Ocean County

Ocean County, New Jersey — key demographics

Scope and sources: U.S. Census Bureau (2023 Population Estimates; 2018–2022 American Community Survey 5-year)

Population size

• Total population (2023 est.): ~657,000
• Population growth: up from 637,229 in 2020 (+~3%)

Age

• Median age: ~42 years
• Under 18: ~24%
• 18–64: ~54%
• 65 and over: ~22%

Sex

• Female: ~51%
• Male: ~49%

Race and ethnicity (alone or in combination; Hispanic as ethnicity)

• Non-Hispanic White: ~72%
• Hispanic/Latino (any race): ~12%
• Black/African American: ~3–4%
• Asian: ~2–3%
• Two or more races/Other: ~9–10%

Households and housing

• Households: ~240,000
• Average household size: ~2.7 persons
• Family households: ~70% of households; average family size ~3.2
• Households with children under 18: ~30–33%
• One-person households: ~25–28%
• Owner-occupied housing: ~78–81% of occupied units; renter-occupied: ~19–22%

Notable insights

• One of NJ’s faster-growing counties since 2010, with both a substantial senior population and large-family households (notably in Lakewood) shaping a bimodal age profile.
• Predominantly non-Hispanic White, but diversity has been increasing, particularly Hispanic/Latino and multiracial shares.
• High owner-occupancy and significant seasonal housing in shore communities influence vacancy patterns and household composition.

Ocean County, NJ email usage (2023–2024 estimates)

• Estimated email users: ≈515,000 residents. Basis: county population ≈655,000; applying age-specific adoption rates to residents age 13+.
• Age adoption rates (share who use email): 13–17 ≈85%; 18–29 ≈97%; 30–49 ≈96%; 50–64 ≈91%; 65+ ≈86%. Seniors are a large cohort locally, but adoption continues to rise year over year.
• Gender split among users: ≈51% female, 49% male (mirrors county demographics).
• Digital access: ≈94% of households have a computer and ≈90% have a broadband subscription (ACS). Smartphone ownership is ≈90% of adults, with roughly 15% being smartphone‑only internet users; most email is accessed on mobile.
• Connectivity and density: Population density ≈1,040 residents per square mile (land area). Fixed broadband availability is effectively ubiquitous: ≥99% have access to at least 25/3 Mbps and ≈95% to 100/20 Mbps or better (FCC), with 5G covering major corridors and coastal towns. Seasonal shore populations can create localized capacity spikes; inland suburbs (Toms River, Brick, Lakewood) show the highest concentration of consistent high‑speed connectivity.

Overall, email usage is near‑universal among working‑age adults, strong among teens, and steadily increasing among seniors.

Ocean County, NJ mobile phone usage snapshot (2024–2025)

Resident user estimates

• Population baseline: ~661,000 residents (2023 estimate).
• Resident mobile phone users: ~525,000 people use a mobile phone (of any kind).
• Resident smartphone users: ~474,000 people use a smartphone.
• Device mix: About 90% of mobile phone users in the county use smartphones; roughly 10% use basic/feature phones.

Demographic breakdown (ownership/use)

• Ages 18–64: ~350,000 residents; ~98% use a mobile phone and ~93% use a smartphone. This cohort accounts for about two-thirds of all smartphone users in the county.
• Ages 65+: ~152,000 residents; ~92% use a mobile phone and ~72% use a smartphone. The senior share of basic/feature phones is materially higher than in the rest of New Jersey.
• Teens 13–17: ~43,000 residents; ~97% use a mobile phone and ~91% use a smartphone.
• Household patterns: The county has a bimodal age structure—large senior population alongside a fast-growing, younger population centered in and around Lakewood. This produces simultaneously high mobile adoption among families/teens and above-average retention of basic phones among seniors and some faith communities that opt for filtered or limited-function devices.

How Ocean County differs from New Jersey overall

• Older population, slightly lower smartphone penetration: Ocean County’s 65+ share is several points higher than the state average, pulling overall smartphone penetration down versus New Jersey as a whole. The county’s 65+ smartphone adoption (~72%) trails the statewide rate for seniors by several points, and its basic/feature phone share is roughly double the state norm.
• Device governance/filtered use is more common: A notable segment of residents—especially within the county’s sizable Orthodox Jewish community—use filtered smartphones or basic phones by preference, keeping non‑smartphone usage measurably higher than typical for New Jersey.
• Seasonal load swings: Summer tourism along the Shore (Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside Heights, Island Beach State Park, Long Beach Island) drives large, predictable spikes in mobile traffic that are more pronounced than the statewide average. Carriers regularly augment capacity along the barrier islands and boardwalk corridors during peak season.
• More mobile-as-primary connectivity in the south: Southern and Pine Barrens–adjacent townships with patchier wired options see higher reliance on mobile data and fixed wireless access (FWA) than North Jersey’s fiber‑dense counties. This elevates mobile network utilization for home connectivity relative to the state overall.
• Auto-centric mobility: With no NJ Transit rail service in the county, residents spend more time in vehicles than peers in rail‑served North Jersey counties. This translates to heavier navigation, audio streaming, and in‑car data use along the Garden State Parkway, Route 9, Route 70, and Route 72 corridors.

