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Cost of living, pay and housing

39.65° N · 74.18° W · GEOID 3467110

Ship Bottom

Ocean County, New Jersey · part of the New York, NY metro

Computed by Citytistics from 13 public sources · Data bundle checked 2026-11-14 · How we calculate

Limited data population under 5,000

New JerseyShip Bottom, NJShip BottomShip Bottom

The short answer

Ship Bottom is home to 957 people. Median household income is $108,750 a year and median rent is $1,455 a month, 16.1% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $975,800, about 9.0x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,455
7% above the median place
Median household income
$108,750
35% above the median place
Median home value
$975,800
206% above the median place
Unemployment
5.5%
11% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Ship Bottom

  • Public schools here have 5.8 students per teacher, fewer than in 99% of the 1,648 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 224 New Jersey places.
  • 77% of homes stand vacant, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 149 New Jersey places.
  • The median resident is 63.6 years old, older than in 98% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 287 New Jersey places.
  • The median home is worth 9 years of the median household's income, more than in 97% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 287 New Jersey places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,491 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 95% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 96 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Ship Bottom

Ocean County gains about 1.9 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in21,206
Moved out20,140
Net+1,066

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Monmouth County, NJ4,6574,088+569
Middlesex County, NJ1,471815+656
Burlington County, NJ6171,181−564
Kings County, NY1,548
Bergen County, NJ852367+485
Hudson County, NJ605386+219
Morris County, NJ566350+216
Union County, NJ779

Within New Jersey, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New JerseyOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$99K
Leavers$88K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Ocean County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
3.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.2% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Ocean County report $99,200 a year in income on average; those leaving, $87,600, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$58,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,455 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,946 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $975,800.
Getting to work
27 minutes each way on average; 22.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Rancho Mirage, CA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
3.6%
38% below the median place
Income of households moving in8
$99,173
41% above the median place
Income of households moving out8
$87,578
25% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureShip BottomAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure3.6%38% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.2%37% below
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure1.9above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$99,17341% above
Income of households moving out8County figure$87,57825% above
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 76.7%, above the median place (median 7.1%).

Ship Bottom16.1%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$58,200
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
16.1%
21% below the median place
Home price to income
9.0x
136% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
16%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$87,000
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Ship Bottom, $1,455 a month, and local prices for everything else (105.2 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Ship Bottom.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Ship Bottom? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
76.7%
above the median place (median 7.1%)
Median home value1
$975,800
206% above the median place
Homeownership1
91.8%
38% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureShip BottomAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,4557% above
Rent to income116.1%21% below
Property tax rate10.8%7% below
Home price to income19.0x136% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure112.612% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,28341% above
HUD area median income4County figure$140,60031% above
Property tax paid (median)1$8,336155% above
Median home value1$975,800206% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure6.0%87% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure73.4%42% above
Homeownership191.8%38% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure58.3%15% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,94657% above
Vacant homes176.7%above (median 7.1%)
Median year built119700% below
03

Work and pay

Income per person is $94,068, 135% above the median place.

Income per person1
$94,068
135% above the median place
Poverty rate1
3.7%
66% below the median place
Works from home1
22.1%
77% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureShip BottomAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$108,75035% above
Income per person1$94,068135% above
Unemployment1County figure5.5%11% above
Average annual pay6County figure$58,84811% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.4%35% below
Jobs6County figure192,71528% above
Poverty rate13.7%66% below
Mean commute127 min9% above
Works from home122.1%77% above
Commutes by transit1County figure0.9%7% above
04

Who lives here

Median age is 63.6, 63% above the median place.

Median age1
63.6
63% above the median place
High school or higher1
98.6%
7% above the median place
Household size1
2.0
21% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance2.6% −59%
Homes with broadband96.9% +5%
Bachelor's or higher60.6% +89%
Born abroad3.3% −62%
All 9 people measures
MeasureShip BottomAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population19576646th largest
Population change since 202072.2%90% above
Median age163.663% above
Bachelor's or higher160.6%89% above
High school or higher198.6%7% above
Household size12.021% below
Born abroad13.3%62% below
No health insurance12.6%59% below
Homes with broadband196.9%5% above
05

Life in Ship Bottom

37 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars19.3 −7%
Shops31.4 +4%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.4 +7%
Doctors' offices and clinics22.2 +10%
Child care centers2.0 −13%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools12
1
89% below the median place
Students per teacher12
5.8
62% below the median place
Public school students12
92
98% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureShip BottomAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12189% below
Public school students129298% below
Students per teacher125.862% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure19.37% below
Shops per 10k9County figure31.44% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure4.47% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure22.210% above
Child care centers per 10k9County figure2.013% below
National Register listings10County figure37185% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 0, below the median place (median 192).

Violent crime per 100k
0
below the median place (median 192)
Property crime per 100k
530
56% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Wildfire risk14
95.2
56% above the median place
Hurricane risk14
93.2
32% above the median place
Tornado risk14
47.2
42% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureShip BottomAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure86°F1% below
January average low13County figure25°F3% below
Average temperature13County figure54°F1% below
Annual precipitation13County figure47.3 in8% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure96.24% above
Hurricane risk14County figure93.232% above
Tornado risk14County figure47.242% below
Wildfire risk14County figure95.256% above
Heat wave risk14County figure95.76% above
Median air quality index15County figure399% below
Good air days15County figure78.8%15% above
08

Ship Bottom in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 16% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 16% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,455/mo (2024)$1,870/mo$1,530 to $2,280/mo+4.2%
Median household income$108,750 (2024)$139,000$117,500 to $164,500+4.2%
Median home value$975,800 (2024)$1,393,000$1,011,000 to $1,919,000+6.1%
Population1,126 (2025)1,1401,100 to 1,190+0.3%

The median home would be worth 10.0 years of the median income in 2030, against 9.0 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Ship Bottom

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Rancho Mirage, CA$1,510$107,364Compare
Cambria, CA$1,924$99,147Compare
Sanibel, FL$811$108,644Compare
Hilton Head Island, SC$1,479$94,657Compare
Hilton Head Island, SCSanibel, FLCambria, CARancho Mirage, CAShip Bottom, NJShip BottomRancho MirageCambriaSanibelHilton Head IslandShip BottomRancho MirageCambriaSanibelHilton Head Island

Common questions

Is Ship Bottom a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Public schools here have 5.8 students per teacher, fewer than in 99% of the 1,648 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 224 New Jersey places. 77% of homes stand vacant, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 149 New Jersey places. On cost, space and class size it scores 78 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Ship Bottom expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 16.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $975,800.

What salary do you need to live in Ship Bottom?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $58,200 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Ship Bottom safe?

There were 0 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Ship Bottom?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Rancho Mirage, CA, Cambria, CA, Sanibel, FL and Hilton Head Island, SC.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Ship Bottom with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Ship Bottom itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/ship-bottom-new-jersey

Citytistics. “Ship Bottom, New Jersey.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/ship-bottom-new-jersey/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.