The New Jersey Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile

State Health Workforce Profiles Highlights New Jersey

Printer-friendly New Jersey Highlights (PDF - 41 KB)

• There were more than 345,000 workers employed in the health service sector in New Jersey in 2000, 8.9 % of New Jersey’s total workforce compared to the national rate. New Jersey ranked 24th among the states in per capita health services employment.
• Health services employment in New Jersey grew 40% between 1988 and 2000, while the state’s population grew by only 9 %, resulting in a net per capita growth of 28% in health services sector employment. This exceeded the national rate of net per capita growth in the health services sector of 21%.
• The total population of New Jersey is projected to grow 10% between 2020 and 2020, while the population 65 and over is projected to grow 29%.
• In 1999, New Jersey was slightly higher than the national rates of deaths due to cancer and heart disease. The rate of deaths due to firearms was less than half the national rate.
• In 2000, New Jersey was just above the national rate in the number of hospital beds per 100,000 population.

Highlights of the findings about the health workforce in New Jersey are presented below. Medicine

• There were over 20,800 active patient care physicians in New Jersey in 2000. With 247 physicians per 100,000 population, New Jersey was well above the national ratio of 198 physicians per 100,000. New Jersey ranked 5th among states in the ratio of physicians per capita.
• New Jersey had 84 active primary care physicians per 100,000 population in 2000, higher than the rate of 69 per 100,000 for the entire country.
• Medical schools in New Jersey graduated 386 new physicians in 1999-00. New Jersey ranked 16th among the 46 states with medical schools in number of medical school graduates. On a per capita basis, New Jersey graduated fewer new physicians per 100,000 population (4.7) than did the entire United States (6.4).
• There were 514 physician assistants practicing in New Jersey in 2000. This is equal to 6.1 physician assistants per 100,000 population, less than one half of the national rate of 14.4.

Nursing

• There were nearly 88,000 licensed registered nurses (RNs) in New Jersey in 2000; almost 67,300 were employed in nursing. There were 797.8 RNs per 100,000 population in New Jersey in 2000, compared to the national rate of 780.2.
• In 2000, New Jersey ranked 13th among the states in the number of Licensed Practical/ Vocational Nurses (LPNs) employed in 2000 with 18,880 workers. With 223.9 LPNs per 100,000 population as compared to the national rate of 240.8 per 100,000, New Jersey ranked 29th in the per capita employment of LPNs.
• There were over 1,660 nurse practitioners in New Jersey in 2000. This was equal to 19.8 nurse practitioners per 100,000 population, much less than the national rate of 33.7.
• With 199 certified nurse midwives in 2000, New Jersey had 2.4 certified nurse midwives per 100,000 population, lower than the national rate of 2.9. New Jersey ranked 26th among states in certified nurse midwives per capita.
• With nearly 400 certified registered nurse anesthetists in 2003, New Jersey had 4.7 nurse anesthetists per 100,000 population, half the national rate of 9.3. New Jersey had one of the lowest ratios of nurse anesthetists per capita in the nation.

Dentistry, Pharmacy and Mental Health

• There were 7,176 dentists, 3,950 dental hygienists, and 7,400 dental assistants practicing in New Jersey in 2000. There were 85.1 dentists per 100,000 population in New Jersey in 2000, well above the national rate of 63.6. New Jersey ranked 3rd in the nation in dentists per capita.
• The number of dentists in New Jersey increased 29% between 1991 and 2000 while the state’s population grew 8%. The result was a 19% increase in dentists per capita, compared to a 16% increase nationwide.
• There were 6,080 pharmacists and 6,450 pharmacy technicians and aides practicing in New Jersey in 2000. New Jersey had 72.1 pharmacists and 76.5 pharmacy technicians and aides per 100,000 population in 2000, which ranked them 34th and 35th, respectively, among the 50 states.
• In 2000, New Jersey had 15.3 psychiatrists, 37.9 psychologists, and 143.6 social workers per 100,000 population. New Jersey ranked 8th among states in psychiatrists per capita, 20th among states in psychologists per capita, and 32nd among states in social workers per capita.

Aides

• There were 21,870 home health aides and 37,370 nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants working in New Jersey in 2000. New Jersey had 259.3 home health aides and 443.1 nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants per 100,000 population in 2000, which ranked 7th and 31st, respectively, among the 50 states.