Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
North Wildwood grades low on several counts. Its lowest grade is for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $691K, 8.4 years of the Atlantic City metro’s $82K median household income. The town ranks 417th of 466 in New Jersey, with a D overall. Set against the rest, it does better than 13% of U.S. towns. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with coastal flooding at the top. Walkability is its strong suit (A+): it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 95% of U.S. towns. 7% of residents are under 18 locally, against 21% in New Jersey’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Only 27 of New Jersey’s 359 towns score lower on safety.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · FBI crime data, 2025.
Where North Wildwood beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Coastal flooding makes up 47% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
74.2% 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 North Wildwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 161 in 1890, a peak of 5,017 in 1990, 3,621 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1874.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Wildwood, 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 North Wildwood.
North Wildwood is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in New Jersey; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New Jersey (mostly coastal flooding) and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of New Jersey.
The public schools here belong to the North Wildwood School District. Its two schools are below. The town’s only public school teaches 159 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Mace Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 159 | B− |
| Wildwood Catholic Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 365 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of New Jersey towns, with expected losses of about $1,901 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 3,043 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 553 properties have flooded more than once.
Paid flood insurance claims in North Wildwood since 1979: 3,043. 47% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from coastal flooding, followed by inland flooding at 35%. Federal aid has come to North Wildwood households in 10 declared disasters; the latest was in 2021.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 143 to 83 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The level of property crime in North Wildwood is 22.6 per 1,000 residents. The rate of reported violence here is 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
| North Wildwood | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 22.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Across 3 parks and preserves: 1.8 miles of trail. North Wildwood’s concentration of trails is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stone Harbor Point | — | 9 |
| 2. Albert I. Allen Memorial Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Bill Henfey Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 1,142 working residents takes 21.3 minutes, against 30.5 across New Jersey.
The middle household income for North Wildwood comes to $91,000. For most workers, North Wildwood is a place to come home to: only 13% work in town. The town had 844 jobs in 2023, up 179 from 2013. Half the trips to work are shorter than 9 miles.
| North Wildwood | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A winter brings about 15 inches of snow, with January nights at 28° and July afternoons at 85°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 8.4 years of the Atlantic City metro’s $82K median household income, the typical home (about $691K) costs more against local pay than in 82% of New Jersey towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
For North Wildwood, the rent at the middle of the market is $1,210 a month. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 12%. 84% of households live in a home they own in the town.
| North Wildwood | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,210 a month | $1,780 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within New Jersey it is less healthy than 79% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
Among adults in North Wildwood, 43% have high blood pressure. This New Jersey town beats the New Jersey average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. In North Wildwood, 27% of adults feel lonely, and 31% sleep under 7 hours.
| North Wildwood | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 32% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 36% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | North Wildwood | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.3% | 12.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.4% | 7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.3% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Wildwood. Close and well known come first.
2 mi Theme parkMorey's Piers
31 mi Stadium & arenaBoardwalk Hall
27 mi LandmarkLucy the Elephantin town Theme parkHunt's Pier
32 mi Theme parkSteel Pier7 mi Zoo & aquariumCape May County Park & ZooMorey'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
None within 15 miles of North Wildwood; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 North Wildwood residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
4,041 counted in 2010 and 3,621 in 2020; an estimated 3,518 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
2 places in North Wildwood on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Cape May County, New Jersey, US
North Wildwood is a city located on the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The city and all of Cape May County are part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 3,621, a decrease of 420 (−10.4%) from the 2010 census count of 4,041, which in turn had reflected a decline of 894 (−18.1%) from the 4,935 counted at the 2000 census. North Wildwood is home to the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse. The city's beaches were ranked the fourth-best in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with North Wildwood.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Wildwood | #417 | D | D | C− | C− | B |
| Middle Township | #405 | C− | D | C | C+ | B+ |
| West Wildwood | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stone Harbor | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wildwood | #456 | D− | C− | — | D− | C− |
Wildwood reports no FBI crime data of its own. West Wildwood and Stone Harbor aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare North Wildwood with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
North Wildwood grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #417 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades B for health, C− for safety and C− for schools. Hazard risk 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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