A well-functioning economy needs to have a range of workers with different skill levels and different incomes.

From a bird’s eye view, New Jersey’s economy appears healthy by this measure. According to analysis by NJ Advance Media, the chance of two random people meeting in the state being in different income brackets is about 85% — high but still down three percent from a decade ago.

At the municipal level, however, the view is less rosy. Only ten towns in the Garden State have a higher measure of economic diversity than the state.

There is an increasing consensus that having a diverse economy results in positive outcomes for people from all income groups. People get better access to jobs, public resources and schools. Research shows they create opportunities for people to interact with a wide variety of people.

To measure the economic diversity of New Jersey’s towns, we applied the diversity index to income brackets. The diversity index shows the chances that two random people in a given area would be from two separate racial groups.

Here are the towns where that’s higher than the state:

The towns with the lowest economic diversity are: Millburn (Essex County), Glen Ridge (Essex County), Harding (Morris County), Mendham (Morris County), Saddle River (Bergen County), Mountain Lakes (Morris County), North Caldwell (Essex County), Chatham (Morris County), Upper Saddle River (Bergen County), Montgomery (Somerset County).

The chief reason for the lack of economic diversity in the state can be attributed to a dearth of middle class jobs, according to James Hughes, dean emeritus at Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University,

“The state’s economy is growing at both ends but jobs for the middle skilled workers are disappearing,” he said.

New Jersey’s slow growth in improving economic diversity could, in part, be attributed to the lack of new public policy initiatives, he added.

But how does improving economic diversity ensure that the gap between rich and poor does not increase?

Hughes said certain policy decisions like increasing minimum wage and inclusionary zoning to improve affordable housing are two key areas that can help bridge that gap. Additionally, a very aggressive workforce development program that helps individuals who don’t have necessary skills get better can also help.

Hover or tap over the bars or the legend to see how income is distributed in these towns:

Disha Raychaudhuri may be reached at disha@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Disha_RC.