DorchesterNJ
Settled in 1827, this town now has 137 residents.
Is Dorchester a good place to live?
27% of residents live below the poverty line in Dorchester, against 6.1% in New Jersey’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Of the 469 New Jersey towns we compare, none has a higher share of households owning their home than Dorchester. Dorchester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Dorchester lives by the ocean
Coastal flooding makes up 44% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Dorchester.
Dorchester has a very high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from coastal flooding
Dorchester’s FEMA hazard score is 80 of 100. 44% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from coastal flooding, followed by inland flooding at 20%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Dorchester has 0.2 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
Since 2013, Dorchester has added 20 jobs, to 25 in 2023. Only 1% of working residents stay in Dorchester for work; the rest commute out. The town’s middle household income stands at $79,000. Half commute less than 24 miles.
| Dorchester | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $79,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The climate in Dorchester brings four seasons and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 86° and January nights of 25°, with about 22 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Dorchester is
The share of adults in Dorchester who sleep under 7 hours: 41%. Two figures for adults in the town: 17% smoke cigarettes, 15% report frequent physical distress.
| Dorchester | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 28% | 35% |
| What stands out | Dorchester | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.7% | 9.6% |
| More smokers | 16.7% | 10.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.8% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Dorchester
Pine Barrens and 25 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dorchester. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi Park & preservePine Barrens
29 mi Stadium & arenaBoardwalk Hall
25 mi LandmarkLucy the Elephant
22 mi Theme parkMorey's Piers37 mi Theme parkClementon Amusement Park
30 mi Theme parkSteel PierPhoto credits
Pine 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 · Morey's Piers: Smallbones, CC0 · Steel Pier: Make Lemons, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Moving to Dorchester: who provides what
Dorchester is unincorporated, so Cumberland County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
137 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Dorchester
About 0 of every 100 Dorchester residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
About Dorchester
Populated place in Cumberland County, New Jersey, US
Dorchester is an unincorporated community located within Maurice River Township, in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08316. As of the 2020 census, Dorchester had a population of 291. Shipbuilding has always been the principal industry in Dorchester, and the A.J. Meerwald, the state ship of New Jersey, was built here.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 13 ft
- ZIP code
- 08316
Questions about Dorchester
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dorchester, NJ a good place to live?
Dorchester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Say something about Dorchester.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.