (driven by international immigration and natural increase), but a real factor anyone weighing New Jersey against lower-cost alternatives should know about directly.
Key takeaways
- Probably not the right fit for movers expecting New Jersey's simple sales tax or graduated income tax to translate into an overall low-tax state -- property tax is the real, dominant cost.
- Probably not the right fit for anyone assuming New Jersey's flood risk is Shore-only, given the real, separate inland flood risk in 13 of 21 counties.
- Probably not the right fit for anyone counting on genuine statewide housing affordability, given New Jersey's real top-5 ranking for average home value nationally.
- This pass's own research finds New Jersey the nation's top outbound state for the 8th straight year (United Van Lines, 2025) and a real 2024 net domestic-migration loss of roughly 35,554 residents -- a real, disclosed factor to weigh.
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