Ocean County, New Jersey

NJ · FIPS 34029 Republican

Located in New Jersey, Ocean County has a population of 654,362 residents and a median age of 41.2 years, making it the #107 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 10.5%. The median home value is $398,400, and the median household income is $89,863, which is 20% above the national median.

654,362
Population
#107 of 3,222
$89,863
Median Income
+19.6% #303 of 3,222
41.2 years
Median Age
+5.9% #1,751 of 3,222
10.5%
Poverty Rate
-16.7% #901 of 3,222

Demographics

Ocean County has a population of 654,362, making it the #107 most populous county in the US. The median age is 41.2 years, which is 5.9% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

92.0%
Native Born
8.0%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Ocean County is $89,863, ranking #303 out of 3,222 counties — 19.6% above the national median. The poverty rate is 10.5% and unemployment stands at 5.4%.

Income#303
$89,863
+19.6%
vs nation
91th percentile
Per Capita#419
$44,947
+8.9%
vs nation
87th percentile
Poverty#901
10.5%
-16.7%
vs nation
72th percentile
Unemployment#2,282
5.4%
+2.6%
vs nation
29th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Ocean County is $398,400 (+41.3% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,755/mo and the homeownership rate is 80.7%.

Home Value#289
$398,400
+41.3%
vs nation
91th percentile
Rent#115
$1,755
+50.9%
vs nation
96th percentile
Homeownership#520
80.7%
+25.4%
vs nation
84th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Ocean County, 34.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 2.1% above the national average, ranking #494 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
34.4% +2.1% vs nation
Rank #494 of 3,222
85th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Ocean County is 78.1 years. 15.9% of adults report poor or fair health and 5.8% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#620
78.1
+3.9%
vs nation
80th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#772
15.9%
-18.7%
vs nation
76th percentile
Diabetes#304
8.5%
-23.6%
vs nation
90th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,790
38.3%
+2.7%
vs nation
43th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#951
5.3
-5.4%
vs nation
70th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#725
3.9
-12.1%
vs nation
77th percentile
Uninsured Rate#376
5.8%
-45.1%
vs nation
88th percentile
Physical Inactivity#958
23.5%
-10.9%
vs nation
70th percentile
Food Insecurity#429
10.6%
-26.4%
vs nation
86th percentile

Substance Use

14.5% of adults in Ocean County smoke , 33.2% are obese , and 19.0% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 35.1 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#540
14.5%
-19.3%
vs nation
83th percentile
Adult Obesity#470
33.2%
-12.4%
vs nation
85th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,168
19.0%
-4.6%
vs nation
63th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,397
35.1
+8.5%
vs nation
34th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Ocean County is 1.2 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 9.1 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 8.4 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#22
1.2
-84.6%
vs nation
99th percentile
Suicide Rate#78
9.1
-54.1%
vs nation
97th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#19
3.5
-80.5%
vs nation
99th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#205
8.4
-58.6%
vs nation
93th percentile

Families & Children

14.7% of children in Ocean County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 2.9 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 6.4 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#16
2.9
-56.8%
vs nation
99th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#146
6.4
-70.9%
vs nation
95th percentile
Child Poverty#1,063
14.7%
-22.6%
vs nation
66th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Ocean County is 77.2%. The mean commute time is 32.9 min, which is 19.1% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
77.2% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
32.9 min +19.1% vs nation
Rank #490 of 3,222
85th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Ocean County voted Republican with a margin of 36.0%. The vote was 31.4% Dem / 67.4% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 7.4 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +36.0%
31.4% 67.4%
Dem 337,135 votes Rep
2020 REP +28.6%
34.9% 63.5%
Dem 342,746 votes Rep
2016 REP +34.0%
31.5% 65.5%
Dem 259,592 votes Rep
2012 REP +17.8%
40.6% 58.4%
Dem 237,432 votes Rep
2008 REP +18.4%
40.2% 58.6%
Dem 274,298 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Ocean County, New Jersey

Ocean County, New Jersey has a total population of 654,362, making it the 107th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Ocean County is 41.2 years, which is 5.9% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Ocean County is $89,863, which ranks #303 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 19.6% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 10.5%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.4%.

The median home value in Ocean County is $398,400, 41.3% above the national median. Renters in Ocean County pay a median gross rent of $1,755 per month. The homeownership rate is 80.7%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Ocean County, 34.4% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 2.1% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 95.9% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 32.9 min.

Ocean County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 81.1% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (10.9%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (2.9%).

All data for Ocean County, New Jersey comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.