New Jersey has about 9.5 million residents and the highest population density of any state. Registered nurses average $110,100 a year, eighth among the fifty states and the District of Columbia.
Licensure
The New Jersey Board of Nursing licenses registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and advanced practice nurses through the Division of Consumer Affairs. Its office is on Halsey Street in Newark, telephone (973) 504-6430. Rules and applications are at njconsumeraffairs.gov.
New Jersey implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact in 2021. A nurse living in New Jersey can now hold one multistate license good in every other compact state, Pennsylvania and Delaware included. New York, the other state New Jersey borders and the destination for a great many commuting nurses, remains outside it and requires a license by endorsement.
Nurse practitioner practice
New Jersey is in the reduced practice group. A nurse practitioner may diagnose and treat under the nursing board's authority, but prescribing calls for a joint protocol with a collaborating physician. See nurse practitioner practice authority and collaborative practice agreements.
Nursing education
Rutgers School of Nursing, teaching in Newark, New Brunswick and Camden, is the largest program in the state and the one attached to its academic health system. Seton Hall University's College of Nursing, William Paterson University and Ramapo College carry further baccalaureate programs, and the county colleges supply a substantial share of associate degree graduates in a state where many nurses complete the bachelor's degree later while working.
Pay and workforce
New Jersey's nursing market splits between the New York and Philadelphia orbits. In the north, RWJBarnabas Health, Hackensack Meridian Health and Atlantic Health System are the largest employers, and many nurses commute into Manhattan hospitals, which takes a New York license because New York is outside the compact. In the south, Cooper University Health Care and Virtua serve the Philadelphia side, where Pennsylvania's compact membership means one license covers the trip.
The Shore counties fill up in summer. New Jersey has no critical access hospitals, one of five states with none, since no part of it is far enough from another hospital to qualify.
Related
- Nurse Licensure Compact
- Licensure by endorsement
- Nurse practitioner practice authority
- Registered nurse pay
- Nursing by state
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, state population estimates for July 1, 2025. Accessed September 8, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, registered nurses (29-1141), May 2025. Accessed September 8, 2026.
- New Jersey Board of Nursing, contact details and licensing information. Accessed September 8, 2026.
- Nurse Licensure Compact, member states and implementation dates. Accessed September 8, 2026.
- Critical Access Hospital locations list. Flex Monitoring Team. Accessed September 8, 2026.
- American Association of Nurse Practitioners, State Practice Environment. Accessed September 8, 2026.