Samantha Impaglia 
Obtaining a Real ID before the May 7th, 2025, deadline has been nothing short of a saga for us New Jersey residents. The state recently launched “Real ID Thursdays” to help residents with the transition, but appointments have still been few and far between as the deadline quickly approaches for the 9.5 million people who live in the Garden State. This week, it was announced that less than 20% of residents have obtained a Real ID, ranking New Jersey in last place when it comes to compliance rates. Read on for more about the ranking, as well as all of our previous Real ID coverage to help NJ locals obtain one before the May deadline.
NJ Ranks Last in Real ID Compliance Rates
CBS News ranked all 50 states in the country on Real ID compliance rates earlier this week, and New Jersey came in last. As of April 18th, 2025 — a little over two weeks before the May 7th deadline — only 17% of New Jerseyans have obtained a Real ID. CBS noted that a data analysis was conducted from April 7th-18th to obtain this information.
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Aside from New Jersey, 29 other states are less than 70% compliant with Real ID, including our neighbors Pennsylvania (26%) and New York (43%). Places like Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Texas, and the District of Columbia are all over 95% compliant.
The full compliance map can be found here.
Real ID Resources
The Hoboken Girl has been providing information to locals about Real ID as updates are announced. See below for a few links that will help anyone who has questions about the requirement, including what’s next if you do not obtain one before the deadline.
For more information about Real ID Thursdays, how to make an appointment, the requirements for a Real ID, and who needs one, click here.
For more information on what happens if you do not obtain a Real ID before the deadline, click here.
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