New Jersey-based firms accounted for 20 entries in this year's NLJ 500, with a bare majority of those firms climbing the rankings.

Of the 20 New Jersey firms on the list, 12 posted year-over-year attorney head count increases, while 10 moved up the list of the largest U.S. law firms, ordered by 2018 attorney population and released each year by sibling publication the National Law Journal. One New Jersey firm joined the rankings after missing the cut last year.

Total population at the 500 largest firms increased last year by 2.5%, to 169,477, the report said, noting that the collective growth rate was higher than that of 2017 (1%) or 2016 (2%).

Year-over-year attorney population changes at the 20 ranked New Jersey firms ranged from 14.1% growth to 12.2% decline. And two of the firms lost ground in the rankings despite net increases in lawyer population.

Here's how each of the 20 firms measured up:

• McCarter & English increased its lawyer head count by 1.4%, to 373, and ascended two spots, to No. 114.
• Lowenstein Sandler's 7.3% population increase, to 287, was among the highest of the group. The firm climbed 13 spots, to No. 145.
• Day Pitney's net gain of two lawyers brought its head count to 254, a 0.6% increase. But it descended one spot, to No. 167.
• Similarly, McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter increased its head count (to 251, from 247, a 1.3% gain) but still descended one spot, to No. 171.
• Archer & Greiner increased its lawyer head count 2.3%, to 180, and climbed three spots, to No. 220.
• Bressler, Amery & Ross had one of the highest population growth rates: 9.8%. Its 179 lawyers (up from 163) placed it at No. 223, a 20-spot jump on the list.
• Gibbons had a net loss of five attorneys, to 170—a 2.5% decrease. It descended eight spots, to No. 233.
• Connell Foley's 14.1% population growth rate was highest among the group of 20 New Jersey firms. The firm's 146-lawyer head count (up from 128) placed it No. 274, a jump of 47 spots up the board.
• Cole Schotz grew its head count 3.7%, to 141, and climbed 14 spots, to No. 285.
• Sills Cummis & Gross had a net gain of two lawyers, pushing its head count up 1.5%, to 136. It ascended five spots, to No. 301.
• Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi's 3.8% head count increase, to 135, pushed it eight spots up the board, to No. 304.
• Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti had a 3.4% decrease, to 135 lawyers, and the firm descended 16 spots, to No. 306.
• Norris McLaughlin & Marcus had the largest rate of decrease in population among the group of 20 New Jersey firms: 12.2%. Its attorney population decreased to 122, yielding a 40-spot tumble, to No. 331.
• Stark & Stark had the second-highest growth rate. The 12.6% increase, to 98 lawyers, meant it climbed 53 spots, to No. 388.
• Capehart & Scatchard's net gain of three lawyers (to 94, a 3.3% change) was enough for an 18-spot climb, to No. 406.
• Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer's 9.7% decline in population (to 93) was among the largest rates of decrease in the group. It descended 33 spots. to No. 414.
• The 12.1% population decline at Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas was the second-largest rate of decrease of the group. It had a net decrease of 12 lawyers, to 87, and descended 45 spots, to No. 441.
• Porzio, Bromberg & Newman had a 5.6% population decrease, to 84, and slid 28 spots, to No. 464.
• Greenbaum Rowe Smith & Davis saw an 8.8% decrease, to 83 lawyers, and descended 42 spots, to No. 467.
• Unranked in last year's NLJ 500, Schenck, Price, Smith & King occupies the 493rd spot, with an attorney population of 77 for 2018.