Forked River is a somewhat small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 5,274 people and five associated neighborhoods, Forked River is the 306th largest community in New Jersey. Housing costs in Forked River are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in New Jersey.Unlike some towns, Forked River isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Forked River are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Forked River is a town of sales and office workers, professionals, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Forked River who work in office and administrative support (13.65%), management occupations (10.65%), and sales jobs (9.16%). Also of interest is that Forked River has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 9.04% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. Because of many things, Forked River is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Forked River really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Forked River perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live. One of the nice things about Forked River is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities. In terms of college education, Forked River is somewhat better educated than the 21.84% who have a 4-year degree or higher in the typical US community: 26.95% of adults 25 and older in the town have at least a bachelor's degree. The per capita income in Forked River in 2022 was $46,836, which is lower middle income relative to New Jersey, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $187,344 for a family of four. Forked River is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Forked River home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Forked River residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Forked River also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 13.27% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Forked River include Italian, Irish, German, Polish, and English. The most common language spoken in Forked River is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.
