Ocean County, New Jersey
Ocean County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county, which is New Jersey's largest county by area, has its county seat in Toms River.
Part of the Jersey Shore, Ocean County borders the Atlantic Ocean on the east. More specifically, Ocean County is located 50 miles (80 km) east of Philadelphia, 70 miles (110 km) south of New York City, and 25 miles (40 km) north of Atlantic City. While Ocean County is part of the New York metropolitan area—and is, in fact, the southernmost county in the New York metropolitan area—it is also home to many tourist attractions frequented by Philadelphia metropolitan area residents, including: the beachfront communities of Seaside Heights, Long Beach Island, and Point Pleasant Beach; and Six Flags Great Adventure, an amusement park in Jackson Township that was once the home of the world's tallest and second-fastest roller coaster, Kingda Ka. Ocean County is also a gateway to New Jersey's Pine Barrens, one of the largest protected land areas on the East Coast.
Since 2010, Ocean County's population has been growing faster than the United States as a whole. Additionally, since 2020, Ocean County has been the fastest-growing county in New Jersey: At the time of the 2000 United States census, Ocean County had a population of 510,916. Ten years later, at the time of the 2010 United States census, the county's population had increased by 65,651 (12.8 percent) to 576,567. More recently, at the time of the 2020 United States census, Ocean County's population was recorded as 637,229—an increase of 36,517 (5.7 percent) from 2010. Ocean County's 2020 population count is its highest decennial count ever and makes the county New Jersey's sixth-most populous county. As for 2025, the United States Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program estimated a population of 673,746, an increase of 36,517 (5.7 percent) from the 2020 decennial census. On a more granular level, Ocean County's most populous and fastest-growing place is Lakewood Township, with an estimated 139,866 residents as of 2023. Jackson Township, however, covers the largest total area of any municipality in the county: 100.62 square miles (260.6 km2).