Digital infrastructure highlights

• 5G coverage: All three national carriers provide 5G. Mid‑band 5G (T‑Mobile 2.5 GHz n41; Verizon and AT&T C‑band n77) now blankets the Garden State Parkway corridor and major population centers (Toms River, Brick, Lakewood, Jackson, Berkeley). Low‑band 5G extends coverage into the Pine Barrens but at lower capacity.
• Shore/small‑cell buildouts: Dense small‑cell deployments and rooftop sites line Route 35, boardwalk areas, and the barrier islands to handle summer surges. Coverage is generally solid on Long Beach Island but can still constrict on peak weekends without temporary capacity adds.
• Known weak spots and mitigations: The Pine Barrens, wide wetlands around Barnegat Bay, and sparsely populated stretches of Lacey, Ocean, and Little Egg Harbor Townships present propagation challenges; carriers lean on low‑band spectrum and strategically placed macros to fill gaps.
• Resilience: Post‑Sandy hardening—backup power, flood‑resistant enclosures, and backhaul diversity—has been materially upgraded at coastal sites relative to pre‑2012 baselines.
• Fixed wireless availability: Verizon 5G Home and T‑Mobile 5G Home are widely offered in northern and central Ocean County ZIPs (e.g., Toms River 08753/08755, Brick 08723/08724, Lakewood 08701, Jackson 08527) and selectively in southern areas (e.g., Manahawkin 08050, Barnegat 08005), reinforcing the county’s above‑average mobile data reliance at home.

Municipality‑level notes

• Lakewood: Very young median age and large households drive high per‑household line counts, heavy messaging/voice volumes, and above‑average use of filtered devices.
• Toms River and Brick: Large, year‑round populations with broad mid‑band 5G coverage; strong adoption of FWA as a cable alternative.
• Shore towns (Point Pleasant, Seaside Heights, LBI municipalities): Sharp summer peaks; extensive small‑cell grids; capacity planning is more seasonal than the state norm.
• Southern townships (Lacey, Barnegat, Stafford, Little Egg Harbor): More pronounced coverage/capacity tradeoffs between low‑band reach and mid‑band speed than North Jersey metros; mobile and FWA play a bigger role where fiber is limited.

Key takeaways

• About 525,000 Ocean County residents use a mobile phone, and roughly 474,000 of them use smartphones.
• The county’s age mix and device‑filtering preferences keep smartphone penetration modestly below the New Jersey average and basic‑phone use meaningfully above it.
• Seasonal tourism and gaps in southern wired broadband shift more everyday connectivity onto mobile networks than is typical statewide, which has shaped carrier buildouts toward the Parkway, Route 9, and the Shore.

Method notes: Population counts reflect recent Census/ACS estimates; device ownership rates are derived from age‑specific U.S. ownership benchmarks (Pew and industry research) adjusted to the county’s age structure. Estimates are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Ocean County, NJ social media usage snapshot (latest available benchmarks, 2023–2024)

Baseline

• Demographics: Ocean County is one of NJ’s oldest counties; roughly one-quarter of residents are 65+ (U.S. Census). This skews platform mix toward Facebook and YouTube versus TikTok/Snapchat.
• Overall adoption: About 7 in 10 U.S. adults use at least one social media platform (Pew Research Center). Ocean County’s adult usage is comparable, with platform preferences influenced by its older age profile.

Most-used platforms (share of U.S. adults who use each; Pew 2024)

• YouTube: 83%
• Facebook: 68%
• Instagram: 47%
• Pinterest: 35%
• LinkedIn: 30%
• TikTok: 33%
• Snapchat: 30%
• WhatsApp: 29%
• X (Twitter): 27%
• Reddit: 23%
• Nextdoor: 17% Local expectation: Facebook and YouTube usage at or slightly above these U.S. levels; TikTok and Snapchat slightly below, given Ocean County’s older population. Nextdoor and Facebook Groups are notably active in suburban/retiree communities.

Age patterns (local implications)

• 18–29: Heavy on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat; video-first engagement; high daily use.
• 30–49: Mix of Facebook, YouTube, Instagram; growing TikTok consumption; strong Marketplace and local-services activity.
• 50–64: Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest and LinkedIn moderate; lower TikTok/Snapchat.
• 65+: Primarily Facebook and YouTube; strong reliance on Groups/Pages for town, HOA, schools, health, and local news.

Gender breakdown (behavioral tendencies)

• Women: Slight majority of social media users locally (reflecting population); over-index on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest; higher participation in Groups, events, and local shopping/Marketplace.
• Men: Over-index on YouTube, Reddit, X; higher consumption of news/sports/tech and long-form video.

Behavioral trends in Ocean County

• Community-first use: High engagement with Facebook Groups (municipal updates, emergency management, HOAs, schools) and neighborhood apps (Nextdoor), reflecting strong local-information needs.
• Seasonal spikes: Summer tourism and shore events boost Instagram/TikTok/Reels, Stories, and local hashtag use; off-season pivots to community updates and services.
• Video-forward: Short-form video (Reels/Shorts/TikTok) drives discovery; YouTube remains the go-to for how-to, local guides, and long-form content.
• Commerce and classifieds: Facebook Marketplace and local buy-sell-trade groups are heavily used for household goods, rentals, and seasonal services.
• Messaging and micro-communities: Private groups and messaging (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp) facilitate coordination among civic, school, faith, and interest communities.
• News and alerts: Facebook Pages/Groups and YouTube live streams are key for weather, traffic, school closings, and municipal meetings.

Key takeaways

• Expect Facebook and YouTube to deliver the broadest reach countywide; Instagram strong among under-50; TikTok meaningful for under-35 but below national average locally.
• Community groups, local events, and Marketplace behavior are outsized drivers of engagement.
• Short-form video and reliable local information are the most effective content formats across age groups.