Wildwood is a somewhat small coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 5,157 people and three associated neighborhoods, Wildwood is the 309th largest community in New Jersey. Wildwood has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country. Housing costs in Wildwood 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 cities, Wildwood isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Wildwood are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Wildwood is a city of service providers, sales and office workers, and construction workers and builders. There are especially a lot of people living in Wildwood who work in food service (14.45%), sales jobs (12.97%), and maintenance occupations (12.48%). Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 7.58% 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. Another notable thing is that Wildwood is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the city’s population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live. One of the nice things about Wildwood 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. The percentage of adults in Wildwood with college degrees is slightly lower than the national average of 21.84% for all communities. 16.56% of adults in Wildwood have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree. The per capita income in Wildwood in 2022 was $43,732, which is lower middle income relative to New Jersey, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $174,928 for a family of four. However, Wildwood contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Wildwood is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Wildwood home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Wildwood residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Wildwood also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 25.15% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Wildwood include Irish, Italian, German, English, and Polish. Foreign born people are also an important part of Wildwood's cultural character, accounting for 16.15% of the city’s population. The most common language spoken in Wildwood is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Langs. of India.
