Invest: New Jersey 7th Edition to explore growth opportunities, affordability challenges
Key points:
- • New research and interviews explore investment across New Jersey’s diverse industries.
- • Income, education, and tourism indicators to highlight business and resident opportunities.
- • Housing and development costs remain barriers to broader growth.
September 2026 — New Jersey has the talent and industry strength to attract investment. How can it turn those advantages into growth that businesses and residents can sustain? That will be the focus for Invest: New Jersey 7th Edition as caa begins research and production, gathering insights from business, government, and institutional leaders on expansion opportunities, workforce development and the affordability pressures impacting one of the nation’s oldest states.
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“Good investment decisions start with listening to the people building the economy,” said Abby Lindenberg, founder and CEO of caa. “With Invest: New Jersey’s 7th Edition, we’re bringing those perspectives together to examine where businesses can grow and what needs to change for more residents to share in that opportunity.”
The report will cover perspectives from the state’s top leaders and examine where companies see room to expand, how employers develop talent, and what communities need to share in economic growth.
A skilled workforce and a strong consumer market
New Jersey offers companies an educated workforce and substantial household purchasing power. Census Bureau estimates place median household income at $103,556, roughly 28% above the national figure of $80,734, before accounting for local living costs. Among adults 25 and older, 43.6% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 35.7% nationally.
These strengths support employers across the state’s varied economic base, giving companies access to talent and a strong consumer market.
“New Jersey’s diverse industries create opportunities across healthcare and life sciences, finance, and manufacturing and logistics,” said Executive Director Ana Karen Gonzalez. “This edition will explore how those connections support businesses and residents.”
Tourism adds to that activity, bringing spending into local businesses and supporting jobs across hospitality, retail, and recreation. New Jersey welcomed 124.2 million visitors in 2025, generating $51.9 billion in visitor spending, a 2.7% annual increase. Visitor activity supported approximately 514,000 jobs, according to the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism.
Turning investment into accessible growth
New Jersey investment opportunities come with real constraints, however. Housing affordability remains a concern for households and employers alike. The same Census estimates put median gross rent at $1,720 in New Jersey, compared with $1,413 nationally.
Higher housing costs can absorb more of a household’s income and complicate recruitment. Strong earnings alone do not guarantee that workers can live close to their jobs or that growing businesses can retain staff.
Development costs create another pressure point. In the last edition, Jason Pierson, president of Pierson Commercial Real Estate pointed out ongoing obstacles to new projects. “The cost of labor, construction, and land prices have all played a key role in this issue. Land prices in particular have not gone down, and you need land prices to be lower in order to enable development growth,” said Pierson. Those pressures matter when businesses assess expansion plans and communities seek additional commercial space.
The seventh edition will examine how leaders respond to these challenges. Its coverage will connect New Jersey business investment with workforce development, real estate, infrastructure and the services that support everyday life.
Industry diversity will remain central to that analysis. Alongside healthcare and life sciences, finance, and technology, the report will consider manufacturing, logistics, and tourism. The aim is to show how opportunities differ across sectors while identifying challenges that employers and communities share.
Designed for local, national and international readers, Invest: New Jersey will combine executive perspectives with economic analysis. Entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders can use that context to assess expansion opportunities and better understand the market.
About caa and Invest: New Jersey
caa is an integrated media company that connects the dots in the markets it covers, providing business intelligence to executives, investors, entrepreneurs, and public-sector leaders through digital and print platforms, top-level interviews, and leadership summits.
Invest: New Jersey 7th Edition is an in-depth economic review of the issues shaping the Garden State. It is produced with two goals: 1) to provide comprehensive market intelligence for local, national, and international investors, and 2) to promote the region as a place to invest and do business.
The report examines the region’s leading economic sectors, including real estate and construction, infrastructure, banking and finance, legal services, healthcare, education, manufacturing, transportation, tourism, and technology. It combines executive insight with data-driven analysis to assess market challenges and uncover emerging opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators.
The caa team is now connecting with contributors across New Jersey. The seventh edition gives the state’s business and civic communities an opportunity to tell the world, in its own words, where New Jersey is gaining ground, where work remains, and what comes next.
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:
Ana Karen Gonzalez
Executive Director
Agonzalez@capitalaa.com
Mariana Hernandez
Content Manager
MHernandez@capitalaa.com
Want more? Read the latest Invest: New Jersey report.
