Cape May County, NJ

County

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2024 Population

94,941

US Senator

Cory Booker

Democratic Party

US Senator

Andy Kim

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

51.8

0.778% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.73%

0.474% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$91,128

3.5% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$434,600

10% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

43,190

0.582% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Cape May County, NJ reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.8% of the residents in Cape May County, NJ are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Cape May County, NJ was $434,600, and the homeownership rate was 80.3%.

Most people in Cape May County, NJ drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22 minutes. The average car ownership in Cape May County, NJ was 2 cars per household.

Cape May County, NJ borders Kent County, DE, Sussex County, DE, Atlantic County, NJ, and Cumberland County, NJ.

United States New Jersey Ocean City, NJ

Population & Diversity

Cape May County, NJ is home to a population of 94.9k people, from which 97.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.49% of Cape May County, NJ residents were born outside of the country (4.26k people).

In 2024, there were 24.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (79.7k people) in Cape May County, NJ than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.26k Other (Hispanic) and 3.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.8%

2024 Citizenship

97.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.8% of Cape May County, NJ residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Cape May County, NJ was 97.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Cape May County, NJ compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Cape May County, NJ

White (Non-Hispanic)
79.7k ± 378
Other (Hispanic)
3.26k ± 626
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
3.2k ± 336

8.27%

Hispanic Population

7.85k people

8.27% of the people in Cape May County, NJ are hispanic (7.85k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Cape May County, NJ as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for New Jersey.

Most Common Origin

India
273,706 ± 12,653 people
Dominican Republic
205,965 ± 11,018 people
Mexico
107,667 ± 8,009 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New Jersey was India, the natal country of 273,706 New Jersey residents, followed by Dominican Republic with 205,965 and Mexico with 107,667.

Foreign-Born Population

4.49%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

4.26k people

4.7%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.48k people

As of 2024, 4.49% of Cape May County, NJ residents (4.26k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Cape May County, NJ was 4.7%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Cape May County, NJ compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,215 ± 244
Gulf War (1990s)
597 ± 196
Gulf War (2001-)
510 ± 218

Cape May County, NJ has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.71 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Cape May County, NJ.

Economy

The economy of Cape May County, NJ employs 43.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Cape May County, NJ were Health Care & Social Assistance (5,639 people), Educational Services (5,536 people), and Retail Trade (4,758 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($110,424), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting ($101,875), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($100,833).

Employment

Occupations

43.2k

2024 Value

± 1,624

0.582%

1 Year growth

± 5.35%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cape May County, NJ grew at a rate of 0.582%, from 42.9k employees to 43.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Cape May County, NJ, are Sales & Related Occupations (5,144 people), Management Occupations (4,809 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,754 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Cape May County, NJ.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New Jersey.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in New Jersey (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

43.2k

2024 Value

± 1,624

0.582%

1 Year growth

± 5.35%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Cape May County, NJ grew at a rate of 0.582%, from 42.9k employees to 43.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Cape May County, NJ, are Health Care & Social Assistance (5,639 people), Educational Services (5,536 people), and Retail Trade (4,758 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Cape May County, NJ, though some of these residents may live in Cape May County, NJ and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$65,561

Median earning men ± $3,426

$46,671

Median earning women ± $3,343

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($103,438), Public Administration ($102,565), and Manufacturing ($96,564).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($104,449), Wholesale Trade ($85,576), and Public Administration ($69,068).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New Jersey.

Y-Axis

2.27%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.24M people employed in New Jersey. This represents a 2.27% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 16.5%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in New Jersey.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

620
Accommodation and Food Services
356
Retail Trade
306
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$321k
Accommodation and Food Services
$263k
Retail Trade
$230k
Health Care and Social Assistance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Cape May County, NJ was $434,600 in 2024, which is 1.31 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $395,000 to $434,600, a 10% increase. The homeownership rate in Cape May County, NJ is 80.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Cape May County, NJ have an average commute time of 22 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Cape May County, NJ is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 17.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cape May County, NJ. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.57%.

Housing

Property

$434,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$9,304

$36,053

Median Property Taxes

±$1,216

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Cape May County, NJ the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Cape May County, NJ compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

80.3%

Homeownership

2024

61.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 80.3% of the housing units in Cape May County, NJ were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 79.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Cape May County, NJ compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$91,128

Median Household Income

± $3,274

44.9k

Number of Households

± 1,618

In 2024, the median household income of the 44.9k households in Cape May County, NJ grew to $91,128 from the previous year's value of $88,046.

The following chart displays the households in Cape May County, NJ distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Cape May County, NJ is from New Jersey.

0.486

2023 Wage GINI in New Jersey

0.489

2022 Wage GINI in New Jersey

In 2023, the income inequality in New Jersey was 0.486 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.709% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for New Jersey was higher than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in New Jersey in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in New Jersey across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (72.8%)
Worked At Home (12.1%)
Carpooled (8.23%)

In 2024, 72.8% of workers in Cape May County, NJ drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.1%) and those who carpooled to work (8.23%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

22 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Cape May County, NJ have a shorter commute time (22 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.73% of the workforce in Cape May County, NJ have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Cape May County, NJ compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Cape May County, NJ distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Cape May County, NJ have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 17.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Cape May County, NJ. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.57%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

8.73% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Cape May County, NJ (8.19k out of 93.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Cape May County, NJ is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 13.2% of the children was living in poverty in Cape May County, NJ. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.6%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 236 in Cape May County, NJ. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 47.2 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

95% of the population of Cape May County, NJ has health coverage, with 44.5% on employee plans, 11% on Medicaid, 23% on Medicare, 15% on non-group plans, and 1.48% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Cape May County, NJ see 1,876 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,876 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1678 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 733 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.3% were men and 51.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,876 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Cape May County, NJ

Primary care physicians in Cape May County, NJ see an average of 1,876 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,876 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Cape May County, NJ in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.2% under 18 years, 15.1% between 18 and 34 years, 37.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 29.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.3% were men and 51.7% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

4.98%

Uninsured

44.5%

Employer Coverage

11%

Medicaid

23%

Medicare

15%

Non-Group

1.48%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Cape May County, NJ declined by 10.6% from 5.58% to 4.98%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Cape May County, NJ changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 43.4 in Cape May County, NJ.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Cape May County, NJ.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 31.7% in Cape May County, NJ.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Cape May County, NJ.