Atlantic County, New Jersey Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Atlantic County is located in New Jersey with a total population of 276,270. It is the 15th most populous county out of 21 in New Jersey. The county encompasses 39 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Atlantic County is 42.3 years. This is 5% higher than the state median of 40.1 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Atlantic County is $78,050. This is 25% lower than the state median of $103,556. It is also 3% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 13.2%. This is 36% higher than the state poverty rate of 9.7%. The unemployment rate is 8.8%. This is 39% higher than the state rate of 6.3%. The median home value is $295,000. Housing costs are 35% lower than the state median of $454,400. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.8x. 68.7% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 8% higher than the state average of 63.8%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Atlantic County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 54.0% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 20.4%.

Education

31.8% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 27% lower than the state rate of 43.6%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 89.3%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Atlantic County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against New Jersey and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.