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Cliff-Zone Families
184,243
Total Wage Suppression
$134.1M
State Avg Cliff Zone
12.0%
The benefits cliff — sometimes called the welfare cliff or cliff effect — occurs when families lose public benefits faster than they can replace them through increased earnings. In New Jersey, an estimated 184,243 families across 21 counties earn between 100–200% of the Federal Poverty Level, where benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, childcare subsidies, and housing assistance phase out. The CLIFF Index measures this exposure at the county level, including peak marginal effective tax rates, wage suppression estimates, and advancement thresholds. Click any county below for the full diagnostic report.
| CountyCounty↕ | PopulationPopulation↕ | Cliff Zone %Cliff Zone %↕ | Families AffectedFamilies↓ | Wage SuppressionWage Gap↕ | Peak METRPeak METR↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County | 863,002 | 15.6% | 21,709 | $15.8M | 404% |
| Hudson County | 718,323 | 14.9% | 20,464 | $14.9M | 532% |
| Middlesex County | 871,290 | 10.4% | 15,634 | $11.4M | 468% |
| Passaic County | 521,012 | 16.7% | 14,895 | $10.8M | 431% |
| Union County | 579,290 | 14.5% | 14,864 | $10.8M | 404% |
| Bergen County | 962,316 | 8.3% | 14,638 | $10.7M | 431% |
| Ocean County | 654,362 | 14.5% | 12,127 | $8.8M | 432% |
| Camden County | 527,257 | 13.1% | 11,098 | $8.1M | 312% |
| Monmouth County | 645,353 | 8.4% | 8,660 | $6.3M | 432% |
| Mercer County | 385,864 | 14.0% | 8,118 | $5.9M | 345% |
| Burlington County | 467,805 | 9.3% | 7,278 | $5.3M | 312% |
| Atlantic County | 276,270 | 16.7% | 7,089 | $5.2M | 326% |
| Morris County | 514,528 | 6.8% | 5,949 | $4.3M | 404% |
| Cumberland County | 153,305 | 21.3% | 4,974 | $3.6M | 297% |
| Gloucester County | 306,954 | 10.0% | 4,788 | $3.5M | 312% |
| Somerset County | 349,846 | 6.9% | 4,082 | $3.0M | 468% |
| Sussex County | 145,807 | 8.4% | 2,048 | $1.5M | 404% |
| Cape May County | 94,941 | 11.3% | 1,721 | $1.3M | 308% |
| Warren County | 110,849 | 9.7% | 1,585 | $1.2M | 332% |
| Hunterdon County | 130,160 | 6.5% | 1,337 | $973K | 468% |
| Salem County | 65,275 | 13.8% | 1,185 | $863K | 312% |
21 of 21 counties shown. Click any county for full diagnostic.