Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cape May earns a D, 425th among New Jersey's 466 graded towns, mostly because of schools and safety. Its schools rank behind 90% of the state's. It reports more crime per resident than 80% of U.S. towns, including 4 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: 16% of its land is conserved. 11% of residents are under 18 in Cape May, below both New Jersey’s towns (21%) and U.S. towns (22%). Cape May is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns. Only 43 of New Jersey’s 530 towns score lower on incomes.
Where Cape May beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Cape May City Elementary School | PK–6 | 155 |
3,607 counted in 2010 and 2,768 in 2020; an estimated 2,716 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Cape May is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Cape May Historic District (Additional Documentation) is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,248 in 1870, a peak of 4,853 in 1980, 2,768 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1840 and 7 maps from 1888 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cape May. Close and well known come first.
6 mi Theme parkMorey's Piers
38 mi Stadium & arenaBoardwalk Hall
33 mi LandmarkLucy the Elephant
39 mi Theme parkSteel Pier6 mi Theme parkHunt's Pier
15 mi LandmarkFort MilesMorey's Piers: Smallbones, CC0 · 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 · Fort Miles: Unknown, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cape May, 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 Cape May.
Cape May has milder winter nights than almost anywhere else in New Jersey, draws workers from Lower Township and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
2,080 jobs are based in Cape May, 2.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 23% of working residents cross a state line to work, Philadelphia among the top destinations.
About one in 5 of Cape May’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Cape May is 18 minutes. The top destinations are Lower Township (10%), Middle Township (7%) and Atlantic City (3%).
| Cape May | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Cape May City School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape May City Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 155 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Property crime runs at 27.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the New Jersey rate, most of it theft.
Cape May’s property crime rate is 27.1 per 1,000 residents. Cape May reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 80% report less.
| Cape May | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 27.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 9.2 years of the Atlantic City metro’s $82K median household income, the typical home (about $754K) costs more against local pay than in 86% of New Jersey towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Among 463 New Jersey towns, just 9 have a lower median rent than Cape May. Typical home values rose 8.8% in the year to September 2026. 65% of households own their home in Cape May.
| Cape May | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,013 a month | $1,780 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 77% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.7 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is South Cape May Meadows, at 26 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Cape May Meadows | 0.1 mi | 26 |
| 2. Lafayette Street Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
| 3. Cape May Kiwanis Community Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 9,534 U.S. towns with household incomes like Cape May’s, it is healthier than 89%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within New Jersey it is less healthy than 77% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
29% of Cape May adults sleep under 7 hours. Cape May beats the New Jersey average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 14% of Cape May adults binge drink.
| Cape May | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 36% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 32% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Cape May | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.1% | 12.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.6% | 14.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.1% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 28.1°, the highest of 941 New Jersey places with climate records; July afternoons average 84.9°.
Cape May has mild winters and warm summers. No town among the 468 in New Jersey we compare has a higher January low than Cape May. About 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Cape May | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 28°F | 24°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 86°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1,028 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 68 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 1,028 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cape May.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Cape May; the nearest are
About 11 of every 100 Cape May residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
Coastal flooding makes up 16% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
47.8% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, so the town is fuller in summer than its census count suggests.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
14 notable people were born in Cape May.
City in Cape May County, New Jersey, US
Cape May, sometimes referred to as Cape May City, is a city and seaside resort located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on the Atlantic Ocean near the mouth of the Delaware Bay, it is one of the country's oldest vacation resort destinations. The city, and all of Cape May County, is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, and is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. It is the southernmost municipality in New Jersey, and is part of the South Jersey region of the state. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's resident population was 2,768, a decrease of 839 (−23.3%) from the 2010 census count of 3,…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Cape May.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape May | #425 | D | D | C− | D | B+ |
| Lower Township | #376 | C− | C− | B+ | D | B |
| West Cape May | — | — | — | — | — | — |
West Cape May isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cape May with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cape May grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #425 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades B+ for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Schools 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.
14 notable people were born here, including Paul Volcker and Frederick B. Dent.
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