Best PlacesDover Heights, Toms River, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Dover Heights, Toms 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.
Dover Heights, Toms River ranks 3,384th 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 Dover Heights, Toms 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.
Dover Heights, Toms River's strengths and weaknesses
Where Dover Heights, Toms River ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 79% of neighborhoods
Where Dover Heights, Toms River ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 51 pleasant days a year, better than only 1% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Short commute32.0 minutes each way, better than only 12% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Dover Heights, Toms River
A household needs to earn about $98,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Dover Heights, Toms River home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $91,719; 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 Dover Heights, Toms River's effective rate of 1.58%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Dover Heights, Toms River
Dover Heights, Toms River's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Dover Heights, Toms River.
Who works in Dover Heights, Toms River, and how
Work in Dover Heights, Toms River centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in Dover Heights, Toms River
The coast is about 5 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Dover Heights, Toms River, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Dover Heights, Toms River, month by month
Dover Heights, Toms 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 Dover Heights, Toms River
The nearest airport, Atlantic City International, is about 42 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is John F Kennedy International, about 51 miles away.
The best schools in and around Dover Heights, Toms River
Schools across Dover Heights, Toms River average a C−, better than 26% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Hooper Avenue Elementary SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Washington Street Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Cedar Grove Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Toms River Intermediate School EastD+ · 26% proficient
- Toms River Intermediate School SouthD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Toms River High School EastC · 31% proficient
- Toms River High School SouthC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Dover Heights, Toms River school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Dover Heights, Toms 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 Dover Heights, Toms River against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Dover Heights, Toms River
Is Dover Heights, Toms River a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Dover Heights, Toms River ranks 3,384th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low crime, quiet, and big-city access, 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 Dover Heights, Toms River expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $338,635. The overall cost of living runs about 10% above the national average. Set against a $91,719 median income, cost of living beats 59% of neighborhoods.
Is Dover Heights, Toms River safe?
Yes, Dover Heights, Toms River is safer than 95% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $149 per resident a year.
Compare Dover Heights, Toms River with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Dover Heights, Toms River. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Dover Heights, Toms 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.
Dover Heights, Toms River detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Dover Heights, Toms River: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Dover Heights, Toms River: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Dover Heights, Toms River: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Dover Heights, Toms River: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Dover Heights, Toms 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.