States / New Jersey
New Jersey
80%
Population of State Living in Coastal Areas
$188 Billion
Coastal Employment
Annual Wages
17
Climate and Weather Disasters
(Affecting New Jersey 2010 to 2018)*
Coastal Demographics
Of the total population of approximately 8.9 million in New Jersey, 7.15 million people live in coastal portions of the state.
Coastal Economy
Coastal New Jersey employs almost 3 million people annually, earning a total of over $188 billion. This equates to over $461 billion in gross domestic product.
Natural Hazards
Four billion-dollar weather disasters affected New Jersey in 2018—and a total of 17 affected the state between 2010 and 2018. In 2018 alone, multiple severe storms, dozens of tornadoes, and two powerful Nor’easters caused several billion dollars’ worth of damage to states along the east coast. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused a total of over $72 billion in damages to affected states, with New York and New Jersey seeing the largest extent of damages.*

Sources:
American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates (NOAA Data)
*Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (NOAA Website)
(All economic and demographic facts represent the latest data available [2015] and are regularly updated as new data become available)
Making a Difference
in New Jersey
City Planning Includes Updated Resilience Strategies
The Takeaway: A $425,000 NOAA award provided the resources needed to identify vulnerabilities and develop evacuation plans, revise stormwater management plans, and implement living shorelines. Also created—a vulnerability index map for all 239 coastal municipalities.
Learn MoreCommunity Boosts Future Flood Resilience during Post-Sandy Recovery
The Takeaway: Elevated roads, replacement of a major city well, strengthened erosion barriers, and fortified building requirements made the city safer and lowers federal flood insurance rates.
Learn MoreEnvironmental Educators Tailor Lessons to Diverse Student Needs
The Takeaway: Students of the coast love to learn when educators reach them where they are—whether that’s online, in the field, or through the wisdom of their own culture and stewardship traditions.
Learn MoreEstuary Education Goes Virtual
The Takeaway: NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System provides online tours, activity books, and more to teachers and students.
Learn MoreImitating Nature to Decrease Future Flooding
The Takeaway: A $450,000 NOAA grant was used to ID alternative erosion-control approaches and where sea level rise is mostly likely to impact salt marsh.
Learn MoreNOAA Cheers Citizen Scientists
The Takeaway: These coastal volunteers walk the talk of science and stewardship by gathering data to help ecosystems remain vibrant and communities grow more resilient.
Learn MoreParasite-Host Findings Aid Knowledge of Temperature Impacts
The Takeaway: Research reserve data from seven states contributed to one of the first U.S. studies to quantify how temperature-parasite interactions affect the survival of both parasites and their hosts.
Learn MorePost-Sandy Preparedness Is Increasing Safety and Saving Money
The Takeaway: Coastal communities are using a self-assessment website and other tools to up their resilience game.
Learn MoreStudy Shows Public Willingness to Invest in Restoration
The Takeaway: New York City households willing to pay 3.3 times more for nature-based approaches.
Learn MoreSuperstorm Sandy NOAA Disaster Relief Appropriations
The Takeaway: The $2.4 million award emphasized partnerships and region-based, multifaceted solutions. The projects, many focused on natural infrastructure, frequently led to changes to local and state ordinances.
Learn MoreThirty Years of Horseshoe Crab Surveys Reveal Increase in Species
The Takeaway: Each year since 1990, volunteers from around the Delaware Bay estuary join forces to count and document these important, joint-legged arthropods.
Learn MoreTool Reduces Ocean Conflicts
The Takeaway: Offering a cohesive approach to offshore management, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Action Plan aids industries connected to offshore energy, tourism, undersea cables, and marine traffic.
Learn MoreTurning to Nature to Address Coastal Erosion
The Takeaway: NOAA grant used for Nature Conservancy initiative.
Learn MoreWade into Estuary Recreation at a NOAA Research Reserve
The Takeaway: Paddling azure waterways. Casting a line for that delectable campsite dinner. Spying an elusive warbler in a birder’s paradise. These adventures and many more await.
Learn More