Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Absecon earns a D, 409th of 466 graded towns in New Jersey, mostly because of safety. Its police reported 24 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 80% of U.S. towns. One bright spot: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 76% of the country. The typical home is worth about $347K, 4.2 years of the Atlantic City metro’s $82K median household income. Absecon has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Dr. Jonathan Pitney House and Capt. Francis Babcock House. Absecon is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 79% of U.S. towns.
Where Absecon beats most towns.
Where Absecon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Absecon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 507 in 1880, 9,137 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1867 and 7 maps from 1887 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Absecon, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Absecon.
Absecon has seen reported crime fall by a third or more, has commutes shorter than most of New Jersey and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in New Jersey.
Reported crimes fell from 337 to 218 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 20.9 per 1,000 residents, Absecon’s property crime rate is where New Jersey’s towns sit at 7.4 and U.S. towns at 9.9. Absecon’s violent crime rate is 2.6 per 1,000 residents. Absecon reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 80% report less.
| Absecon | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Absecon Public Schools District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| H Ashton MarshLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 516 | C− |
| Highland Academy II PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 46 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests
64.9% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.6% across New Jersey.
At $1,807 a month, Absecon’s median rent is close to New Jersey’s towns ($1,778 a month) and above U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Typical home values rose 4.6% in the year to September 2026.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within New Jersey it is less healthy than 66% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
17% of Absecon adults have been diagnosed with depression. Absecon beats the New Jersey average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 81% of Absecon adults had a checkup this year.
| Absecon | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 78% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 28% | 35% |
| What stands out | Absecon | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.7% | 11.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.1% | 14.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 4,159 working residents takes 19.8 minutes, against 30.5 across New Jersey.
The average trip to work in Absecon is 20 minutes. Most working residents leave Absecon for work: only 5% work in town. The median household income in Absecon is $74,000.
| Absecon | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 12% | 17% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
4.4 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, at 21 acres.
| Absecon | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.8% | 11% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Absecon Heritage Park | 0.6 mi | 14 |
| 2. Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve | — | 21 |
| 3. Senior Citizen Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Absecon has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 28° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 148 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Absecon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Absecon. Close and well known come first.
Big draw26 mi Park & preservePine Barrens
6 mi Stadium & arenaBoardwalk Hall
7 mi LandmarkLucy the Elephant
6 mi Theme parkSteel Pier24 mi BeachLong Beach Island
3 mi Park & preservePinelands National ReservePine Barrens: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Boardwalk Hall: Jack Boucher, Public domain · Lucy the Elephant: User:dtcdthingy 3:30 pm 30th July 2004 (Minolta Dimage X20), Public domain · Steel Pier: Make Lemons, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Pinelands National Reserve: New Jersey Pinelands Commission, CC BY-SA 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Absecon
About 5 of every 100 Absecon residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
3 places in Absecon on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Atlantic County, New Jersey, US
Absecon (, ab-SEE-kin) is a city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,137, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 726 (+8.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,411, which in turn reflected an increase of 773 (+10.1%) from the 7,638 counted in the 2000 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Absecon.
Atlantic City next door grades lower for schools (D to Absecon’s C) and higher for cost of living (C to D).
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absecon | #409 | D | D | C− | C | A− |
| Atlantic City | #465 | D− | C | D− | D | D |
| Pleasantville | #455 | D− | C− | C | D− | D |
| Galloway Township | #378 | C− | D | B− | C− | B+ |
| Absecon Highlands | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Egg Harbor Township | #373 | C | D | C+ | C+ | B+ |
Absecon Highlands isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Absecon with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Absecon grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #409 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A− for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
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