Borough · Monmouth County, New Jersey

Spring Lake, New Jersey

Spring Lake is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. It has 2,779 residents. Spring Lake, New Jersey has a quality-of-life score of 96 out of 100 (very high), ranking #550 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New Jersey it ranks #49 of 552 cities and towns. It ranks best on food insecurity (low), lack of reliable transportation (low) and poor or fair health (low). It ranks worst on home price to income ratio (high), average commute time (high) and job growth (low).

96Very high

Quality-of-life score: #550 of 15,651 cities and towns
New Jersey: #49 of 552 in NJ
Population: 2,779 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 2,085.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 3470110

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety90#1,601/15,637
Economy93#1,106/15,631
Housing32#10,142/14,977
Health96#559/15,609
Healthcare97#482/15,650
Environment36#9,875/15,453
Education97#510/15,649
Infrastructure85#2,389/15,650
Community98#237/15,651
Leisure & amenities97#489/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Spring Lake, New Jersey ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Monmouth County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Food insecurity · low4.8%
100/100New Jersey 15.0%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Lack of reliable transportation · low3.6%
100/100New Jersey 7.8%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Poor or fair health · low8.7%
100/100New Jersey 15.8%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Bachelor's degree or higher · high84.1%
100/100New Jersey 43.6%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Physical inactivity · low12.3%
99/100New Jersey 23.8%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.9 /10k
99/100New Jersey 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMonmouth County value

Weaknesses

Home price to income ratio · high9.3×
1/100New Jersey 4.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Average commute time · high32.5 min
8/100New Jersey 30.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Job growth · low-2.0%
13/100New Jersey 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMonmouth County value
High ozone days · high5 days
15/100New Jersey 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMonmouth County value
Comfortable days · low23.6%
16/100New Jersey 24.9%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMonmouth County value
Days with unhealthy air · high2.3%
17/100New Jersey 0.8%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMonmouth County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
2,927 (2015-2019) → 2,779 (2020-2024)
−5.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
87.4% (2015-2019) → 52.3% (2020-2024)
−35 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedImproving
10.3 /1k (2021) → 27.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+169%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$86,200 (2015-2019) → $215,625 (2020-2024)
+150%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
68.8% (2015-2019) → 84.1% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateImproving
14.2% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Spring Lake, New Jersey improved on 5 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 4 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved5

Price / income−11.8×21.1× → 9.3×
Household income+150%$86,200 → $215,625
Inequality−0.1550.614 → 0.459
Bachelor's++15 points68.8% → 84.1%
Broadband+7.4 points88.9% → 96.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Spring Lake, New Jersey between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	42.8 min2015-2019	32.5 min2020-2024	−10.3 min	Within the margin of error	98%
Bachelor's degree or higher	68.8%2015-2019	84.1%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	97%
Broadband subscriptions	88.9%2015-2019	96.3%2020-2024	+7.4 points	Improved	46%
Effective property tax rate	0.64%2015-2019	0.57%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	28%
High school diploma or higher	99.2%2015-2019	98.3%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Home price to income ratio	21.1×2015-2019	9.3×2020-2024	−11.8×	Improved	100%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.6142015-2019	0.4592020-2024	−0.155	Improved	99%
Median household income	$86,2002015-2019	$215,6252020-2024	+150%	Improved	100%
Rent as share of income	42.9%2015-2019	30.6%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	95%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Spring Lake, New Jersey five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Spring Lake, New Jersey in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Spring Lake, New Jersey itself moved +11 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,779 residents (±16)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 80 and over women (−4.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,779 residents (±16)

Spring Lake, New Jersey
New Jersey share

White96%2,672
Black0.1%†3
Hispanic or Latino0.6%†16

Education

2,314 residents (±121)

Spring Lake, New Jersey
New Jersey share

No high school diploma1.7%†39
High school or GED6.5%†151
Some college3.4%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,259 households (±95)

Spring Lake, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $25k2.4%†30
$25k–50k0.2%†2
$50k–75k10%†127
$75k–100k16%†196
$100k–150k12%†146
$150k–200k9.1%†115
$200k or more51%643

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+30.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,259 households (±95)

Spring Lake, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Own92%1,156
Rent8.2%†103

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+12.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

65 households (±42)

Spring Lake, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50034%†22

Home values

1,156 homes (±98)

Spring Lake, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under $150k1.0%†12
$150k–250k0.6%†7
$250k–400k0.9%†10

Age of homes

2,011 homes (±127)

Spring Lake, New Jersey
New Jersey share

2010 or later21%†418
2000–200914%†278
1980–19999.5%†191

Size of homes

2,011 homes (±127)

Spring Lake, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Studio1.4%†28
1 bedroom7.4%†149
2 bedrooms3.2%†64

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,193 workers (±187)

Spring Lake, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Drive alone61%733
Carpool0.0%0
Public transit5.4%†64
Walk3.2%†38
Bike0.0%0
Work from home29%†348
Other0.8%†10

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+21.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

845 workers (±192)

Spring Lake, New Jersey
New Jersey share

Under 15 min39%†326
15–29 min17%†144
30–44 min11%†89

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Monmouth County, the county holding most of Spring Lake's residents.

Monmouth County has 19,883 employer establishments, 308 for every 10,000 residents (1.24× the US rate of 248; 1.22× New Jersey's), with 257,734 paid employees at an average annual pay of $64,535. The Census Bureau also counts 69,392 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 19,883; 69,392 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 308; US 248 · New Jersey 253
Paid employees: 257,734
Average annual pay: $64,535; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Monmouth County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	2,257	34.9	1.68×More than typical	24,720	$79,203	3,980
Restaurants and other eating places	1,664	25.8	1.40×More than typical	26,469	$26,472	321
Specialty trade contractors	1,290	20	1.29×More than typical	10,949	$78,504	3,464
Offices of physicians	891	13.8	2.13×More than typical	9,356	$115,945	847
Personal care services	713	11	2.31×More than typical	4,689	$26,937	1,139
Full-service restaurants	712	11	1.44×More than typical	15,233	$30,247	138
Services to buildings and dwellings	704	10.9	1.62×More than typical	4,522	$48,793	2,549
Lessors of real estate	681	10.5	0.86×About typical	4,066	$65,672	11,202
Construction of buildings	655	10.1	1.34×More than typical	4,958	$112,358	1,493
Management, scientific and technical consulting	649	10	1.50×More than typical	4,030	$83,310	3,737
Limited-service restaurants	644	10	1.24×About typical	7,955	$22,142	134
Offices of other health practitioners	615	9.5	1.57×More than typical	3,853	$44,429	2,272

Rank places for an industry Open Monmouth County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 645,796 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Spring Lake is mostly in Monmouth County.

See federal money in Monmouth County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Spring Lake, New Jersey is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).