Toms River is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within and constituting the mainland portion of Toms River Township (formerly Dover Township), in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 92,830, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,464 (+2.9%) from the 86,327 counted in the 2000 census. The Toms River CDP is the county seat of Ocean County. The area is named for Toms River, whose estuary flows through the community and empties into Barnegat Bay.
Toms River Township and its fully contained census-designated place are not co-extensive. In addition to the census-designated place, which includes all of mainland Toms River Township and is home to the vast majority of the township's population, Toms River Township includes two small CDPs: Dover Beaches North (2020 Census population of 1,277) and Dover Beaches South (1,331), both of which are located on the Barnegat Peninsula. As defined by the Census Bureau based on 2010 Census data, more than 96% of Toms River Township's area and of its population of 95,438 was located in Toms River CDP.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of , including of land and of water (4.40%).
Demographics
Toms River was listed as an unincorporated community in the 1950 U.S. census; and then as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. census.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 88,791 people, 33,394 households, and 23,643 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 36,605 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 89.71% (79,653) White, 2.77% (2,459) Black or African American, 0.17% (151) Native American, 3.67% (3,260) Asian, 0.02% (17) Pacific Islander, 1.98% (1,760) from other races, and 1.68% (1,491) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.04% (7,136) of the population.
There were 31,674 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.11.