Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Jackson Township grades B overall, ranked 231st of 466 in New Jersey. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 91% of U.S. towns and it is healthier than 77% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $640K for a typical one and 6.5 times the New York metro’s $99K median household income. 17% of the land in Jackson Township is conserved, where New Jersey’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Only 19 of New Jersey’s 530 towns score lower on history.
Where Jackson Township beats most towns.
Where Jackson Township’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 Jackson Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,333 in 1850, 58,544 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 6 maps from 1888 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Jackson Township. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town Theme parkSix Flags Great Adventure2.2M visitors a year
Big draw39 mi BeachConey Island
Big draw31 mi Park & preservePine Barrens
36 mi LandmarkVanderbilt Family Cemetery and Mausoleum
30 mi Stadium & arenaSHI Stadium
35 mi GardenFreshkills ParkSix Flags Great Adventure: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Coney Island: OptimumPx, Public domain · Pine Barrens: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vanderbilt Family Cemetery and Mausoleum: Vanderbilt_Mausoleum.jpg: Staten Island post cards / Bridges derivative work: Jb, Public domain · SHI Stadium: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Freshkills Park: H.L.I.T., CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jackson Township, 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 Jackson Township.
Jackson Township has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in New Jersey.
Reported crimes fell from 264 to 196 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 26 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
At 2.8 per 1,000 residents, Jackson Township’s property crime rate is below both the New Jersey town median (7.5) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). Jackson Township’s violent crime rate is 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Jackson Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Jackson Township School District. Two of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carl W. Goetz Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 978 | B+ |
| Jackson Memorial High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,577 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
The trail density in Jackson Township is 1.1 miles per square mile. 107 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Within New Jersey it is less healthy than 65% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar. Against the 6,389 U.S. towns with household incomes like Jackson Township’s, it is healthier than 53%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
16% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Jackson Township. Jackson Township beats the New Jersey average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 30% of adults feel lonely in Jackson Township.
| Jackson Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 28% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Jackson Township | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12% | 14.3% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 9.5% | 11.3% |
| More adults with arthritis | 26.8% | 22.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Jackson Township for work: only 9% work in town. The top destinations are Lakewood Township (13%), Toms River Township (4%) and Freehold Township (4%). Half commute less than 17 miles.
| Jackson Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $116,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 13% | 17% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Jackson Township has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 23° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 27% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 35% of residents (40% statewide). Jackson Township has grown 4.6% since 2020, to 61,281 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 39% of Jackson Township adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Jackson Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 27% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 37.3 years | 42 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 45% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.4 points. Across New Jersey, 50.8% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.6, men 35.2.
| Jackson Township | NJ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.7% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.9% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.5% | 8.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.9% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.7% | 13.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.6% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.6% | 9.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.4% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.2% | 15% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.8% | 26.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.7% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Jackson Township home is worth about $640,000, up 2% in a year, 11% above the New Jersey typical home.
| Jackson Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,908 a month | $1,778 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 87% | 77% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Jackson Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
21 within 15 miles of the center of Jackson Township
About 6 of every 100 Jackson Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
2 places in Jackson Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Jackson Township.
Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, US
Jackson Township is a township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A portion of the township is located within the Pinelands National Reserve. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 58,544, an increase of 3,688 (+6.7%) from the 2010 census count of 54,856, which in turn reflected an increase of 12,040 (+28.1%) from the 42,816 counted in the 2000 census. Roughly equidistant between New York City and Philadelphia, along with being close to the state capital of Trenton and the Jersey Shore on Interstate 195, Jackson is an outer-ring suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. Jackson is also the site of the Six Flags Great Adventure …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Jackson Township.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Township | #231 | B | D | A | B− | A− |
| Howell Township | #225 | B | D− | — | B | A |
| Plumsted Township | #349 | C | C− | — | B− | A− |
| Manchester Township | #305 | B− | B− | A | C | B− |
| Lakewood Township | #392 | C− | D− | B+ | C− | C+ |
| Freehold Township | #195 | B+ | D | — | B+ | A |
| Cedar Glen West | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Howell Township, Plumsted Township and Freehold Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Cedar Glen West isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Jackson Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Jackson Township grades B overall, better than 63% of U.S. towns and #231 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A− for health, A for safety and B− 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.
8 notable people were born here, including Steve Niles and Scotty Cranmer.
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