Ocean Grove is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 3,057 people and two associated neighborhoods, Ocean Grove is the 380th largest community in New Jersey. Ocean Grove has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic towns in the country.
Housing costs in Ocean Grove are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in New Jersey.
Of important note, Ocean Grove is also a town of artists. Ocean Grove has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Ocean Grove’s character.
Also of interest is that Ocean Grove has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
A relatively large number of people in Ocean Grove telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 23.90% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
In addition, Ocean Grove is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.
Ocean Grove is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.
Despite being a small town, Ocean Grove has a lot of people using the bus to get to and from work every day. Most of these people on the bus are using it to get to good jobs in other cities.
If knowledge is power, Ocean Grove is a pretty powerful place. 66.26% of the adults in Ocean Grove have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
The per capita income in Ocean Grove in 2022 was $84,718, which is wealthy relative to New Jersey and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $338,872 for a family of four. However, Ocean Grove contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Ocean Grove is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Ocean Grove home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Ocean Grove residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Ocean Grove include Irish, English, Italian, German, and Polish.
The most common language spoken in Ocean Grove is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Langs. of India.