Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Ocean Township are higher than in 83% of U.S. towns
Ocean Township grades B+ for jobs and income and A for walkability. The poverty rate is 8.2%, against 9.7% across New Jersey. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 1.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 43.7 in Jersey City.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Ocean Township stands out on work
No single place dominates Ocean Township’s commute
The biggest draw, New York City, NY, gets only 7% of working residents, and 57% work outside the top ten towns entirely. Ocean Township residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
Commutes from Ocean Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 26 minutes, against 31 across New Jersey. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical New Jersey worker. Time on the road ↓
Ocean Township draws workers from far and wide
The 9,911 jobs in Ocean Township are filled from a wide area. Ocean Township’s own residents hold 13% and the ten next-biggest home towns 30%; the other 57% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Jobs & income in Ocean Township: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Ocean Township is better than 74% of U.S. towns, #292 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car holds Ocean Township’s grade up (ahead of 86% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Ocean Township could be anywhere from B to A.
7% of working residents work in New York City
Where Ocean Township clocks in
7% of workers
4% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Getting to work from Ocean Township takes about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ocean Township workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 11,138 commuters (the 18% who work from home are left out). Across New Jersey: 75% drive alone, 10% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How many people are in Ocean Township by day
On a workday 10,718 residents head out to work, 1,304 work right here, and 8,607 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.82 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Inside Ocean Township’s 9,911 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ocean Township, 2013 → 2023: 8,727 → 9,911. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Ocean Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Ocean Township goes to work
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Good to walk, short on transit: Ocean Township
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Ocean Township is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns, #238 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Ocean Township near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 13,502 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 46% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 4% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 63% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.9% of Ocean Township households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of Ocean Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 20,000 to 38,000, Ocean Township ranks 605th of 1,409 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Scotch Plains Township NJ | 25,437 | $184K | 2.5% | 3.2% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Westfield NJ | 32,595 | $233K | 1.8% | 3.6% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Cranford Township NJ | 24,725 | $156K | 2.5% | 3.6% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 603 | Eastmont WA | 23,721 | $139K | 6.4% | 7.3% | 1% | B+ |
| 604 | Huntley IL | 29,132 | $89K | 8.6% | 3.6% | 6% | B+ |
| 605 | Ocean Township NJ | 28,088 | $109K | 8.2% | 5.3% | 11% | B+ |
| 606 | Brighton NY | 36,695 | $85K | 8.9% | 3.9% | 9% | B+ |
| 607 | Smithfield RI | 22,625 | $102K | 6.2% | 6.0% | 15% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,409 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Ocean Township, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
Ocean Township and its neighbors: 15% work next door
The biggest share goes to Eatontown (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ocean Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Township | – | B+ | A | 26 min | $108,626 |
| Eatontown | 4% | B+ | A | 22 min | $90,463 |
| West Long Branch | 2% | A− | A | 23 min | $114,271 |
| Interlaken | under 3% | — | — | 40 min | — |
| Deal | under 3% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Asbury Park | 2% | C+ | A+ | 26 min | $75,544 |
| Neptune Township | 4% | B | A | 26 min | $101,017 |
| Allenhurst | under 3% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Tinton Falls | 3% | A− | A | 30 min | $117,308 |
Same-state neighbors only. Interlaken, Deal and Allenhurst: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Ocean Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Ocean Township: questions
What is the median household income in Ocean Township?
$108,626 (±$8,568) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ocean Township?
8.2%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ocean Township?
26 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ocean Township work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (7%, 29 mi), Eatontown (4%, 3 mi), Long Branch (4%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Ocean Township walkable?
Ocean Township is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.7 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Ocean Township without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 4% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Ocean Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ocean Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.