New Jersey · Federal data hub

Ocean City, NJ

0.095M people1 counties#7 of 7 in New Jersey$63,690 median HHIUpdated April 10, 2026

Investor first look

The numbers that matter most

What an investor checks first when sizing up a new metro — affordability ratio, rent vs income, cap rate proxy, and where the market is moving. Each metric shown vs. state and national medians for instant context.

moderate

Price to income

4.66×

The single most-cited 'is this market still cheap' check. Below 3× and you're in an affordability tailwind.

vs New Jersey: 3.64×+1.01
vs U.S.: 3.43×+1.23

Benchmark

4.66×

▼

affordable

moderate

expensive

0×–3×

3×–5×

5×–7×

ACS median home value ÷ median HHI

moderate

Rent to income

30.0%

What share of a typical household's income goes to rent. Below 30% means tenants can absorb modest rent increases.

vs New Jersey: 27.8%+2.2
vs U.S.: 23.3%+6.7

Benchmark

30.0%

▼

comfortable

moderate

burdened

15%–25%

25%–30%

30%–40%

(HUD FMR 2BR × 12) ÷ median HHI

deal-by-deal

Cap rate proxy

4.18%

Rough first-pass yield assuming a 35% expense ratio. Not an underwriting number — a 'is this even worth modeling' filter.

vs New Jersey: 4.81%-0.63
vs U.S.: 4.35%-0.16

Benchmark

4.18%

▼

tight

deal-by-deal

solid

1%–3%

3%–5%

5%–7%

(FMR 2BR × 12 × 0.65) ÷ ACS median home value

steady

Net migration

+0.07%

Forward-looking demand signal. Positive net migration drives rent growth and absorbs new supply.

vs New Jersey: 0.00%+0.06
vs U.S.: 0.03%+0.04

Benchmark

+0.07%

▼

shrinking

steady

growing

-1%–-0.1%

-0.1%–+0.1%

+0.1%–+1%

IRS net migration ÷ population

strong

Permit pipeline

8.86

permits per 1,000 residents

Forward-supply indicator. Above ~5 means the metro is building meaningfully relative to its size; below 2 means supply is tight.

vs New Jersey: 2.33+6.53
vs U.S.: 3.52+5.34

Benchmark

8.86

▼

tight

moderate

strong

0–2

2–5

5–10

Census BPS permits TTM ÷ population × 1,000

Unemployment

—

Tighter unemployment means higher wages, more rental demand, lower vacancy.

vs New Jersey: 7.2%
vs U.S.: 3.9%

Benchmark

healthy

normal

loose

2%–4%

4%–5.5%

5.5%–8%

BLS LAUS, latest month

Home values

Where prices are and where they've been

5-year price appreciation

—

homeValues.yearOverYear

—

Median home value

$296,600

Jobs & income

Labor market direction

Unemployment

—

Median household income

$63,690

Supply pipeline

What's being built

Total TTM

846

+16.7% YoY

Single-family

670

2–4 unit

151

5+ unit

Counties

All 1 counties, ranked by population

County	Population	Home value	Median HHI	Permits TTM	YoY
Cape May County	95,456	$395,000	$88,046	846	+16.7%

Peer metros

Similar metros nationally

Metro	Pop	Med HHI	P/I	Cap proxy	HPI 5y	Permits/1k	Unemp
★Ocean City	95,456	$63,690	4.66×	4.18%	—	8.86	—%
Pocatello, ID	95,352	$64,080	—	—	+59.3%	—	3.8%
Rome, GA	98,541	$62,540	—	—	+60.9%	—	3.3%
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL	97,622	$67,267	—	—	+43.5%	—	3.0%
Cumberland, MD-WV	95,118	$59,413	—	—	—	—	—
Lima, OH	102,087	$62,001	—	—	+53.5%	—	4.5%

Migration

Where people are moving in from

Net migration

+63

+0.07% of population

Origin county	Tax returns
Atlantic County, NJ	305
Philadelphia County, PA	258
Gloucester County, NJ	188
Burlington County, NJ	170
Camden County, NJ	169
Delaware County, PA	129

Demographic backbone

Who lives in Ocean City

Median age: 49
Bachelor's+: 31.5%
Owner-occupancy: 77.6%
Vacancy rate: 59.8%
Rent burdened (30%+): 54.5%
Median household income: $63,690

This page shows federally sourced data. A full editorial analysis with charts and investment commentary is in progress.