Aging and Equity in New Jersey: Why a Multisector Plan is Urgently Needed

Aging impacts all of us – but not equally. Inequities in healthcare, housing, and economic opportunity mean that older adults of color in New Jersey often face additional barriers and fewer choices as they age.

These disparities aren’t new, but they are becoming more urgent. To build a future where every New Jerseyan can age with dignity, we need a bold, coordinated Multisector Plan for Aging that places equity at its core.

Housing affordability remains a critical concern. New Jersey’s cost of living is 12% higher than the national average, with housing costs 32% above average. A single adult needs nearly $2,800 a month to live comfortably, while a family of four requires over $6,100 –  figures that far exceed what many older adults on fixed incomes can afford. Even those who own homes – often inherited from parents or grandparents who migrated to New Jersey during the Great Migration – are increasingly being priced out. Gentrification, redevelopment, and property tax reassessments are displacing long-standing residents in historically Black and Latino neighborhoods. Displacement is not just about losing a home – it means losing a community, support systems, and the opportunity to age in place.

Economic disparities only deepen these challenges. The racial wealth gap in New Jersey has more than doubled since the pandemic, with a difference of over $640,000 in net wealth between white and Black or Latino households. This reflects not just differences in income, but also in homeownership, access to savings, capital, and intergenerational wealth. Many older adults of color work in multiple part-time or frontline jobs in healthcare, transportation, and service industries – sectors often described as “essential,” yet still lacking basic benefits or job security. During the pandemic recovery, Black and Latino families disproportionately faced job losses, rising debt, and housing instability, reflecting long-standing barriers created by redlining, discriminatory lending practices, and unequal access to education and employment.

Women of color bear an even greater burden. In New Jersey, 70% of home care workers are women of color. They are essential to the eldercare workforce, yet remain among the most underpaid and undervalued workers. Their ability to earn a livable wage is directly tied to the quality and stability of care available to older adults. Broader pay inequities reflect this injustice: Black women earn just 66 cents for every dollar paid to white men, Hispanic women earn 61 cents, and Native American women earn 59 cents. Even Asian women, who on average earn 93 cents, face wide disparities by subgroup. These gaps persist across education levels and industries, revealing the deep structural inequities that shape both caregiving and aging in this country.

Healthcare disparities are equally urgent. Despite having one of the highest-ranked health systems in the country, New Jersey shows sharp racial differences in outcomes. Residents in Trenton, a predominantly Black and Latino city, live on average 14 years less than those in mostly white Princeton, just 13 miles away. Chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and kidney disease are more prevalent in communities of color and are often exacerbated by limited access to preventive care. Maternal health outcomes remain among the worst in the nation, with Black women in New Jersey seven times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. These inequities in early and mid-life accumulate, leading to worse health outcomes and shorter lifespans as people age.

Addressing these intertwined challenges requires a comprehensive, courageous approach. Every older adult in New Jersey, regardless of race, income, or zip code, deserves to age with dignity. By confronting these disparities head-on and incorporating the voices of those most affected into a Multisector Plan for Aging, we can build a New Jersey where we can all thrive as we age.