Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0On CDC estimates, Surf City is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns
Surf City differs from New Jersey on 25 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 20 better, 5 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Surf City. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Surf City
Cancer, arthritis and heart disease run high in Surf City
1 in 7 adults have had cancer (14.8%), about twice the New Jersey rate. 1 in 3 adults have arthritis (35.2%), vs 22.2% across New Jersey. Heart disease is also above the state: 7.8%, vs 5.6% across New Jersey. In all, Surf City runs above New Jersey on five of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 43% of residents are 65 or older (New Jersey 17%), and cancer, arthritis and heart disease are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
More high blood pressure in Surf City, and more people treating it
38.7% of adults have high blood pressure (New Jersey 32.8%), but 85.5% of them take medicine for it, vs 77.2% statewide. Checkups ↓
Surf City keeps up with checkups
It beats New Jersey on five of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (83.7% vs 78%) and dentist visits (79.6% vs 65.9%). Checkups ↓
Written from the CDC, Medicare and HRSA data on this page. CDC PLACES 2025 release: modeled estimates for adults, not counts; “higher” and “lower” mean the New Jersey figure falls outside Surf City’s likely range.
What’s behind Surf City’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Surf City is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns. All seven estimates beat the typical U.S. town. The strongest is mental distress (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than almost every town); the weakest is diabetes, still better than 67%.
Health estimates follow income closely across the country: towns with higher household incomes usually score higher (a correlation of 0.77 across 21,157 graded towns). Surf City’s median household income is $118,750; among the 5,914 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($89K–$148K), it’s healthier than 88%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Surf City adults…
Surf City runs below NJ on 1 of 12 conditions and above it on 5. Tap one to see it as people.
Surf City is an older town: 43% of residents are 65 or older, vs 17% across New Jersey. Heart disease, arthritis and cancer rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Surf City as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Surf City adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks New Jersey.
Care in and near Surf City
No hospital or community health center in Surf City itself. These are the nearest.
Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of Surf City; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Everyday habits, side by side with New Jersey
Share of adults, with the New Jersey figure marked.
0.6 miles of trails across 1 park or preserve
How Surf City adults are doing
On 3 of 4 measures, Surf City does better than New Jersey.
1 in 4 Surf City adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.
Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
2.8% of Surf City adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 8.4% across New Jersey.
Surf City and the towns around it
Surf City’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 4 graded towns around it.
Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf City | A | 25.4% | 11% | 7.9% | CDC place |
| Stafford Township | A− | 28.1% | 10% | 11.9% | ZIP codes |
| Long Beach Township | A | 25.4% | 11.2% | 8% | ZIP 08008 |
| Ship Bottom | A | 25.8% | 10.8% | 8.1% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Surf City adults live with a disability (New Jersey 24.8%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Surf City
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Surf City is better than New Jersey on 20 and worse on 5; on the rest, the New Jersey figure falls inside Surf City’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Surf City | NJ | U.S. | vs NJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 12.7%10.2–15.6 | 17.1% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 11.9%10–14 | 12.2% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 10.6%9.1–12.3 | 14.7% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 25.4%21.6–29.4 | 28.9% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 11%9.3–12.9 | 10.9% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 38.7%35.2–42.2 | 32.8% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 48.5%44.9–51.8 | 39.3% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 35.2%31.8–38.4 | 22.2% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 8.5%7.5–9.5 | 8.9% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 14.8%13.3–16.3 | 7.5% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.8%6.6–9.1 | 5.6% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 5.8%4.4–7.4 | 5.1% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 3.7%3.1–4.4 | 3.1% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 6.4%5–7.9 | 9.6% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 7.9%5.8–10.4 | 10.9% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 19.7%15.9–23.9 | 24.8% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 12%10.2–13.9 | 15.5% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 28.6%25–32.6 | 37.5% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 4.7%3.4–6.3 | 11.3% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 83.7%81.5–85.8 | 78% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 79.6%77.3–81.9 | 65.9% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 94.3%93.3–95.2 | 89.1% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 85.5%83.1–87.6 | 77.2% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 76.3%72.8–79.8 | 63.4% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 82%76.9–86.5 | 75.7% | 76.4% | Better |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 13.8%11.8–16 | 15.1% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Feel lonely | 24.3%20.9–27.7 | 32.4% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 16.3%13.5–19.1 | 24% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 5.1%3.7–6.9 | 14.3% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 4.4%3.3–5.6 | 12.3% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 2.9%2.2–3.6 | 7% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 3.4%2.7–4.2 | 7.4% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 2.8%1.9–3.9 | 8.4% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 24%20.2–27.9 | 24.8% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 11.7%9.3–14.4 | 11.3% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 7.7%6.3–9.2 | 11.5% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 8.2%7–9.5 | 5.7% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 3.3%2.7–4.1 | 4.7% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 5.3%4.2–6.6 | 6.6% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.7%2.1–3.3 | 3.3% | 3.8% | About the same |
Each figure is the share of adults 18+ unless the label says otherwise; small numbers after it are CDC’s likely range (95% interval). “About the same” means the New Jersey figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Surf City
Is Surf City a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Surf City is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns: A for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 88%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Surf City?
CDC estimates 25.4% of adults have obesity, likely between 21.6% and 29.4%, against 28.9% across New Jersey and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Surf City?
Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, 7.1 miles in a straight line from Surf City’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 4 of 5 stars.
How many people in Surf City have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 4.7% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 3.4–6.3%), against 11.3% across New Jersey.
How accurate are these numbers?
They’re modeled estimates: CDC applies national survey answers to each area’s age, sex, race and education mix, so they describe who lives in Surf City more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Surf City.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The New Jersey figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. The Health Grade is our own summary of CDC’s estimates, not an official rating. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.