Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 38/100
D−
Median home value$715,500
New York $614,200
Median rent$1,718/mo
New York $1,830/mo
Cost-burdened households63%
New York 42%
Lakewood
Ocean County69,585 residentsLakewood Township School District
48
D+
Suburbgrade score
42nd of 60 New York suburbs. Strongest on commute & transport, held back by employment & income.
48
New York median 52
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Lakewood yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 48 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Lakewood is like to live in, by category
Bars show Lakewood against New York. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 43/100
D
Within-state proficiency22nd pct
New York median 35th pct
Student–teacher ratio9.1
New York median 11.6
Graduation rate81%
New York median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 58/100
C
Housing cost index96
New York 100
Eff. tax rate1.42%
New York 1.37%
Local sales tax6.60%
New York median 8.54%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 75/100
B
Mean commute20.8 min
New York 35.6 min
Under 30 minutes81%
New York 44%
Transit stops / sq mi0.5
New York median 2.5 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 46/100
D
Restaurants & cafés19
New York median 59 · within 2 miles
Groceries2
New York median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks12
New York median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 28/100
F
Median household income$56,968
New York $99,155
Unemployment6.3%
New York 6.8%
Professional occupations49%
New York 48%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Lakewood yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Lakewood on employment & income
Lakewood's weakest grade is F. Three suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Toms River7 mi from LakewoodC− 55 C− Old Bridge22 mi from LakewoodD+ 56 C− Long Branch18 mi from LakewoodF 48 D+ Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Lakewood
Is Lakewood, NJ a good place to live?
Lakewood scores 48 out of 100, 42nd of 60 New York suburbs. It is strongest on commute & transport and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Lakewood expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $715,500, 16% above the New York median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.42%. $1,718/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Lakewood?
Schools grade D. The districts serving Lakewood sit at the 22nd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 81% graduation rate and a 9.1 student–teacher ratio. Lakewood is served by Lakewood Township School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Lakewood?
The mean commute is 20.8 min, with 81% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 16% working from home. Transit density is 0.5 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Lakewood?
Within two miles there are 2 groceries, 19 restaurants and cafés and 12 parks, which grades D on amenities.
Are the homes in Lakewood old or new?
The median home in Lakewood was built in 1993 — newer than the New York median of 1960. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 68% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.