Ocean County, New Jersey

Ocean County
County
Sunrise at Barnegat Lighthouse on Long Beach Island, facing the Atlantic Ocean
Sunrise at Barnegat Lighthouse on Long Beach Island, facing the Atlantic Ocean
Flag of Ocean County
Flag
Official seal of Ocean County
Seal
Map of New Jersey highlighting Ocean County
Location within the U.S. state of New Jersey
Map of the United States highlighting New Jersey
New Jersey's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°52′N 74°15′W / 39.87°N 74.25°W / 39.87; -74.25
Country United States
State New Jersey
Founded1850[1]
Named forAtlantic Ocean
SeatToms River[2]
Largest municipalityLakewood Township (population)
Jackson Township (area)
Government
 • Commissioner DirectorBarbara Jo Crea (R, term ends December 31, 2024)
Area
[3]
 • Total
914.84 sq mi (2,369.4 km2)
 • Land628.29 sq mi (1,627.3 km2)
 • Water286.55 sq mi (742.2 km2)  31.3%
Population
 (2020)[4][5]
 • Total
637,229
 • Estimate 
(2023)[4][6]
659,197 Increase
 • Density700/sq mi (270/km2)
Congressional districts2nd, 4th
Websiteco.ocean.nj.us
Map
Interactive map of Ocean County, New Jersey

Ocean County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the southernmost county in the New York metropolitan area. The county borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east and in terms of total area is the state's largest county.[3] Its county seat is Toms River.[2] The county is part of the Jersey Shore[7] and is considered part of the Central Jersey region of the state,[8] though it was not among the four counties explicitly listed as included in Central Jersey as part of legislation signed into law in 2023.[9]

Since 2020, Ocean County has been the fastest-growing county in New Jersey,[10] with a population of 637,229 recorded at the 2020 United States census,[4][5] its highest decennial count ever and ranking the county as the state's sixth-most populous county,[11][12] with an increase of 60,662 (+10.5%) from the 576,567 enumerated at the 2010 census,[13] which in turn reflected an increase of 65,651 (+12.8%) from the 510,916 counted in the 2000 census.[14] Since 2010, Ocean County's population has been growing faster than the United States as a whole.[15] The United States Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program estimated a 2023 population of 659,197, an increase of 21,968 (+3.4%) from the 2020 decennial census.[6] Ocean County’s most populous and fastest-growing place is Lakewood Township, with an estimated 139,866 residents as of 2023,[16] while Jackson Township covers 100.62 square miles (260.6 km2), the largest total area of any municipality in the county.

Ocean County is located 50 miles (80 km) east of Philadelphia, 70 miles (110 km) south of New York City, and 25 miles (40 km) north of Atlantic City, making it a prime vacation destination for residents of these cities during the summer. As with the entire Jersey Shore, summer traffic routinely clogs local roadways throughout the season. Over 31% of Ocean County's total area is water.

Ocean County is part of the New York metropolitan area.[17] The county is also home to many tourist attractions frequented by Philadelphia metropolitan area residents, including the beachfront communities of Seaside Heights, Long Beach Island, and Point Pleasant Beach, and Six Flags Great Adventure, an amusement park in Jackson Township. Ocean County is a gateway to New Jersey's Pine Barrens, one of the largest protected land areas on the East Coast.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Story was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b New Jersey County Map Archived March 13, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed December 22, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference CensusArea was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Census2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LWD2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PopEst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Regions: North, Central, South, Shore - Best of NJ", Best of NJ, Accessed May 30, 2024. "Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth, and Ocean County make up the Jersey Shore region."
  8. ^ Willis, David P. "'This is how wars start': Does Central Jersey include both Ocean and Union counties?", Asbury Park Press, February 20, 2023. Accessed March 31, 2024. "North Jersey is defined as Sussex, Warren, Morris, Passaic, Bergen, Essex and Hudson counties; South Jersey would be Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Salem, Cumberland and Cape May counties. But for Central, things get a little tricky. It would include Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties."
  9. ^ "Governor Murphy Settles Central Jersey Debate" Archived February 13, 2024, at the Wayback Machine, Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy, August 24, 2023. Accessed April 15, 2024. "Governor Phil Murphy today signed S3206 to promote Central Jersey tourism. The bill requires the Division of Travel and Tourism, within the Department of State, to re-draw the State tourism map to create a 'Central Jersey' region and to incorporate it in all regional marketing campaigns, including publications and on VisitNJ.org. The 'Central Jersey' region will be comprised of, at minimum, the counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset."
  10. ^ Ryan Forgosh, Asbury Park Press (May 25, 2023). "State of growing: 14 New Jersey towns where population is growing the fastest". USA TODAY Network. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nowhere in New Jersey has been growing as fast as Ocean County..Ocean County grew by nearly 3 percent — the largest increase in the state. Four of the five fastest growing towns in New Jersey are in Ocean..Lakewood, which has been the fastest growing town in New Jersey for decades, retained its title. But seven other Ocean County towns, like [[Brick Township, New Jersey|]], Toms River, and [[Jackson Township, New Jersey|]], also bucked state trends and experienced significant population growth.
  11. ^ Table1. New Jersey Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships: 2020 and 2010 Censuses Archived February 13, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  12. ^ "New Jersey: 2020 Census - New Jersey Population Topped 9 Million in Last Decade" Archived May 26, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, United States Census Bureau, August 25, 2021. Accessed December 25, 2022.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "How has the population changed in Ocean County?". USAFacts. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023. The population of Ocean County, New Jersey in 2021 was 648,998, 12.4% up from the 577,574 who lived there in 2010. For comparison, the US population grew 7.3%
  16. ^ Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Minor Civil Divisions in New Jersey: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023, United States Census Bureau, released May 2024. Accessed June 4, 2024.
  17. ^ New Jersey: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties Archived April 13, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, United States Census Bureau. Accessed October 22, 2021.