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Place dossier plate
SheetNJ-OCEAN-CITY-NJ · Ocean City, NJ 11,260 pop · income 79th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Ocean City
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Ocean City on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Fredericksburg · lowest
57,474
Fredericksburg · lowest
57,474 median HH income
24.9% of the leader · rank #1
West Kennebunk · near
101,761
West Kennebunk · near
101,761 median HH income
44.1% of the leader · rank #2
Paramount-Lon… · near
101,763
Paramount-Lon… · near
101,763 median HH income
44.1% of the leader · rank #3
Big Flats · near
101,771
Big Flats · near
101,771 median HH income
44.1% of the leader · rank #4
Ocean City · this city
101,782
Ocean City · this city
101,782 median HH income
44.1% of the leader · rank #5
Randolph · near
101,786
Randolph · near
101,786 median HH income
44.1% of the leader · rank #6
Franklin Lakes · highest
230,987
Franklin Lakes · highest
230,987 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Ocean City on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 11,260.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Ocean City - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Ocean City places in the 79th percentile for household income and the 28th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
79th
percentile, household income
93rd
percentile, home value
94th
percentile, median rent
28th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Ocean City, NJ
New Jersey's Ocean City is a small town, with 11,260 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Ocean City households earn a median of $101,782 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 4.4%. Ocean City's housing stock carries a median value of $719,100, and the median resident age is 57.3 years. 54.7% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 53.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 164 residential building permits were authorized in Ocean City (Slowing), down 20% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 2178.4 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, near the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
New Jersey carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts New Jersey at 108.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Above Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $2,132 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in New Jersey run around $275, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 90.8 out of 100 (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Ocean City's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to schools and households to population change to reported crime to housing and income to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Ocean City, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, local building permits.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Comparison shortlist
Which cities make useful reference points for Ocean City?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within New Jersey, the closest population matches are Westwood (11,221 residents, $169,026 income); Wanaque (11,162 residents, $112,326 income); Ridgefield (11,439 residents, $115,676 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Newport East, RI (11,262 residents); Triangle, VA (11,265 residents); Fredericksburg, TX (11,254 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
What does the education layer cover for Ocean City?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 54.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Is Ocean City growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -122 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 164 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Ocean City?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2178.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 4% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Ocean City?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 7.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
7.1×
Home value
$719,100
Household income
$101,782
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the journey to work look like in Ocean City?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 61.0%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Drive alone
61.0%
Work from home
15.9%
Public transit
0.2%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 5,212 workers age 16+.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share A
54.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income B+
$101,782
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate B-
4.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime B-
116 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living F
108.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Ocean City profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 88/100 (A) · 54.7%
Household income: 78/100 (B+) · $101,782
Poverty rate: 69/100 (B-) · 4.4%
Violent crime: 67/100 (B-) · 116 /100k
Cost of living: 10/100 (F) · 108.8 index
Where Ocean City sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Ocean City's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Ocean City highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
Ocean City, NJ (this city): home $719,100, crime 2,178/100k
Fredericksburg, TX : home $442,800, crime 640/100k
Healdsburg, CA : home $946,900, crime 1,744/100k
Storm Lake, IA : home $163,600, crime 1,966/100k
Westwood, NJ : home $587,700, crime 306/100k
Wanaque, NJ : home $366,400, crime 223/100k
Ridgefield, NJ : home $609,700, crime 764/100k
Franklin Lakes, NJ : home $1,217,500, crime 400/100k
How does Ocean City compare to other US cities?
Where Ocean City sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income79% higher than other cities
Home value93% pricier than other cities
Median rent94% pricier than other cities
Safety28% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to New Jersey alone, Ocean City ranks #196 of 238 New Jersey cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Ocean City against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to New Jersey only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
New Jersey-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Ocean City near the bottom of New Jersey's cities
Among the 686 New Jersey cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Ocean City ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Ocean City only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#357 of 659
46th percentile in New Jersey
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 686
0th percentile in New Jersey
Median Home Value
#92 of 672
86th percentile in New Jersey
Poverty Rate
#263 of 680
60th percentile in New Jersey
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#222 of 686
68th percentile in New Jersey
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within New Jersey only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
79th percentile nationally for median household income · 28th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Ocean City's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Ocean City's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Ocean City's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$719,1007th percentilemore affordable than 7% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Ocean City's home-value-to-income ratio: 7.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,698 of 15,516
More affordable than 5% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,118 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 7.1×, Ocean City sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,698 of 15,516 and #3,118 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$101,782Ocean City, NJ median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Ocean City, NJ median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Ocean City, NJ.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)54.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)53.1%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
11,260
Median Income
$101,782
Median Home Value
$719,100
Median Age
57.3
Poverty Rate
4.4%
Labor force participation
53.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
54.7%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2178.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
115.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2062.8
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Ocean City's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
11,223 residents
2021
11,301 residents
2022
11,296 residents
2023
11,256 residents
2024
11,233 residents
2025
11,101 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
164
housing units authorized
Single-Family
85
detached homes
Multifamily
79
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
14.6
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
206
108
98
$69.3M
2020
172
66
106
$66.4M
2021
218
107
111
$88.1M
2022
205
95
110
$106.4M
2023
115
69
46
$74.3M
2024
164
85
79
$98.0M
Permit volume decreased 20% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
61.0%
Carpool
7.4%
Public Transit
0.2%
Walk
8.3%
Work from Home
15.9%
Other
7.2%
Based on 5,212 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
New Jersey statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $275
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across New Jersey at $275 (electricity about $120 , water and sewer about $60 ).
These are New Jersey statewide averages, not a meter reading for Ocean City. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
New Jersey's BEA cost-of-living index is 108.8 (Well Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Ocean City is $2,132/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to New Jersey statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 90.8 / 100 (Very High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a New Jersey statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Ocean City sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Ocean City compares to similar-size New Jersey cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.