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Stafford

A township of 29,834 people in Ocean County, New Jersey
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About Stafford

Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, US
1750Established
28,617Population
54.8 sq miArea
79 ftElevation

Stafford Township is a township situated on the Jersey Shore in southern Ocean County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 28,617, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 2,082 (+7.8%) from the 26,535 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 4,003 (+17.8%) from the 22,532 counted in the 2000 census. Stafford Township is the gateway to the resort communities on Long Beach Island, with Route 72 providing the sole road access to the island, ending in Ship Bottom as it crosses Barnegat Bay via the Manahawkin Bay Bridge (formally known as the Dorland J. Henderson Memorial Bridge). The Garde…

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From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Living in Stafford

Safety in Stafford

A−

Safety Grade A-

Stafford reports less crime per resident than 76% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.

Violent crime per 1,000
Stafford 0.8
New Jersey 2
U.S. 3.3
Property crime per 1,000
Stafford 6.4
New Jersey 12.7
U.S. 15.5
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Schools in Stafford

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B−

School Grade B-

The public schools Stafford’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 51% of New Jersey’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

#181Best public schoolsof 457 in NJ
DistrictSouthern Regional School DistrictSchools10

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within NJ. Ratings are from neighbors.

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Stafford

New Jersey · NJ · Ocean County
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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01