Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A good place to live, if you can afford it. Health is where it shines: it is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $997K, 10.1 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income. Put together, the subjects come to a B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 193rd of 466 in New Jersey. West Long Branch is home to Monmouth University. This New Jersey town is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns. The town has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Shadow Lawn and Murry Guggenheim House.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where West Long Branch beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Betty McElmon Elementary School | PK–4 | 320 |
| St. Jerome Elementary School | PK–8 | 258 |
| Frank Antonides School | 5–8 | 220 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far West Long Branch is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 2%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Shadow Lawn is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 879 in 1910, 8,587 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 6 maps from 1888 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Long Branch. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaMadison Square Garden
Big draw34 mi City parkCentral Park40.0M visitors a year
Big draw20 mi BeachConey Island
Big draw33 mi TheatreStudio 54
Big draw36 mi Stadium & arenaMetLife Stadium
Big draw34 mi MuseumMetropolitan Museum of Art2.0M visitors a yearMadison Square Garden: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Central Park: Ed Yourdon from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Coney Island: OptimumPx, Public domain · Studio 54: Americasroof (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · MetLife Stadium: babyknight, CC BY 2.0 · Metropolitan Museum of Art: Hugo Schneider, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Long Branch, 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 West Long Branch.
West Long Branch is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Long Branch and beyond and is safe by national standards but not by New Jersey’s.
At 10.1 years of the New York metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home (about $997K) costs more against local pay than in 88% of New Jersey towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. 69.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.6% across New Jersey.
West Long Branch’s going rate for rent stands at $1,970 a month. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 8.1%. Also worth knowing: among households here, 70% are owner-occupiers, against 77% in New Jersey’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns.
| West Long Branch | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,970 a month | $1,778 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 77% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Two of the 5 schools are below, and why each made the list. The largest public high school is Shore Regional High School, with 556 students. Its public schools are run by the Shore Regional High School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betty McElmon Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 320 | B+ |
| Shore Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 556 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
5,207 jobs are based in West Long Branch, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 23.2 minutes, against 30.5 across New Jersey.
The top destinations are New York (8%), Long Branch (7%) and Ocean Township (5%). For most workers, West Long Branch is a place to come home to: only 6% work in town. In West Long Branch, the average trip to work is 23 minutes. The typical household income for West Long Branch comes to $114,000, where New Jersey’s towns sit at $113,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000.
| West Long Branch | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.4% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $114,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within New Jersey it is healthier than 62% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar.
Among adults in West Long Branch, 18% get no exercise outside work. The town does better than the New Jersey average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 4.
| West Long Branch | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 9.7% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | West Long Branch | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.4% | 14.3% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.3% | 10.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.2% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
20.9% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.4% statewide, which pulls the median age down.
In West Long Branch, 45% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Adults 18 to 34 are 35% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (40% statewide).
| West Long Branch | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 29.9 years | 42 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 45% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 21% | 22% |
55% women, 45% men
About 81 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.2 points). Across New Jersey, 50.8% of residents are women.
| West Long Branch | NJ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.2% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 22.5% | 8.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.1% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.6% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.6% | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 13.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.6% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.4% | 9.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.1% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16% | 15% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.8% | 26.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.2% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
West Long Branch brings chilly winters and warm summers. Summer afternoons peak near 85° in July, and January nights bottom out around 25°; snowfall runs to about 25 inches a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 14.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 57% of New Jersey’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
The rate of thefts and burglaries in West Long Branch is 14.8 per 1,000 residents. In West Long Branch, the violent crime rate is 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
| West Long Branch | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.8 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Of the losses FEMA expects in West Long Branch, 41% come from inland flooding and 35% from strong winds. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid 9 claims here since 1984.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3 within 15 miles of the center of West Long Branch
College town 21 of every 100 West Long Branch residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
Where West Long Branch’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in West Long Branch on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in West Long Branch.
Borough in New Jersey, US
West Long Branch is a borough situated within the Jersey Shore region, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,587, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 490 (+6.1%) from the 2010 census count of 8,097, which in turn reflected a decline of 161 (−1.9%) from the 8,258 counted in the 2000 census. West Long Branch is the home of Monmouth University.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with West Long Branch.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Long Branch | #193 | B+ | D− | B | A− | A |
| Oceanport | #91 | A | D | A | A− | A+ |
| Ocean Township | #315 | C+ | D | C− | B | A |
| Long Branch | #424 | D | D− | C+ | C− | C+ |
| Eatontown | #329 | C+ | D | C+ | B− | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Long Branch grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #193 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A for health, B for safety and A− 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−.
6 notable people were born here, including Holly Black and Chester Bowman.
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