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EconPulse

Local economy signal dashboard

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COUNTYThriving

Ocean County, NJ

Thriving overall. Population is the clearest support signal, while jobs needs the most attention. Housing reads as affordable for a median-income household.

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Overall score73out of 100
Compare
70
60
100
67
97

Population

654,362

Data freshness

Unknown

GDP / Output

+4.5% YoY

70

$31.7B

Output changed +4.5% in 2024.

Vintage date unknown

State growth4.8%
U.S. growth5.3%

Jobs

Unemployment rate

60

4.1%

Unemployment is 4.1% for May 2026.

Vintage date unknown

State avg4.5%
U.S. avg4.2%

Population

+8.7% 5-year

100

654,362

Population moved +8.7% over the latest ACS window.

Vintage date unknown

State population9,343,809
U.S. population334,922,499

Housing

Rent share of income

67

23.4%

Median rent consumes 23.4% of median household income: Affordable.

Vintage date unknown

State rent$1.7K
U.S. rent$1.4K
HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

Federal Funds

$7.8K per resident

97

$5.0B

$5.0B in federal obligations flowed here in FY2025.

Vintage date unknown

State total$96.5B
U.S. total$5.3T

Population and output

Trend Snapshot

Reported share

Industry Breakdown

FY2025

Federal Money

Federal obligations

$5.0B

$7.8K per resident in reported federal flow.

Top agencies

Dollars
1. Social Security Administration$4.3B
2. Department of Veterans Affairs$285.8M
3. Department of Defense$131.4M

Top recipients

Dollars
1. BETH MEDRASH GOVOHA OF AMERICA$31.2M
2. YULISTA SUPPORT SERVICES LLC$26.3M
3. CACI TECHNOLOGIES, LLC$20.8M

Affordable

Housing Affordability

23.4%

of median income

1BR estimate$1,439
2BR estimate$1,895
Median income$89,863
Median home value$398,400

ACS context

Quick Facts

Population

654,362

Median age

41.2

Bachelor's degree+

34.4%

Poverty rate

10.5%

Labor force participation

59.1%

Prime rate

6.8%

CPI YoY

+3.2%

U.S. GDP YoY

+6.1%

Sources and warnings

Data Provenance

Census ACS 5-year

2024

BLS LAUS / CPS

May 2026

BEA regional CAGDP1

2024

USAspending

FY2025

FRED

2026-07-16

HUD Fair Market Rent

Latest available

Data notes
  • HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

5-year compound growth

Historical Trends

Population CAGR

+1.7%

GDP CAGR

+5.7%

Federal flow

5 years

Population (5 years)
2020602,018
2021630,057
2022638,691
2023646,434
2024654,362
GDP (5 years)
2020$24.0B
2021$26.0B
2022$27.8B
2023$30.3B
2024$31.7B

2-year linear forecast

Predictive Outlook

Population forecast

2024654,362
2025670,632 *
2026682,738 *

R² = 90.0% · * projected

GDP forecast

2024$31.7B
2025$33.9B *
2026$35.9B *

R² = 99.4% · * projected

Linear regression over available historical data. Projections are estimates based on past trends and do not account for policy changes, economic shocks, or other external factors.

housing affordability breakdown

Cost of Living

Median household income$89,863/yr
Median rent$1,755/mo
Rent share of income23.4%
Est. mortgage (30yr, 6.5%)$24,174/yr
Mortgage share of income26.9%

Rent data from Census ACS 5-year. Mortgage estimate assumes 20% down, 6.5% APR, 30-year fixed.

employment snapshot

Job Market

Unemployment rate4.1%
State avg4.5%
U.S. avg4.2%
Labor force participation59.1%
Poverty rate10.5%

Data from BLS LAUS / CPS. May 2026.

valuation snapshot

Real Estate

Median home value$398,400
Median monthly rent$1,755
Price-to-rent ratio18.9x

Moderate price-to-rent ratio — buying and renting are roughly balanced in this market.

composite score

Investment Climate

Investment climateStrong
Composite score74/100
Economic growth70/100
Labor market60/100
Population momentum100/100
Overall stability73/100

Composite score weighs economic growth, labor market health, population momentum, and overall stability. Not financial advice.

Location Context

Ocean County, New Jersey

County

Part of

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

Nearby locations

Forked River, NJHoliday Heights, NJBeachwood, NJSouth Toms River, NJHoliday City South, NJ