HomeNew JerseyOcean County
Ocean County, New Jersey: commercial real estate data.
Ocean County, New Jersey has a population of 654,362 across 629 square miles, up 4.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $31.71 bn in 2024, 15,020 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1,064 7(a) approvals worth $451.2 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Ocean County
How many people live in Ocean County
- Population654,362
- Households243,843
- Average household size2.68
- Median household income$89,863
- Median age41.2
- Median gross rent$1,755 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$398,400
- Home value to household income4.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income23.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher34.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree12.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over443,137
- Population under 18163,366
- Share under 1825.0 percent
- Population 65 and over148,007
- Share 65 and over22.6 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64342,989
- Civilian labor force300,196
- Unemployment rate5.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over61.1 percent
- Rank by population among New Jersey counties5th of 21
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents107th
Ocean County is the 5th largest of 21 New Jersey counties by population. A median home costs 4.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 25.0 percent against 22.6 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ocean County
Is Ocean County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base4.57 percent
- Census 2020 base population637,300
- Births, 202410,235
- Deaths, 20247,156
- Natural change, 20243,079
- Net domestic migration, 20241,130
- Net international migration, 20241,776
- Total net migration, 20242,906
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202414,819
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents602nd
The county has grown 4.57 percent since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Ocean County
Where people moving to Ocean County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving13,731
- People arriving, from those returns23,239
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.44 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$104,688
- Largest single originOcean County Non-migrants (241,655 households)
- Largest single destination (241,655 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean County Non-migrants | 241,655 | 509,120 | $22.00 bn |
| Monmouth County | 3,127 | 5,254 | $307.4 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,804 | 2,861 | $139.9 m |
| Middlesex County | 1,155 | 1,893 | $110.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 890 | 1,398 | $68.1 m |
| Kings County | 706 | 1,841 | $68.9 m |
| Bergen County | 627 | 991 | $78.4 m |
| Union County | 548 | 948 | $76.1 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Ocean County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Ocean County
What the Ocean County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$31.71 bn
- County GDP, 2023$30.34 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.5 percent
- GDP change over five years31.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among New Jersey counties12th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents187th
- GDP per resident$48,458
Output grew 4.5 percent in the latest year and 31.9 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Ocean County
Who employs people in Ocean County
- Covered employment, annual average189,912
- Establishments reporting15,958
- Average annual pay$57,452
- Average weekly wage$1,105
- Sector 62, employment43,504
- Sector 62, average annual pay$60,910
- Sector 44-45, employment27,121
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$42,945
- Sector 72, employment18,323
- Sector 72, average annual pay$28,468
- Sector 23, employment11,059
- Sector 23, average annual pay$72,329
- Sector 54, employment9,098
- Sector 56, employment8,517
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 43,504 | 2,882 | $60,910 |
| Sector 44-45 | 27,121 | 1,770 | $42,945 |
| Sector 72 | 18,323 | 1,298 | $28,468 |
| Sector 23 | 11,059 | 1,810 | $72,329 |
| Sector 54 | 9,098 | 1,430 | $86,173 |
| Sector 56 | 8,517 | 979 | $55,733 |
| Sector 61 | 8,349 | 278 | $34,205 |
| Sector 81 | 7,979 | 1,306 | $37,737 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 43,504 jobs, 22.9 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Ocean County
What businesses operate in Ocean County
- Establishments, all industries15,020
- Employment at those establishments172,650
- Annual payroll$8.77 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents23.0
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ocean County
What is being built in Ocean County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20243,706
- Declared construction value permitted$618.9 m
- Single family units authorised2,808
- Multifamily units authorised898
- Multifamily share of units24.2 percent
- Average declared value per unit$166,994
- Units authorised per 1,000 households15.2
Multifamily is 24.2 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Ocean County
How much SBA lending happens in Ocean County
- 7(a) approvals recorded1,064
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$451.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$424,049
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,131,300
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)7,912
- Jobs per approval7.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active85
- Distinct industries receiving approvals280
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer12.5 percent
- Loans on real estate terms133
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter902
- Franchise loans48
- Franchise share of approvals4.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countResidential Remodelers (46)
- Most active lenderTD Bank, National Association (386)
- 504 approvals recorded104
- 504 gross approval dollars$114.9 m
- Average 504 approval$1,104,529
- Median 504 approval$698,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval12.9
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved11.7
- Most active CDCTrenton Business Assistance Corporation (66)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals91.1 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$566.1 m
The average approval of $424,049 sits well above the median of $150,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 12.5 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ocean County
Do SBA loans in Ocean County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded192
- Paid in full154
- Charged off38
- Charge off rate on resolved loans19.8 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure697
- Status: Paid in full154
- Status: Cancelled118
- Status: Charged off38
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed57
| NAICS | Industry | Resolved loans | Charged off | Charge off rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 454110 | Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses | 10 | 3 | 30.0% |
| 722511 | Full-Service Restaurants | 10 | 0 | 0.0% |
Of the 192 loans that have reached a final outcome, 19.8 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong. Among industries with at least ten resolved loans, Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses carries the highest charge off rate at 30.0 percent.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ocean County
Which parts of Ocean County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending52
- Lakewood, approvals312
- TOMS RIVER, approvals214
- JACKSON, approvals100
- BRICK, approvals80
- Forked River, approvals42
- MANAHAWKIN, approvals40
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | 312 | $143,482,600 |
| TOMS RIVER | 214 | $80,658,800 |
| JACKSON | 100 | $37,040,800 |
| BRICK | 80 | $27,861,300 |
| Forked River | 42 | $12,575,400 |
| MANAHAWKIN | 40 | $11,812,300 |
| Barnegat | 36 | $12,526,500 |
| BAYVILLE | 24 | $10,205,000 |
Lakewood accounts for 312 approvals against 214 in TOMS RIVER. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ocean County
How big is Ocean County
- Land area629 sq mi
- Rank by land area among New Jersey counties2nd of 21
- Width, east to west27.7 mi
- Height, north to south46.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land1,040
- Establishments per square mile23.88
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Ocean County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Ocean County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population654,362
- Households243,843
- Average household size2.68
- Median household income$89,863
- Median age41.2
Common questions
Ocean County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Ocean County, New Jersey?
654,362, in 243,843 households, ranking 5th of 21 New Jersey counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Ocean County growing?
The population has grown 4.57 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 10,235 births against 7,156 deaths, with net migration of 2,906. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Ocean County?
$89,863. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $398,400, which is 4.4 times income, and median gross rent is $1,755 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Ocean County?
15,020 establishments, employing 172,650 people with an annual payroll of $8.77 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Ocean County?
Average annual pay is $57,452, or $1,105 a week, across 189,912 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Ocean County?
1,064 7(a) approvals totalling $451.2 m since FY2020, across 85 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000, plus 104 504 approvals worth $114.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Ocean County get paid back?
Of the 192 loans that have reached a final outcome, 154 were paid in full and 38 charged off, a charge off rate of 19.8 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Ocean County?
3,706 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $618.9 m. Multifamily was 24.2 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Ocean County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Ocean County come from?
The largest single origin is Ocean County Non-migrants, with 241,655 households. Arriving households report an average income of $104,688 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Ocean County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Ocean County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.