Top 50 Most Popular Jobs and Salaries In New Jersey That You Can Find
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| Top 50 Most Popular Jobs In New Jersey That You Can Find |
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New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware River and Pennsylvania; and on the southwest by Delaware Bay and the state of Delaware. At 7,354 square miles (19,050 km2), New Jersey is the fifth-smallest state based on land area, but with close to 9.3 million residents, is the 11th-most populous and the most densely populated state. New Jersey's state capital is Trenton, while the state's most populous city is Newark.
You can choose a career based on whether you have a talent for it or if it pays a big salary. But spending the money and time for training won't do you any good if there are zero job openings in your chosen field. The total employment in New Jersey is 3,850,220. The most popular job is the retail salesperson profession, which employs 103,110 people (2.68 percent of the total employment in New Jersey). The second most common job is the laborers and freight, stock, and material mover profession which employs 87,520 people (2.27 percent of the total employment).
Here are the 50 most popular jobs that you can find in New Jersey.
The benefits of working and living in New Jersey
Endless possibilities
New Jersey is the best place in the U.S. to live, work and play. From leafy parks and historical sites to artsy downtowns with breweries and cafes, New Jersey has it all. Close to urban centers in every direction, including a quick train ride into Manhattan or Philadelphia, New Jersey is a vibrant mix of bucolic and bustle, charm and culture. We are home to mountains, beaches, lakes, and cityscapes – perfect for date nights or daytime adventures. New Jersey is home to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and offers convenient proximity to surrounding John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). With so many avenues at your advantage, New Jersey can truly transport you anywhere. Maybe that’s why New Jersey has been named the “most mentally and physically fit state” according to WalletHub’s Happiest States in America list.
Arts & Culture
New Jersey has many thriving downtowns with full of art galleries, performing arts centers, unique shops, restaurants and other cultural attractions. Stroll Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair for boutique shopping and ethnic cuisine after a visit to the Montclair Art Museum. Enjoy a day discovering antiques and art studios in Lambertville. Somerville is popular for its outdoor music festivals, arts and craft shows and street fairs. In Newark, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) inspires and enlightens with dance, music, comedy and conversations. Red Bank is home to a mix of upscale retailers and small businesses, including Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash – a comic store owned by famous New Jerseyan Kevin Smith. Catch a show at Broadway Theatre in Pitman and peruse the shelves at independent bookstore Words Matter.
Garden State eats
New Jersey has been named the “most edible state” by Savuer and the “food capital of America” by Public Radio International (PRI). Our food culture is driven by our rich immigrant communities, agriculture industry and the world’s highest density of diners. New Jersey is where every culture, palate and delicacy is celebrated.
Jersey City is a foodie destination and home to Razza – maker of New York’s best pizza according to The New York Times. Newark’s lronbound District is the go-to neighborhood for contemporary twists on old fashioned Portuguese, Spanish and Brazilian dining. From dosas to biryani, America’s best Indian food can be found in Edison and Iselin. Hoboken’s Carlo’s Bakery is where “Cake Boss” Buddy Valestro creates his famous cakes and cannoli. The White House Sub Shop in Atlantic City has been making its iconic hoagies since 1946. Trenton is famous for its pork roll (or Taylor ham) and tomato pie. The freshest farm-to-table dining can be found at upscale restaurants in Princeton.
Sports & Stadiums
Sports are a key component of New Jersey’s thriving entertainment scene. Our State is home to major league teams in football, soccer, and hockey. The New Jersey Devils, Newark’s NHL ice hockey team, are the face of the Prudential Center. While they may share a New York name, the New York Giants and the New York Jets also share a home field in New Jersey at MetLife Stadium. MLS soccer team the New York Red Bulls and NWSL team NJ/NY Gotham FC (formerly Sky Blue FC) are also based in Harrison, NJ.
New Jersey also boasts an impressive roster of collegiate sports. We are home to several D1 teams, including Rutgers Basketball, Rutgers Football, and Seton Hall Basketball. Rutgers Football is proudly part of the East Division of the Big Ten.
Outdoor Recreation
Home to all 4 seasons and a variety of geographical diversity, New Jersey provides exciting recreational opportunities.
Outdoor adventure-seekers can enjoy rafting down the Delaware River, exploring wetlands in Atlantic County or skiing at Mountain Creek Resort. The Sourland Mountain Preserve is perfect for hiking and biking. New Jersey is also ideal for golf enthusiasts – Pine Valley golf course is ranked #1 in the U.S. according to Golf Digest.
