City safety & data profile

LakewoodNJ

Lakewood, NJ is a 54K-resident city in Ocean County with a median household income of $56,968.

Ocean County, New Jersey. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Lakewood, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Lakewood has a population larger than 81% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $715,500, and 1 hospital serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

54K
Population
Top 19%
By size
$56,968
Median income
$715,500
Median home
29.9%
Poverty rate

The read on Lakewood

Lakewood posts a median household income higher than 18% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 hospital serves the Lakewood area.

Top 82%
by median income, US cities
1
hospital in & near Lakewood

Where Lakewood income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$56,968 Bottom 18% higher than 18% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. NJ $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Lakewood, NJ beyond the headline numbers

Lakewood sits inside Ocean County, New Jersey, at roughly 40.10°N, -74.22°W. Population 53,805, $56,968 median household income. Median home value $715,500, median rent $1,718. Poverty rate 29.9%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Lakewood's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 40.2%, then obesity at 33.5%. 1 hospital in/around Lakewood, 3/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Lakewood from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
53,805
Lakewood
Median Income
$56,968
-16% vs avg
Median Home Value
$715,500
+214% vs avg
Median Age
17.5
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Ocean County) - Lakewood's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
654K+13%
Median Income
$89,863+47%
Median Home Value
$398,400+49%
Poverty Rate
10.5%+1%
Unemployment
5.4%-49%

Economics

Economics indicators for Lakewood, NJ
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,718/mo
Poverty Rate
29.9% +111% vs avg
Unemployment 6.3%
Bachelor's Degree+ 31.9%
Work From Home 16.1%
Public Transit 1.6%

Population

White 84.7%
African American 1.8%
Asian 0.4%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
40.2%
Obesity
33.5%
Physical Inactivity
28.8%
High Blood Pressure
25.4%
Frequent Mental Distress
22%
Current Smoking
18.3%
Binge Drinking
18.2%
Lack of Health Insurance
15%
Frequent Physical Distress
14.3%
Current Asthma
10.3%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 54%
Annual Checkup 69.5%

Other Measures

Diabetes
8.4%
Coronary Heart Disease
4.4%
Stroke
2.5%

Hospitals 1 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
0
★★★★
0
★★★
1
★★
0
★
0
Average Rating
3/5
Total Hospitals
1
With ER
1
MONMOUTH MEDICAL CENTER-SOUTHERN CAMPUS
LAKEWOOD · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★☆☆

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Lakewood, NJ? ▼
Lakewood, NJ has a population of 53,805 people, located in Ocean County, New Jersey.
What is the median household income in Lakewood? ▼
The median household income in Lakewood, NJ is $56,968 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 29.9%.
What is the median home value in Lakewood? ▼
The median home value in Lakewood, NJ is $715,500. Median rent is $1,718/month.
What are the top health concerns in Lakewood? ▼
The top health indicators in Lakewood include Short Sleep Duration (40.2%), Obesity (33.5%), Physical Inactivity (28.8%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Lakewood? ▼
Lakewood has 1 hospital with an average rating of 3/5 stars. 1 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Lakewood? ▼
The median age in Lakewood, NJ is 17.5 years. 31.9% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Lakewood, NJ is located in Ocean County, New Jersey. With a population of 54K and a $56,968 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and obesity. Residents have access to 1 hospital with an average rating of 3/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Lakewood area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - New Jersey

Real-time AQI for every monitored New Jersey location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Brick, NJ 76K Toms River, NJ 89K Holiday City-Berkeley, NJ 13K Point Pleasant, NJ 19K Beachwood, NJ 11K West Freehold, NJ 14K Freehold, NJ 12K Colts Neck, NJ 10K
All cities in New Jersey → Compare Lakewood vs Brick → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Lakewood's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Lakewood area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Lakewood against New Jersey peers on any ranking lens. Explore New Jersey

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Ocean County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.