New Jersey State Policy Lab

10/08/2026

🏠🏘️🏠Traditionally, analysts have calculated homeownership rates as the percentage of units occupied by their owners. In a new report from the , analysts instead proposed and utilized microdata to construct an alternative metric—the homeowners-to-population ratio or HPOP—which instead measures the share of adults who actually own homes. The intention of this paradigm shift is to capture information about adults who would not be classified as owner or renters under the conventional measure, such as parents living with their adult children or vice versa.

As the new measure expands the denominator of the homeownership calculation to include non-homeowners who are also not classified as renters, the HPOP for the U.S. and individual states are consistently lower than the traditional measure. In New Jersey, both the traditional homeownership rate and the HPOP declined between 2006 and 2024, with the traditional rate dropping 3.3 percentage points (ranking 48th among all 50 states plus D.C.) and the HPOP rate falling 2.7 percentage points (ranking 42nd).

Analysts at the Minneapolis Fed recently released a report describing a new approach to measuring homeownership. The authors observed that the traditional approach to calculating homeownership rates reflects the percentage of housing units occupied by their owners. Instead, they propose and use micr...

10/07/2026

🎊 On Monday, the New Jersey State Policy Lab hosted a meet and greet at the New Jersey State House to meet with policymakers, legislative staff, and other advocates to discuss their policy priorities and learn more about our work for the Garden State.

In addition to the NJSPL team, we were joined by Dean Stuart Shapiro, Marc Pfeiffer, Eric Seymour, and Hannah Younes, PhD from the Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, along with Gregory Porumbescu, Canyu Gao, Hyorim Seo, and Lorena Cuenca Cardozo with Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration, and received support from the Rutgers Government Relations team including Sheaa Amin, Elizabeth Gorman, and Gene Lepore.

We are so grateful for the many people that were able to stop by and talk with us from New Jersey Office of Legislative Services, NJ Department of Health, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA), New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs, New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development, and several more. We can't wait to continue our important policy research to benefit the state of New Jersey.

10/06/2026

🍅🌽🛍️ Will Irving's R/ECON forecast research was cited in a recent article from The Shelby Report discussing the closure of 28 grocery stores in New Jersey in the past two years:

Linda Doherty, president/CEO of the New Jersey Food Council, said 28 store closures in the state over the past two years should spur policymakers to act.

10/06/2026

☀️ A new bill was introduced to the NJ Senate to allow NJ TRANSIT and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to establish a 3-year pilot program for railroad right-of-way solar energy development; 🚚 AG Jennifer Davenport announced that the state would be joining two lawsuits challenging recent changes to new vehicle fuel efficiency standards and pollution regulations. Read these stories and more and to our today:

Transportation Bill Introduced to Authorize Municipalities to Reduce Speed Limits in Historic Districts - On October 1st, Senator Singleton (D-7) and Senator Tiver (R-8) introduced Bill S4489 which would delegate the power to set speed limits to 15 miles per hour in designated historic districts. Th...

10/01/2026

🔋⚡💡Gov. Mikie Sherrill's Nuclear Policy Task Force identified public trust and confidence as one of its five primary areas of focus, recognizing that successful nuclear development requires more than technical and economic considerations.

As the next generation of nuclear reactors is slated for deployment likely within the next decade, long-term plans will require assessing and addressing community needs and concerns. To help address several of these long-term planning concerns, researchers at the Rowan University Energy Collaborative (ROWEC), with seed funding from the New Jersey State Policy Lab, are investigating possible siting locations for new nuclear power plants while simultaneously analyzing their potential impacts to the surrounding communities.

Read more here:

As the next generation of nuclear reactors is slated for deployment, likely within the next decade, state and federal planners and nuclear facility developers have an important role to play in integrating these key energy resources. Long-term plans frequently assess and address community needs for t...

09/29/2026

🧑‍🏫🎓🍎 New from NJ Spotlight News: Catherine Carrera interviewed Executive Director Elizabeth Cooner, Ed.D. to discuss trends in higher education enrollment and achievement in the Garden State: https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2026/09/qa-older-students-drop-outs-may-reverse-higher-ed-shortfall/

09/29/2026

🪫 The NJ Department of Environmental Protection issued a $1.07M fine against DataOne after finding that the was operating 62 generators without permits; 🧑‍🏫 the SEHBC approved a 34% premium increase for school districts participating in the program. Read more:
https://policylab.rutgers.edu/september-28-2026-new-jersey-state-policy-updates

Housing Faith-Based Affordable Housing Bill Introduced into New Jersey Assembly - On September 24th, Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson (D-15) introduced Assembly Bill A5570, which would authorize $250 million in bonds and appropriate $50 million to support the development of inclusionary and affordable...

09/24/2026

👷🧑‍🏭👨‍⚕️ The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development and New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education have been in the process of implementing a federal student aid program that could expand access to short-term workforce training, the Workforce Pell. Eligible programs must lead to a recognized postsecondary credential and prepare students for employment in a high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry or occupation. Earlier this month, the NJDOL established a state Workforce Pell information page, which includes a list of recommended programs that meet state criteria but are still waiting approval from the U.S. Department of Education.

Implementation of a federal student aid program is underway that could expand access to short-term workforce training in New Jersey. The Federal Pell Grant is a need-based federal grant that helps eligible students pay for postsecondary education and, unlike a loan, generally does not have to be rep...

09/22/2026

🖥️ Three bills were introduced to the NJ assembly to limit AI usage for the calculation of mortgages, insurance, and wage-setting processes; 🍼 A.G. Jennifer Davenport announced the state was part of a $384M settlement with Abbott Laboratories over the production of contaminated infant formula in 2018-2022. Read these stories and more:

Digital/Technology Bills Introduced to Limit A.I. Usage in Mortgages, Insurance, and Wage-Setting - On September 14th, three bills were introduced to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in certain mortgage lending tools, wage setting, and home, auto, and flood insurance pricing. Introduced b...

09/21/2026

📰 A new article from Dana DiFilippo with the New Jersey Monitor examined the ways some NJ police departments are utilizing and referenced recent research from NJSPL's researcher, Canyu Gao, with the Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration - SPAA:

New Jersey has no statewide guardrails on police use of artificial intelligence, but that hasn't stopped cops from using it.