Best PlacesBarnegat Pines, Forked River, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Barnegat Pines, Forked River, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Barnegat Pines, Forked River ranks 2,878th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Barnegat Pines, Forked River
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.
Barnegat Pines, Forked River's strengths and weaknesses
Where Barnegat Pines, Forked River ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 77% of neighborhoods
Where Barnegat Pines, Forked River ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 51 pleasant days a year, better than only 1% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Barnegat Pines, Forked River
A household needs to earn about $104,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Barnegat Pines, Forked River home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $93,077; 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 Barnegat Pines, Forked River's effective rate of 1.37%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Barnegat Pines, Forked River
Barnegat Pines, Forked River runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Barnegat Pines, Forked River.
Who works in Barnegat Pines, Forked River, and how
Work in Barnegat Pines, Forked River centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Barnegat Pines, Forked River
The coast is about 20 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Barnegat Pines, Forked River, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Barnegat Pines, Forked River, month by month
Barnegat Pines, Forked River 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 Barnegat Pines, Forked River
The nearest airport, Atlantic City International, is about 33 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 55 miles away.
The best schools in and around Barnegat Pines, Forked River
Schools across Barnegat Pines, Forked River average a C−, better than 29% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Cedar Creek Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Forked River Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Clara B. Worth Elementary SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mill Pond Elementary SchoolD+ · 26% proficient
- Central Regional Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Lacey Township High SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Central Regional High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Barnegat Pines, Forked River school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Barnegat Pines, Forked River 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 Barnegat Pines, Forked River against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Barnegat Pines, Forked River
Is Barnegat Pines, Forked River a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Barnegat Pines, Forked River ranks 2,878th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low crime, civic engagement, and tree cover, and lowest on the weather and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Barnegat Pines, Forked River expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $367,563. The overall cost of living runs about 11% above the national average. Set against a $93,077 median income, cost of living beats 53% of neighborhoods.
Is Barnegat Pines, Forked River safe?
Yes, Barnegat Pines, Forked River is safer than 97% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $119 per resident a year.
Compare Barnegat Pines, Forked River with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Barnegat Pines, Forked River. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Barnegat Pines, Forked River 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.
Barnegat Pines, Forked River detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Barnegat Pines, Forked River: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Barnegat Pines, Forked River: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Barnegat Pines, Forked River: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Barnegat Pines, Forked River: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Barnegat Pines, Forked River 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.