Assisted Living in New Jersey

New Jersey Assisted Living Regulations

Assisted living communities in New Jersey are licensed by the Department of Health and the Department of Community Affairs. When it comes to the accessibility of assisted living records and reports, New Jersey is rated as exceptional. You can look up the violation history of a long-term care facility in New Jersey here. The state of New Jersey defines assisted living communities as follows:

Assisted Living: Assisted Living means a coordinated array of supportive personal and health services. These services must be made available 24-hours per day to residents who have been assessed to need said services, including residents who require formal long-term care. Assisted living promotes resident self-direction and participation in decisions that emphasize independence, individuality, privacy, dignity and homelike surroundings. There are three categories of assisted living: assisted living residences, which are newly constructed, comprehensive personal care homes, which are residential homes converted into boarding facilities, and assisted living programs, which provide the services of assisted living. In New Jersey, facilities may contract with licensed home health agencies.

Assisted Living Residences: This type of community is licensed by the Department of Health and Senior Services to provide apartment-style housing and congregate dining to four or more adults unrelated to the proprietor. These residences must assure that assisted living services are available when needed to residents at all times. Apartment units must offer at a minimum one unfurnished room, a private bathroom, a kitchenette, and a lockable door on the unit entrance.

Comprehensive Personal Care Homes: This phrase refers to a facility which is licensed by the Department of Health and Senior Services to provide room and board and to assure that assisted living services are available when needed, to four or more adults unrelated to the proprietor. Residential units may house no more than two residents and have a lockable door on the unit entrance.

Assisted Living Programs: These programs provide meals and assisted living services to tenants of publicly subsidized housing. They are designed to provide assisted-living-level care in a setting that cannot be licensed as an assisted living residence due to federal, state, or local regulations and laws. These programs may also contract their services out to another assisted living residence or a comprehensive personal care home.

Cost of Living

As with many other upper East Coast states, living in New Jersey is considered more expensive than the national average. However, this is due in part to the state's proximity to the New York City, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. This results in New Jersey being home to some of the most expensive neighborhoods in the country.

Price Indexes

• Cost of living: 123
• Groceries: 110
• Housing: 163
• Utilities: 102
• Transportation: 111

These scores are based on a sliding scale where 100 is equivalent to the national average.

Demographics

New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the country. The population tends to be divided into three distinct sections – Northern New Jersey shares close ties to NYC and is often associated with the classic East Coast attitude made famous in TV shows like The Sopranos. Central Jersey tends to be associated with suburbs and highways, as many people use the turnpike to travel to Philadelphia or NYC. South Jersey is considered to be more rural than the more metropolitan parts of the state to the North.

2016 Presidential Election

• Voted Democratic: 55%
• Voted Republican: 41%
• Voted third party: 4%

Population

• Median age: 40
• Over the age of 55: 30%
• 2018 population: 8,908,520
• 2020 population: 8,948,609
• Estimated 2025 population: 9,049,622

Hospital Count

• Total health centers: 119
• Total hospitals: 82

Miscellaneous

• 35% regularly attend a religious service
• 40% consider themselves atheist, agnostic, or a non-believer
• Across the state there are a total of 6,114 congregations
• There are 178 Masonic lodges in the state

Climate and Weather

New Jersey has a very moderate climate that is tempered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Delaware River to the west. The northern part of the state has a continental climate, which means that the city experiences four distinct seasons. The southern part of the state is considered to be humid subtropical. This means that the summers tend to be hotter and muggier than in the north, while the winters tend to be milder.

Humidity and Precipitation

• Average precipitation: 4”
• Average maximum precipitation: 6” (July)
• Average humidity level: 69%

Air Quality

• Average air quality rating: 41 (Good)
• Peak air quality rating: 53 in July (Moderate)

Moderate air quality conditions means that those who are sensitive to particulates in the air should consider limiting the amount of time spent on outdoor activities.

Seasonal Temperatures

• Average temperature: 53°F
• Average summer temperature: 73°F
• Typical summer high: 88°F (July)
• Typical summer low: 54°F (June)
• Average winter temperature: 33°F
• Typical winter high: 47°F (December)
• Typical winter low: 15°F (January)