A Desperate and Widening Divide 
“Despite the economic prosperity of the 1990’s, both poverty and income inequality increased during the last decade in New Jersey.” This, according to Kristin Mateo, senior researcher and policy analyst at Legal Services of New Jersey (LSNJ), is the central finding of a report released on January 28, 2003. A Desperate and Widening Divide: The Concurrent Increase in Poverty, Income, and Inequality in New Jersey is based on an analysis of data from the 1990 and 2000 Census. The report is one of a series of reports by The Poverty Research Institute on the extent and impact of poverty in New Jersey.

The Real Cost of Living in 2008: The Self-Sufficiency Standard for New Jersey  
An updated report in the Real Cost of Living series produced by Dr. Diana Pearce, Ph.D. of the University of Washington. The report provides a detailed analysis of the cost of living in New Jersey for working families based on the true cost of basic household expenses including housing, child care, health care, and food. It also provides a comparison of the Real Cost of Living to other benchmarks of income including the federal poverty level, welfare income, and minimum wage income. Several policy implications flow from the report’s themes and the report includes information on key action the state could take to help New Jersey families meet their basic needs given the high cost of living.