The study incorporates analysis of all major topics related to the byproducts generated by historic preservation efforts. David Listokin and Michael Lahr served as principal investigators from Rutgers. Listokin cited several key findings among the report's 350-plus pages. The findings create compelling economic reasons for investing in New Jersey's heritage. The considerable tax revenues generated, alone, provide a significant economic development tool, particularly in the state's older cities.
Rehabilitation looms especially large as a component of new Jersey's construction sector.
Historic rehabilitation is a smaller, but nonetheless important element in construction activity involving the state's existing building stock. However, this element increases in importance during times of economic downturn. The role historic sites visitation plays in the state's huge tourism industry was examined for the first time by the Rutgers study. The typical heritage traveler in New Jersey spends more and stays longer at their travel destination and rates their trip more positively than does the average non-heritage tourist. For example, when all the taxes generated by preservation activities are taken into account, the net cost of the Historic Preservation Bond Program to government is essentially reduced to a negligible amount.