Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Homes are expensive, about $2.1 million for a typical one and 21.4 times the New York metro’s $99K median household income. Overall it grades C+, ranked 336th of 466 in New Jersey. It is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns and it is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 43% of residents are 65 or older in Long Beach Township, where New Jersey’s towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 18%. The biggest park or preserve is Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, at 8,003 acres. Only 20 of New Jersey’s 530 towns score lower on history.
Where Long Beach Township beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Coastal flooding makes up 37% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
81.3% 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
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Long Beach Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 92% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 3%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 152 in 1900, a low of 106 in 1920, 3,153 in 2020. The archive holds 28 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 6 maps from 1888 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Long Beach 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 Long Beach Township.
Long Beach Township is safe by national standards but not by New Jersey’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New Jersey (mostly inland flooding) and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New Jersey.
At 21.4 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home (about $2.12M) costs more against local pay than in any other New Jersey town; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
Long Beach Township’s median rent is $2,057 a month. Typical home values rose 13% in the year to September 2026.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within New Jersey it is healthier than 61% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
11% of adults report frequent mental distress in Long Beach Township. Among 468 New Jersey towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Long Beach Township. 13% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Long Beach Township.
| Long Beach Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 32% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 23% |
| What stands out | Long Beach Township | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4.6% | 12.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.5% | 14.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.5% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of New Jersey towns, with expected losses of about $2,947 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 6,318 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 101 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 6,318 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Long Beach Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Long Beach Township has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Long Beach Township is 84°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Long Beach Township has about as many jobs (1,059) as working residents, but only 121 people both live and work here. 31.3% of workers work from home, against 16.8% across New Jersey.
Most working residents leave Long Beach Township for work: only 11% work in town. Jobs based in Long Beach Township grew to 1,059 in 2023, 200 more than in 2013. 4.5% of Long Beach Township residents live below the poverty line.
| Long Beach Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $113,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Long Beach Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.5% | 11% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve | — | 8,003 |
| 2. Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge | — | 1,205 |
| 3. Brigantine Wilderness | 0.1 mi | 273 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 18.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 67% of New Jersey’s graded towns. Long Beach Township is safe by national standards, yet each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Little Egg Harbor Township (B+) to Ocean Township (A+).
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Long Beach Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi Park & preservePine Barrens
Big draw39 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great Adventure2.2M visitors a year5 mi BeachLong Beach Island
21 mi Stadium & arenaBoardwalk Hall
25 mi LandmarkLucy the Elephant
20 mi Theme parkSteel PierPine Barrens: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Six Flags Great Adventure: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · 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
None within 15 miles of Long Beach Township; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Long Beach Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Jersey.
Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, US
Long Beach Township is a Walsh Act Township situated on the Jersey Shore, in southeastern Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 3,153, an increase of 102 (+3.3%) from the 2010 census count of 3,051, which in turn reflected a decline of 278 (−8.4%) from the 3,329 counted in the 2000 census. Most of the township is located on Long Beach Island, a barrier island along the Atlantic Ocean whose summer population swells to as much as 130,000, including part-time residents and tourists. In October 2012, Long Beach Township was severely affected by Hurricane Sandy, with township mayor Joe Mancini estimating that potential c…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Long Beach Township.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach Township | #336 | C+ | D− | B− | C+ | A |
| North Beach Haven | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stafford Township | #241 | B | C− | B+ | B− | A− |
| Ocean Township | #245 | B | C− | A+ | C | A− |
| Eagleswood Township | — | — | C | — | D | A− |
| Little Egg Harbor Township | #339 | C+ | D | B+ | D | B+ |
| Beach Haven | — | — | D− | — | C+ | A |
| Barnegat Light | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Eagleswood Township and Beach Haven have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Eagleswood Township and Beach Haven report no FBI crime data of their own. North Beach Haven and Barnegat Light aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Long Beach Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Long Beach Township grades C+ overall, better than 37% of U.S. towns and #336 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A for health, B− 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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