New Jersey energy profile

Manufacturing energy costs in New Jersey

New Jersey plants pay 14.57 cents per kWh for industrial power as of May 2026, which puts the state 67.3% over the national average and 43 of 51 in the country, counting from the cheapest.

Current prices in New Jersey

  • Industrial electricity: 14.57 cents per kWh (May 2026, EIA).
  • Commercial electricity, the rate a warehouse or distribution center in New Jersey typically pays: 17.86 cents per kWh.
  • Industrial natural gas: 8.27 per Mcf (May 2026), 93.7% above the national average.
  • Just below New Jersey on the price ladder: Maryland at 11.22, Vermont at 12.59, Maine at 14.48 cents. Just above: District of Columbia at 14.6, Connecticut at 16.76, New Hampshire at 17.04 cents.

What the rate does to operating cost

  • A 10 kW machine running a 4,000 hour year costs about 5,828 in electricity at New Jersey rates versus 3,484 at the national average; at 50 kW the gap is 29,140 versus 17,420, and at 200 kW it is 116,560 versus 69,680.
  • At this rate, efficiency projects clear their hurdle faster in New Jersey than almost anywhere: every avoided kWh is worth more, so compressed air leak repairs, VFD retrofits, and scheduling around demand charges deserve a fresh look.

What factory labor pays in New Jersey

  • Industrial production managers: $70.80/hr median in New Jersey versus $60.61 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial engineers: $49.93/hr median in New Jersey versus $49.25 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Production supervisors: $38.99/hr median in New Jersey versus $35.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial machinery mechanics: $35.94/hr median in New Jersey versus $31.02 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Tool and die makers: $35.80/hr median in New Jersey versus $30.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Machinists: $30.38/hr median in New Jersey versus $28.24 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • New Jersey employs about 250,000 manufacturing workers as of Jun 2026 (BLS).

Manufacturing base in New Jersey

  • New Jersey has 7,018 manufacturing establishments employing about 225,095 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).
  • Largest sectors by establishment count: food manufacturing (1,127), fabricated metal products (1,023), printing and related support (701), chemical manufacturing (586), machinery manufacturing (469).

Sources and update cadence

  • Prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and refresh automatically when the agency publishes; this page also archives each month's New Jersey observation so the local price history deepens over time.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.