Branch Brook Park in Newark is home to 5,000+ cherry blossom trees (more than Washington, D.C.) that burst into full bloom during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in April. Many enjoy strolling through botanical and sculpture gardens like Frelinghuysen Arboretum or Grounds for Sculpture. Island Beach State Park was named the #1 state park in the U.S. according to HomeToGo.com in 2018.
New Jersey is full of Revolutionary War history. Trenton is considered the “Crossroads of the Revolution” where George Washington crossed the Delaware River in 1776. The Morristown National Historical Park preserves the home to General Washington and the Continental Army’s winter encampment.
What are the 50 most popular jobs that you can find in New Jersey?
1. Retail Salespersons
Employment: 103,110
Average Salary: $29,390
Writing an eye-catching position description is a vital component of finding and retaining the top performers. Sorting through endless stacks of resumes from applicants who miss the mark is not something a hiring manager or recruiter should be doing. An attractive and well-written position description weeds out those who are unqualified or not eager to join your group. Taking the time to write a spot-on job post before the resumes begin flowing into your inbox will save you hours of time. Below is a Retail Salesperson job description sample to help you write a good position description.
2. Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers
Employment: 87,520
Average Salary: $31,010
Manually move freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or perform other general labor. Includes all manual laborers not elsewhere classified.
Move freight, stock, or other materials to and from storage or production areas, loading docks, delivery vehicles, ships, or containers, by hand or using trucks, tractors, or other equipment.
Sort cargo before loading and unloading.
Attach identifying tags to containers or mark them with identifying information.
Read work orders or receive oral instructions to determine work assignments or material or equipment needs.
Stack cargo in locations, such as transit sheds or in holds of ships as directed, using pallets or cargo boards.
3. Cashiers
Employment: 86,750
Average Salary: $28,560
Cashiers scan items, ensure that prices are quantities are correct, and collect payments. They also assist customers by explaining or recommending items, answering questions, and processing exchanges or refunds.
4. Registered Nurses
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| Photo: Nurse Plus Academy |
Employment: 77,980
Average Salary: $94,690
A registered nurse, or RN, typically monitors patients, administers medications, keeps records, consults with healthcare providers, educates patients and more. They typically do not need to meet the master's degree requirement of a nurse practitioner.
5. Stockers and Order Fillers
Employment: 74,430
Average Salary: $30,230
Receive, store, and issue merchandise, materials, equipment, and other items from stockroom, warehouse, or storage yard to fill shelves, racks, tables, or customers' orders. May operate power equipment to fill orders. May mark prices on merchandise and set up sales displays.
6. Home Health and Personal Care Aides
Employment: 72,620
Average Salary: $29,500
A Home Health Aide is a medical professional who is responsible for helping their clients with day-to-day tasks, like bathing and dressing. They may also be responsible for light housekeeping duties such as doing laundry or dishes to ensure patients’ home healthcare health and well-being.
7. Packers and Packagers
Employment: 71,880
Average Salary: $36,060
A packager helps ensure that manufactured items are ready for shipment by placing them into containers, sealing and labeling the items, and preparing the item for transport. Another common name for this position is product packager.
8. Customer Service Representatives
Employment: 67,610
Average Salary: $38,260
Customer service representatives help customers with complaints and questions, give customers information about products and services, take orders, and process returns. By helping customers understand the product and answering questions about their reservations, they are sometimes seen as having a role in sales.
9. Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
Employment: 63,170
Average Salary: $33,440
Keep buildings in clean and orderly condition. Perform heavy cleaning duties, such as cleaning floors, shampooing rugs, washing walls and glass, and removing rubbish. Duties may include tending furnace and boiler, performing routine maintenance activities, notifying management of need for repairs, and cleaning snow or debris from sidewalk.
10. Office Clerks, General
Employment: 61,310
Average Salary: $37,920
An Office Clerk is a professional who performs various tasks around an office, such as typing documents, answering phone calls and filing records. The specific duties vary depending on the employer’s needs for an individual position.
11. Fast Food and Counter Workers
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| Photo: The Balance Careers |
Employment: 58,300
Average Salary: $28,510
Fast food workers take and fill customers' orders for food and drinks. They assemble some items, such as sandwiches and salads. They also collect payment. They include crew members, team members, store associates, cashiers and customer service associates.
