Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 38,787, settled in 1854.
Atlantic City earns a D−, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its police reported 587 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 100% of U.S. towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 93% of the country. What it does well: few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Atlantic City, where New Jersey’s towns sit at 6% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 1 of New Jersey’s 530 towns score lower on incomes. Atlantic City has 14 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Atlantic City Convention Hall and Absecon Lighthouse.
Where Atlantic City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Atlantic City Convention Hall is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its 14 National Register listings are more than in 95% of New Jersey towns with a listing.
Census counts: 687 in 1860, a peak of 66,198 in 1930, 38,497 in 2020. The archive holds 7 maps from 1887 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Atlantic City is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 1%), so the D− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Atlantic City, 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 Atlantic City.
Atlantic City has fewer 90° days than almost anywhere else in New Jersey, but it reports violent crime at 8 times the New Jersey rate and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New Jersey (mostly inland flooding).
Violent crime runs at 15 per 1,000 residents, 8 times the New Jersey rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Each of the 6 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Absecon (C−) to Brigantine (B+).
Atlantic City’s violent crime rate is 15 per 1,000 residents. Of the 394 New Jersey towns we compare, none has a higher property crime rate than Atlantic City. Atlantic City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 100% report less.
| Atlantic City | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 59.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Atlantic City School District. Two of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sovereign Avenue SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 717 | C |
| Atlantic City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,731 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
At 2.7 years of the Atlantic City metro’s $82K median household income, the typical home (about $219K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of New Jersey towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Pleasantville is next at $250K.
30% of households own their home in Atlantic City. The typical Atlantic City home is worth about $219,000, up 3.1% in a year, 62% below the New Jersey typical home. The median rent in Atlantic City is $1,136 a month.
| Atlantic City | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 30% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,136 a month | $1,780 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 59% | 52% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
37,316 jobs are based in Atlantic City, 2.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 47,699 in 2013 to 37,316.
49% of Atlantic City’s working residents work right in town. 5% of Atlantic City workers work from home. Jobs based in Atlantic City fell to 37,316 in 2023, 10,383 fewer than in 2013.
| Atlantic City | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 49% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 5% | 17% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 2,687 U.S. towns with household incomes like Atlantic City’s, it is less healthy than 65%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
Of the 468 New Jersey towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Atlantic City. Atlantic City beats the New Jersey average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 24. Among 468 New Jersey towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Atlantic City.
| Atlantic City | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 15% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 9.7% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 12% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 22% | 25% |
| What stands out | Atlantic City | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.5% | 7.5% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.4% | 15.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.2% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of New Jersey towns, with expected losses of about $548 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 5,161 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 300 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 5,161 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Atlantic City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Atlantic City Intl Ap weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 23 days a year reach 90°, the #2 lowest of 941 New Jersey places with climate records.
Atlantic City has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 28° and about 17 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
7.6 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Absecon Wildlife Management Area, at 786 acres.
| Atlantic City | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.8% | 11% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. O'Donnell Memorial Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
| 2. Horace J Bryant Park | 0.5 mi | 5 |
| 3. Ocsar E. McClinton Jr. Waterfront Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Atlantic City. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaBoardwalk Hall
Big draw30 mi Park & preservePine Barrens
5 mi LandmarkLucy the Elephant
in town Theme parkSteel Pier25 mi BeachLong Beach Island
5 mi Park & preservePinelands National ReserveBoardwalk Hall: Jack Boucher, Public domain · Pine Barrens: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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 Atlantic City
About 6 of every 100 Atlantic City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
Coastal flooding makes up 16% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
14 places in Atlantic City on the National Register of Historic Places.
52 notable people were born in Atlantic City.
6 towns share a border with Atlantic City.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Pleasantville (D−) is closest. Brigantine next door grades higher for schools (C+ to Atlantic City’s D) and lower for cost of living (D− to C).
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City | #465 | D− | C | D− | D | D |
| Pleasantville | #455 | D− | C− | C | D− | D |
| Galloway Township | #378 | C− | D | B− | C− | B+ |
| Absecon | #409 | D | D | C− | C | A− |
| Ventnor City | #403 | C− | D | C− | C+ | B+ |
| Egg Harbor Township | #373 | C | D | C+ | C+ | B+ |
| Brigantine | #320 | C+ | D− | B+ | C+ | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Atlantic City grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
52 notable people were born here, including Robert Ettinger and Allan Kaprow.
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