Best Places08722, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08722, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
08722 ranks 5,844th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 08722
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
08722's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08722 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 91% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Household income$114,842 median, better than 88% of zip codes
Where 08722 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 51 pleasant days a year, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,478 a month, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08722
A household needs to earn about $104,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08722 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $114,842, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 08722's effective rate of 1.61%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 08722
08722 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 08722.
Who works in 08722, and how
Work in 08722 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 08722
The coast is about 14 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 08722, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08722, month by month
08722 sees roughly 51 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 32° | 22° |
| April | 65° | 51° | 39° |
| July | 90° | 77° | 65° |
| October | 71° | 58° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 08722
The nearest airport, Atlantic City International, is about 38 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Newark Liberty International, about 53 miles away.
The best schools in and around 08722
Schools across 08722 average a D+, better than 15% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Pine Beach Elementary SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
- Beachwood Elementary SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
- South Toms River Elementary SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Toms River Intermediate School SouthD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Toms River High School SouthC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08722 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08722 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 08722 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 08722
Is 08722 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08722 ranks 5,844th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, big-city access, and cell coverage, and lowest on state finances and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 08722 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $357,488. The overall cost of living runs about 10% above the national average. Set against a $114,842 median income, cost of living beats 78% of zip codes.
Is 08722 safe?
Yes, 08722 is safer than 98% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $101 per resident a year.
Compare 08722 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08722. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08722 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
08722 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08722: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08722: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08722: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08722: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08722 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.