Is $80,000 a good salary in New Jersey?
$80,000 in New Jersey is a below-median household income - the 39th percentile of New Jersey households in the Census ACS 2024 distribution (49th nationally). A single filer keeps about $57,679 after federal, New Jersey state, and FICA taxes - roughly $4,807/mo at a 28% effective rate. Statewide median rent takes 26% of gross, inside the affordable band.
Estimate only - not financial advice. Methodology and sources.
Census ACS 2024 1-year data (tables B19080, B19013), verified . Reviewed by kgenots, Editor. Methodology
New Jersey household income distribution (ACS 2024)
New Jersey's own published cut-points - where $80,000 sits is highlighted. These are the actual Census quintile thresholds for New Jersey, not the national distribution rescaled.
| Percentile | Band | Household income |
|---|---|---|
| 20th percentile | Bottom 20% | $43,271✓ passed |
| 40th percentile | Lower-middle | $81,965 |
| 50th percentile (median) | Median household | $104,294 |
| 60th percentile | Upper-middle | $130,601 |
| 80th percentile | Top 20% starts | $207,697 |
| 95th percentile (top 5%) | Top 5% starts | $250,001 |
$80,000 clears the 20th percentile threshold in New Jersey - placing it at the 39th percentile of state households.
Take-home pay on $80,000 in New Jersey
| Gross income | $80,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$9,214 |
| New Jersey state income tax | −$6,988 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$4,960 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$1,160 |
| Take-home (net) | $57,679 |
That's about $4,807/month net, an effective tax rate of 27.9%. New Jersey's average combined sales tax is 6.63%, charged on taxable spending out of that net - a consumption cost on top of the income tax above.
Single filer, 2025 federal brackets + standard deduction. State tax uses New Jersey's top/flat marginal rate, so in progressive-bracket states (e.g. California, New York) the state line is an upper bound and your actual net is likely a little higher. Married-filing-jointly and pre-tax 401(k)/health deductions also change the result. Estimate only - New Jersey take-home detail →
Occupations near $80,000 (single earner)
BLS national median wages within ±15% of $80,000 - gives texture for which careers and seniorities land at this income level.
| Occupation | Stage | National wage |
|---|---|---|
| Truck driver (heavy) | senior | $80,000 |
| Lawyer | entry-level | $79,000 |
| Accountant | mid-career | $81,680 |
| Petroleum engineer | entry-level | $84,000 |
| Air traffic controller | entry-level | $75,000 |
| Police officer | mid-career | $74,910 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024. National medians; metro/state variance can be ±30%. Career stage estimates: entry ≈ 25th pct, senior ≈ 75th pct of the same SOC code.
Lifestyle context - rent burden in New Jersey
At $80,000 gross, statewide median rent eats 26% of income - inside the affordable band. Metro areas (LA, SF, NYC, Boston, Seattle) typically run 30-50% above the statewide median.
Home affordability at $80,000
Using the 28% rule on a 30-year mortgage, $80,000 gross supports a home purchase up to about $215,850. New Jersey median home value is $427,600 - you can afford 50% of the median home, so buying requires lower-priced markets, a larger down payment, or co-buying.
How $80,000 ranks in neighboring states
State-adjusted percentile shows the same income placed in New Jersey's contiguous neighbors. Relevant for relocation, remote-work geography, or border-town decisions.
| State | Median HH | % vs median | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey (current) | $104,294 | -23% | 39th |
| Pennsylvania | $77,545 | +3% | 51st |
| New York | $85,820 | -7% | 47th |
| Delaware | $87,534 | -9% | 46th |
$80,000 ranks similarly in
Other incomes in New Jersey
Common questions
- Is $80,000 a good household income in New Jersey?
- It sits at roughly the 39th percentile of New Jersey households in the state's own Census ACS 2024 income distribution (New Jersey median $104,294). Nationally that's about the 49th percentile. Whether "good" depends on household size, debt, and metro cost of living - state figures smooth over big within-state variation.
- How does $80,000 compare to the New Jersey median?
- It's 23% below the New Jersey median household income of $104,294 (Census ACS 2024, table B19013). Half of New Jersey households earn less than $104,294, half earn more.
- How exact is the 39th percentile figure for $80,000?
- It is interpolated, not read off a published table. The Census publishes New Jersey household income only at quintile cut-points, and $80,000 falls between the 20th-percentile cut-point ($43,271) and the 40th-percentile cut-point ($81,965). We interpolate linearly between those two published points, so the figure is accurate to a few percentile points, not to the decimal.
- What is the highest income New Jersey's data can rank?
- New Jersey's published 95th-percentile cut-point is $250,001, below the $250,001 level at which the Census top-codes this measure. That means percentile positions in New Jersey stay meaningful across the full range shown here, unlike in higher-income states where the top bracket is censored.
Full data sources and formulas: /sources.
Source and methodology
Data source. New Jersey household income distribution comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates: table B19080 (quintile upper limits) and table B19013 (median household income), retrieved via the Census Reporter API on 2026-07-11.
How the percentile is derived. The Census publishes New Jersey only at the cut-points shown in the table above. We interpolate linearly between the two published points that bracket $80,000 ($43,271 and $81,965). We do not rescale one national curve by a state median, which is what most percentile calculators do.
Limitations. Interpolated positions are accurate to a few percentile points, not to the decimal. New Jersey's 95th-percentile cut-point is $250,001, below the $250,001 top-code ceiling, so ranks stay meaningful across the range shown. State-level figures also smooth over large metro-to-rural variation within New Jersey.
US household income percentile calculator → Income percentile by state (all 50) → Full methodology →
Estimate only - not financial advice. Percentiles are interpolated from US Census Bureau ACS household income distribution tables and describe where an income falls nationally - they are not a judgment of what you should earn or financial advice. Cost of living varies widely by state and metro.
Reviewed by kgenots, Editor · editorial policy