Ocean Co. tops in growth in mid-decade look

The newly released 2005 Census estimates show that Ocean County led the state in growth between 2000 and 2005, with the population increasing 9.3 percent, from 510,916 to 558,341. Warren County had the second largest percentage increase (7.8%), followed by Somerset (7.5%) and Hunterdon (6.9%). Monmouth County's growth rate of 3.4 percent was actually below the state average of 3.6 percent.
Essex and Hudson counties were the only two counties to experience negative population growth.
Four towns accounted for more than half of Ocean County's increase in population - Jackson (9,054), Lakewood (8,482), Barnegat (5,038) and Dover Township (4,954). The increase in Jackson's population during that five-year period was larger than the total populations in 21 Ocean County towns.
The largest percentage population increase in Monmouth County was in Upper Freehold (55%). Tinton Falls was a distant second (14.7%). The only towns in Monmouth County to increase their populations by more than 3,000 were Manalapan (3,416) and Marlboro (3,267).