High Rent District

New Jersey is the third most expensive state for renters, behind only California and Massachusetts, according to a national report. To afford rent and utilities for the average two-bedroom apartment in New Jersey, a family must earn an hourly wage of $20.35 or more than $42,000 a year for a 40-hour workweek. That’s 47 percent higher than in Pennsylvania, 14 percent higher than in Connecticut and 12 percent higher than in New York. It’s at least 50 percent higher in New Jersey than in 27 other states.