There were more than five million fast food jobs available in the U.S. in 2016. A disproportionately large number of these workers are teenagers.
12. Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
Employment: 56,590
Average Salary: $46,210
Perform routine administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.
13. Receptionists and Information Clerks
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| Photo: Shutterstock |
Employment: 52,670
Average Salary: $36,350
Receptionists and information clerks are charged with a responsibility that may affect the success of an organization: making a good first impression. Receptionists and information clerks answer telephones, route and screen calls, greet visitors, respond to inquiries from the public, and provide information about the organization. Some are responsible for the coordination of all mail into and out of the office. In addition, they contribute to the security of an organization by helping to monitor the access of visitors—a function that has become increasingly important.
14. General and Operations Managers
Employment: 48,310
Average Salary: $149,290
The General and Operations Manager will plan and oversee the daily operations of the organization to ensure goals and objectives are achieved.
- Hires and trains new employees.
- Organizes and oversees the schedules and work of assigned staff.
- Conducts performance evaluations that are timely and constructive.
- Handles discipline and termination of employees as needed and in accordance with company policy.
15. Forest and conservation workers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, forest and conservation workers make a mean salary of $35,830 dollars per year, or $17.23 dollars per hour. They help maintain and protect the quality of the state's forests by working under foresters and forest technicians. They also reforest areas by planting seedlings, suppressing forest fires, counting trees to measure their population, and spraying trees with insecticides.
A high school diploma is the typical minimum entry requirement. Workers then receive training on the job. Some community colleges and vocational schools offer two-year programs for forest management technology, which may be helpful in securing employment. These opportunities make Forest Conversation work a great option for jobs in New Jersey.
16. Marriage and family therapists
Marriage and family therapists make $67,870 dollars per year, or $32.63 dollars per hour, as they help individuals, couples, and families maintain their relationships and manage mental and emotional problems. Therapists listen to clients express their feelings, diagnose any mental disorders, offer treatments and new living strategies, and may refer clients to other professionals, such as social workers.
The job normally requires a master's degree in marriage and family therapy, psychology, counseling, or social work. New Jersey also mandates completing a criminal background check, passing a national licensing board examination, and undergoing at least three years of supervised experience.
17. Environmental science teachers (post-secondary)
Postsecondary environmental science teachers earn an average salary of $92,010 dollars per year. (Their non-standard work schedules with summers off don't allow for hourly rate calculations.)
Environmental science teachers create and carry out lesson plans, evaluate and grade student tests and homework, and supervise efforts in the classroom, lab, and the field. They may also conduct research and publish articles in scholarly journals. Most have doctorates, especially when working at four-year universities. However, master's degrees may be sufficient for some positions at community colleges.
18. Septic tank services and sewer pipe cleaners
Earning a mean salary of $46,340 dollars per year, or $22.28 dollars per hour, septic tank services and sewer pipe cleaners maintain and repair sewer lines, septic tanks, and drains. They operate manual and powered cleaning equipment, such as power rodders, bucket machines, and high-velocity water jets. They also locate and fix problems, keep records of their actions, and patch the walls and make other repairs to tanks. No educational prerequisites are needed because cleaners learn their skills on the job.
19. Teachers' assistants
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| Photo: Shutterstock |
A little more than 54,000 people worked in this field, earning an average of about $27,000 a year.
A teacher assistant provides support to a lead teacher in charge of a classroom. Also known as teacher's aides, these professionals reinforce lessons by tutoring individual students or small groups. Their duties include creating lesson plans, documenting progress, and overseeing lesson preparations.
20. Waiters and waitresses
About 15.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the state belonged to waiters and waitresses as of 2015. The 59,870 people in this group earned an average annual salary of $23,160.
A Waiter/Waitress ensures a great dining experience for guests through attentiveness and excellent customer service. They provide detailed menu information and multi-task with various front-of-the-house duties, including collecting payment.
21. Administrative assistants
Administrative assistants (excluding legal, medical and executive) made up 15.684 of every 1,000 jobs, or 61,270 people. They earned on average a little more than $40,000 a year.
Administrative Assistants are responsible for many clerical tasks to ensure the staff can communicate and work efficiently. Their job involves answering phone calls, greeting visitors, distributing mail, and preparing communications.
