We're Champs, New Jersey! Say Hi To 2021's Best State To Live In

These are words that I never, EVER thought I'd ever hear expressed by somebody who doesn't live here, let alone a study that actually proves it to be true.

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The latest headline regarding the Garden State will surely be a hard pill to swallow for all the Jersey haters out there which, to be honest, makes the bit of information I'm about to reveal to you all the more sweeter. Congratulations, Jersey residents! You officially live in the best state to reside in of 2021!

Before all the haters come for residents' jugulars, don't shoot the messenger! It's a shame that I even feel like we have to apologize for winning fair and square, but we get so much hate on a regular basis that apologizing is almost a reflex at this point. According to a new survey conducted by the folks over at WalletHub.com, New Jersey comes in at number one out of all the other states in America to live in this year when comparing affordability, economy, education, health, quality of life, and safety.

When calculating factors like cost of living, unemployment rate, quality of education, and crime rate, it's probably hard to understand how in the heck we even pulled this off. For one, it's no secret that New Jersey was hit HARD by COVID-19. The state is still recovering from the pandemic's impact. However, our bounce back rate hasn't been too bad.

Source: WalletHub

When looking at how each subcategory is weighted, our ranking makes a lot more sense. Let's break down our scores, shall we? Diana Polk, WalletHub's communications manager, highlighted the areas of the study that made New Jersey the state to beat:

Living Conditions in New Jersey (1=Best; 25=Avg.)

- 7th – % of Population in Poverty

- 24th – % of Insured Population

- 18th – % of Adults in Fair or Poor Health

- 18th – Avg. Weekly Work Hours

- 7th – Restaurants per Capita

- 30th – WalletHub “States that are Recovering the Quickest from COVID-19” Rank

So, our average overall is what put us at the top. We should probably bask in this glory as much as we can while it lasts though, huh? Remember, everyone loves to hate us, so who knows how long this positive light will shine in our corner.

Source: WalletHub.com

Those of us who live here don't need a survey to tell us we're awesome, though....

10 Reasons NJ's Always The Best State To Live According To A Jersey Native

Based on a recent study, New Jersey was recently crowned the best state to live in for 2021. Since New Jersey is usually on the receiving end of heaping piles of hate on any given day, you can imagine why Jersey natives were super excited to hear this news! To them, NJ's not just number one this year, but every year. There's more to love about the Garden State than the average person thinks.