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Ocean County, New Jersey

A shallow water table limits basements on 57% of Ocean County's mapped land, a higher share than 72% of US counties and the 4th highest of 21 New Jersey counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 639 flood losses here since 2016, 7% of them in buildings with basements. 48% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1981.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

<1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

57%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

48%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Ocean County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)under 0.1%
High water table (limits basements)57.1%
Septic fields very limited80.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.2%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)under 0.1%
Mapped soil480,977 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Downer15%n/a
Lakehurst10%n/a
Lakewood8%n/a
Atsion7%n/a
Evesboro5%n/a
Woodmansie5%n/a
Burlington County: 61%Monmouth County: 40%Atlantic County: 60%Mercer County: 44%Camden County: 44%Middlesex County: 53%Philadelphia County: 5%Gloucester County: 34%Ocean County BurlingtonMonmouthAtlanticMercerCamdenMiddlesexPhiladelphiaGloucesterOcean
Ocean County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas NJ029 (2025-08-28)

What the numbers mean here

On 57% of Ocean County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 38.14 in, 9.14 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.28 in.

USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 43 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 17 weeks, most recently on the August 4, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse71.4%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

639 flood losses since 2016, $5.9 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 113. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 7% basements, 21% slabs, 37% crawl spaces, 34% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 8 in.

YearFlood losses
201671
201754
201863
201938
202029
2021113
202268
202332
202487
202571
2026 to date13

Rain

Average year, 1991-202047.28 in
12 months to August 202638.14 in (-9.14)
202539.75 in (-7.53)
Wettest year since 18952018: 65.73 in
Driest year since 18951965: 28.75 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at INDIAN MILLS 2 W (28 mi away)14

Homes

Housing units296,357
Median year built1981
Built before 198048%
Built 2000 or later24%
Owner-occupied81%
Median value, owner-occupied$398,400
Single-family detached74%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Burlington County, NJ 22 mi 1% 61%
Monmouth County, NJ 30 mi under 1% 40%
Atlantic County, NJ 34 mi 0% 60%
Mercer County, NJ 37 mi 0% 44%
Camden County, NJ 38 mi under 1% 44%
Middlesex County, NJ 41 mi 0% 53%
Philadelphia County, PA 48 mi 0% 5%
Gloucester County, NJ 48 mi 2% 34%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status