22. Accountants and Auditors
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| Photo: Business Administration Information |
Employment: 42,230
Average Salary: $95,640
The Accountant/Auditor will inspect and review, but may also prepare and report, financial transactions and budgetary controls for assigned funds and departments.
23. Other Business Operations Specialists
Employment: 42,160
Average Salary: $80,330
Business operations specialists help create business plans by studying industry data to report on trends, make sure customers and clients are pleased with the level of their services, and create project goals. They also draft project status reports, product marketing materials and necessary account documents. Additionally, specialists make sure projects are proceeding on schedule.
24. Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
Employment: 40,480
Average Salary: $73,910
Teach students basic academic, social, and other formative skills in public or private schools at the elementary level.
25. Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
Employment: 37,050
Average Salary: $71,800
Sell services to individuals or businesses. May describe options or resolve client problems.
26. Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) Sales Representatives
Employment: 36,650
Average Salary: $72,850
Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. They contact customers, explain the features of the products they are selling, negotiate prices, and answer any questions that their customers may have about the products.
27. Security Guards
Employment: 35,440
Average Salary: $31,430
Also known as a security officer, security guards are responsible for protecting property or individuals by patrolling and acting as access control for visitors.
28. Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
Employment: 31,620
Average Salary: $47,130
General maintenance and repair workers may fix or paint roofs, windows, doors, floors, woodwork, walls, and other parts of buildings. They also maintain and repair specialized equipment and machinery in cafeterias, laundries, hospitals, stores, offices, and factories.
29. Financial Managers
Employment: 26,570
Average Salary: $164,440
Finance Managers oversee the financial operations of an organization. They advise on investment plans, monitor the company's finances and produce financial reports. They work closely with management to develop and implement strategies and plans to achieve the company's long-term objectives.
30. Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
Employment: 25,110
Average Salary: $36,940
Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any combination of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, sprinkler installation, and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units.
31. Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Employment: 24,980
Average salary: $76,090
Middle school teachers typically do the following: Create lesson plans to teach students a subject. Assess students to evaluate their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Teach lessons they have planned to an entire class or to smaller groups.
32. Social and Human Service Assistants
Employment: 22,990
Average Salary: $38,320
Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.
33. Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers
Employment: 22,970
Average Salary: $45,880
Drive a light vehicle, such as a truck or van, with a capacity of less than 26,000 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), primarily to deliver or pick up merchandise or to deliver packages. May load and unload vehicle.
34. Shipping, Receiving, and Traffic Clerks
Employment: 22,770
Average Salary: $37,880
Shipping, Receiving and Traffic Clerks verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments. Prepare items for shipment. Duties include assembling, addressing, stamping, and shipping merchandise or material; receiving, unpacking, verifying and recording incoming merchandise or material; and arranging for the transportation of products. They also examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy.
35. Restaurant Cooks
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| Photo: Shutterstock |
Employment: 21,280
Average Salary: $36,830
Duties will include prepping meals by weighing, measuring, and mixing ingredients, cooking meals, checking ingredients for freshness, and arranging and garnishing the dishes. You will also be in charge of ensuring that the kitchen and equipment are properly cleaned and maintained.
36. First-Line Supervisors of Transportation Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
Employment: 21,280
Average Salary: $61,760
37. Construction Laborers
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| Photo: Shutterstock |
Employment: 20,770
Average Salary: $54,690
38. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
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| Photo: Post Bulletin |
Employment: 20,650
Average: $97,860
39. Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
Employment: 19,940
Average salary: $79,360
40. Computer and Information Systems Managers
Employment: 19,700
Average Salary: $169,130
41. Computer and Information Systems Managers
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| Photo: The Balance Workers |
Employment: 19,700
Average salary: $169,130
42. Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
Employment: 19,230
Average salary: $62,050
43. Food Preparation Workers
Employment: 19,090
Average salary: $28,700
44. Driver/Sales Workers
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| Photo: iStock |
Employment: 18,590
Average salary: $30,210
45. Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Employment: 18,410
Average salary: $38,710
46. Billing and Posting Clerks
Employment: 18,030
Average salary: $46,910
47. First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
Employment: 17,760
Average salary: $38,850
48. Electricians
Employment: 17,570
Average Salary: $72,600
49. Childcare Workers
Employment: 10,770
Average Salary: $29,460
50. Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants
Employment: 10,510
Average Salary: $28,420
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