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New Jersey’s life sciences sector spans a range of concentrations, from biotechnology and pharmaceuticals to medical devices and research laboratories, according to the latest NJBIZ ranking of companies by number of in-state employees.

Merck & Co. Inc., founded in 1891 and headquartered in Rahway, leads the list with 8,000 employees in New Jersey. The company delivers health solutions through prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. In October 2025, Merck closed its acquisition of Verona Pharma. This year, the firm finalized its acquisitions of Cidara Therapeutics for $9.2 billion and Terns Pharmaceuticals for $6.7 billion.

New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark ranks second with 2,719 employees. NJIT confers degrees in STEM disciplines and houses research centers including the Sokol Institute for Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences.

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Co.), based in Franklin Lakes, employs 2,500 workers in the state and operates in medical devices and healthcare technology. Montclair State University follows with 2,357 employees. That institution’s research infrastructure includes a water analysis laboratory and a clean energy analytics center.

Warren-based PTC Therapeutics, which focuses on rare disease treatments, employs 650 in New Jersey. Ferring Pharmaceuticals in Parsippany employs 605 and operates in reproductive medicine, gastroenterology and orthopaedics.

At the other end of the scale, BioNJ, a life sciences trade association based in Trenton, employs 15 people and represents organizations across the healthcare ecosystem.

Provident Bank is the Premium Publication Sponsor of NJBIZ’s 2026 Book of Lists. Hackensack Meridian Health is the Health Care & Pharmaceuticals Category Sponsor.

Go to the NJBIZ Leads & Data Center to download the complete Life Sciences Companies list or any other NJBIZ list. Subscribe to NJBIZ’s Leads & Data to gain year-round access to the data from NJBIZ lists. 

Claude.ai assisted with the creation of this article based on NJBIZ data.