Business & Tech
Report Ranks Ridgewood 4th in NJ for Job Seekers
Unemployment lower, median income higher than state average.
Even in a tough economy, Ridgewood and the surrounding area boasts good numbers for those looking for work, according to a recent study.
According to NerdWallet, a financial planning website that also recently placed the village near the top of the state in young family-friendliness, Ridgewood ranks No. 4 in New Jersey for job seekers.
The website based its findings on median income, the unemployment rate and the growth of the working-age population.
Between 2009 and 2011, the website said, Ridgewood saw a 2.7 percent increase in the working-age population, but still had an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent in August 2013.
The statewide unemployment rate was 8.5 percent that month.
The village's workers also generally earned more than in other areas of the state with a median income of $154,348, the highest on NerdWallet's list.
Bergen County was well represented at the top of NerdWallet's rankings, with Paramus coming in at No. 3, and Fair Lawn, Bergenfield and Fort Lee also making the Top 15. Hoboken came in at No. 1 in the website's New Jersey rankings.
NerdWallet credited the positive employment climate in the area in part to Valley Health Systems, which according to the county's statistics is Bergen's second largest employer. Bergen Regional Medical Center, the Garden State Plaza and Bergen Community College's career training programs were also cited as boosting the local job market.
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