SouthJersey.CPA

New Jersey’s statewide middle‑class entry level income threshold has jumped to a level that doesn’t match how income and “middle class” actually feel here in Cumberland County.
A recent national study reported by major news networks ranked New Jersey as the second‑hardest state in America to enter the middle class. It says residents now need at least $69,529 to be considered middle class, a $3,015 increase from last year. Upper‑middle‑class income in New Jersey ranges from $162,235 to $208,588.
That minimum middle‑class entry point is higher than what a typical Cumberland County household earns! In other words, many families who feel solidly “middle class” here would fall below the statewide middle‑class threshold if they lived elsewhere in New Jersey. I feel the impact of this personally. Our household earns more than many of our Cumberland neighbors, yet I earn less serving local residents and businesses than I did when most of my clients were in Philadelphia. The production cost of a product or service here is higher than what local residents can afford to pay.
My bigger long‑term concern is that this gap is widening. It’s tougher than ever for working middle‑class people to get ahead. I’m with the majority who believe the Cumberland County economy can improve, but we still don’t know when or how that will show up in our everyday lives.
I often talk about the strong physical and human resources we have here, but we still lack the capital needed to truly pull ourselves up by the bootstraps. That’s why I’ve shifted my work toward promoting community capital investment programs for local businesses. The message is clear: nobody is coming to save us. If we expect to participate in this era of widespread economic growth, we have to build it ourselves, right here at home.