Best PlacesAtlantic County, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Atlantic County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Atlantic County ranks 1,517th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $86,247, everyday costs sit below the national average, and an educated workforce ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are state finances, property taxes, and the weather.
The best neighborhoods in Atlantic County
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.
The best areas in Atlantic County
The parts of Atlantic County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Somers Point, Linwood & Northfield
More adults hold degrees, incomes run higher, and local pay stretches further.
Smithville
Tree cover is thicker, though fewer households have young kids.
Pomona & Egg Harbor City
Fewer homes sit empty, though streets are more car-dependent.
Egg Harbor Township & Pleasantville
Disaster risk is lower, though it is noisier.
Mays Landing
Crime runs lower, though biking is worse.
Hammonton
More residents vote, though transit reaches fewer jobs.
Absecon & Brigantine
Prices have run up more.
Atlantic City
Health care is harder to reach and health outcomes score lower.
Atlantic County shows why a single number is not enough. Some neighborhoods score in the bottom 1% of the country and others in the top 7%. Pick the area first, then the home.
Atlantic County's strengths and weaknesses
Atlantic County lands in the middle because its strengths and weaknesses roughly balance. Big-city access, transit, and walkability carry most of that.
The one real hole is state finances, near the bottom of the country. Property taxes and the weather also cost it ground. The detail is below, and the map is where it turns into a choice of neighborhood rather than just a place.
Where Atlantic County ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 97% of counties
- TransitBetter than 96% of counties
- WalkabilityBetter than 95% of counties
- BikingBetter than 94% of counties
- Air qualityBetter than 88% of counties
Where Atlantic County ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of counties
- Low property taxBetter than only 1% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 58 pleasant days a year, better than only 4% of counties
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 4% of counties
- Cheap childcare$1,355 a month, better than only 5% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Atlantic County
A household needs to earn about $93,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Atlantic County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $86,247; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Atlantic County's effective rate of 2.06%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Atlantic County
Atlantic County runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Atlantic County.
Who works in Atlantic County, and how
Work in Atlantic County centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in Atlantic County
Atlantic County has more restaurants and bars per resident than 79% of counties and more late-night spots per resident than 92% of counties. The coast is about 13 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Atlantic County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Atlantic County growing, and who is moving in?
Atlantic County has grown about 2% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Philadelphia, PA.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Atlantic County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Atlantic County, month by month
Atlantic County sees roughly 58 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 36° | 26° |
| April | 67° | 54° | 42° |
| July | 89° | 78° | 68° |
| October | 72° | 60° | 49° |
Flying in and out of Atlantic County
The nearest airport, Atlantic City International, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 46 miles away.
The best schools in and around Atlantic County
Schools across Atlantic County average a D+, better than 15% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- William H. Ross Iii SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Seaview Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Port Republic Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- Johnstone Elementary SchoolA− · 53% proficient
- Belhaven Middle SchoolB+ · 47% proficient
- Eugene A. Tighe Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top high schools
- Ocean City High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Mainland Regional High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Cedar Creek High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Atlantic County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Atlantic County 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 Atlantic County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Atlantic County suits
Families
Schools land around the 15th percentile and crime safety beats 67%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 72% of counties and 10% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in Atlantic County
Is Atlantic County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Atlantic County ranks 1,517th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on big-city access, transit, and walkability, and lowest on state finances and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Atlantic County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $304,545. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $86,247 median income, cost of living beats 72% of counties.
Is Atlantic County safe?
Yes, Atlantic County is safer than 67% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $230 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Atlantic County?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 47 with lows near 26. That works out to about 58 pleasant days a year, more than 4% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in Atlantic County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Somers Point, Linwood & Northfield, Smithville, and Pomona & Egg Harbor City. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Atlantic County good for families?
Schools beat 15% of counties, crime safety beats 67%, and childcare runs $1,355 a month.
Is Atlantic County good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 72% of counties, though advertised internet speeds beat only 60% of counties. About 10% of workers already work from home.
Compare Atlantic County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Atlantic County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Atlantic County 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.
Atlantic County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Atlantic County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Atlantic County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Atlantic County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Atlantic County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Atlantic County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.