New Jersey is a wonderful place to live, at least according to 61% of the population. Six in ten residents of New Jersey say the state is either an excellent or very good place to live. In a quality of life poll conducted by Monmouth University, 15% of respondents said the state was an ‘excellent’ place to call home, and 46% said it was a ‘very good’ place to reside. Conversely, 26% say the state is only a ‘fair’ place to live, while 12% rate New Jersey as ‘poor’.

Monmouth’s Garden State Quality of Life index, which ranges from -100 to +100, currently has New Jersey at a +24 rating, up from +13 in February. The index is based on five poll questions posed to residents: overall opinion on the state as a place to live, rating one’s hometown, local school performance, the environment, and safety.

The 61% approval rating from New Jersey residents is a marked improvement from previous such polls, when a record low 50% liked the state earlier this year, and a poll that showed 54% approval last year. “Ratings of local safety, schools, and the environment have remained relatively stable. The increase in the overall quality of life index has come mainly from a more positive outlook about New Jersey as a whole,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.