New Jersey Salary Calculator 2026

On gross pay, yes, the ~10% premium over the national median is one of the largest outside California and Massachusetts. It reflects New York-metro labor pricing, strong union density in the building trades, and constant port, rail, pharmaceutical and logistics construction along the Turnpike corridor. Housing costs and the progressive state tax absorb part of it, so compare take-home too.

Many trades do both, the union locals span the river. New York City union scale runs higher, but NYC residents pay a 3.078%–3.876% city income tax that New Jersey has no equivalent of, and New Jersey credits tax paid to New York for cross-border work. A North Jersey address with occasional city work is a common way to keep the premium and skip the city tax.

The calculator applies a New Jersey wage index (1.1×) to national BLS OEWS medians, a reference estimate, not a quote. North Jersey union scale runs above the state figure while South Jersey and shore markets run below it. For exact BLS state and metro medians with percentiles, use the New Jersey salary guide.

It varies by role: the New Jersey electrician median is about $69,510, plumbers $70,180, HVAC technicians $67,110, and pipefitters $70,180 (BLS OEWS May 2025, New Jersey-adjusted). Enter your own pay in the calculator to see your percentile against any role.

National BLS OEWS medians are multiplied by a 1.1 New Jersey factor to localise them, reflecting that New Jersey gross pay runs about 10% above the national average. Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. It is a reference estimate, not an employer offer.

Newark–Jersey City leads on port, rail, high-rise and warehouse work priced against the New York market. Trenton–Princeton tracks just above the state median with pharma and university construction, Camden–South Jersey runs a few points under it, and Atlantic City sits lowest outside casino renovation cycles.

The benchmark medians are gross base pay. New Jersey employees also fund small unemployment, disability and family-leave insurance contributions withheld from wages, a few hundred dollars a year at trade salaries. Overtime at 1.5× after 40 hours is standard; add it in the calculator to model total annual pay.