Economic analysts and demographic experts may see this as a rich state with budgetary problems.
Most are too poor to relocate their families in the west, demographic experts say.
As a result, demographic experts estimate, the 1990 census missed about four million people, or 1.6percentt of the nation's population.
By 2025, demographic experts say, the region will grow by another six million people, roughly twice the present population of Chicago.
A large factor, demographic experts have said, has been waves of immigration tied to social and political upheaval in Arab countries.
How do the dueling demographic experts reconcile a difference, as of Monday, of 28 million, which is more than all the people in Saudi Arabia?
Conservationists estimate that 3,000 to 5,000 acres are lost to development each year, a figure that could increase if New Jersey, as demographic experts predict, receives another one million residents in the next 20 years.
Demographic experts have said that in order to have any chance of plugging the huge imbalance between births and deaths, Germany, which currently has the lowest birthrate in the world, needs to welcome about 533,000 immigrants every year.
But their argument is based on shoddy science: the birthrate, already falling before the policy was introduced, is now officially 1.8, or nearer 1.2 according to independent demographic experts like Yi Fuxian — much lower than the necessary 2.1 population replacement level.
