The American Community Survey / Census shows quirks of area municipalities / Data reveal marriage, education, commuter trends\

Steven Lemongello
The Press of Atlantic City
January 15, 2011

Which locals have the longest commute? Which towns have the most unmarried men? The most educated women? The oldest homes?

The release of the latest survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau contains the answers to these and other interesting questions. The American Community Survey was gathered from a questionnaire sent to about one in 65 households nationwide each year from 2005 to 2009. It provides the first demographic statistics for municipalities, no matter how small their population, since the 2000 Census.

The trends reveal a complex region that reflects the country at large, yet also has its idiosyncrasies.

The southern New Jersey area includes extreme outer suburbs of New York, such as Lacey Township, in which almost 1,000 people commute more than 90 minutes to work -- as well as more than 500 people with a commute of less than five minutes.

In Atlantic City, 2,611 people are estimated to walk to work. In Vineland, more than 1,250 residents have less than a five-minute commute, as do more than 900 people in Cape May.

Of course, ask any question about which towns have the "most" of anything and the towns with the largest numbers of people will be those that come up.

In addition to the shortest commute, Vineland -- the local municipality with the greatest estimated population, at 58,426 people -- also has the region's most residents who work outside their home county, the most adult men who never married -- as well as the most men and women who have been divorced or widowed -- the most women who have given birth in the past 12 months, the most men with a doctorate, the most Spanish-speaking households and the most veterans.

But take a look at just those towns with a population of less than 15,000 people -- excluding the 14 largest cities and townships -- and the unique characteristics of a number of the smaller towns comes to light.

Among smaller municipalities in the region, Somers Point has the most unmarried women, with 1,186; Margate has the most widows, 826; and Ventnor has the most residents born in Eastern Europe, with 230.

Among the smaller towns, Hammonton has the most Hispanic residents and the most residents born in Italy -- 2,276 and 137, respectively -- revealing a glimpse of the ever-changing demographics of a traditionally Italian-American town with a growing Hispanic population.

The city with the largest Asian population is Atlantic City, with 5,785 residents of Asian background, while Ventnor, with 1,011 Asian or Asian-American residents, comes in first among towns of less than 15,000 people.

Some numbers, meanwhile, could be skewed by certain factors. The cities with the youngest male population include Cape May, with a median age of 24.4. The U.S. Coast Guard Training Center is located there. And the median age is 30 in Galloway Township, home to The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Outside of those two towns, Shiloh comes in at the lowest with 28.3 -- but that entire municipality contains only 553 people.

Likewise, the municipality with the oldest population, with a median age of 72.6, is Cape May Point -- which has only 132 residents.

Meanwhile, Maurice River Township may seem like a bachelorette's paradise with 3,466 unmarried men -- but it happens to be the site of Bayside and Southern State prisons. They're available, ladies.

Like any survey, the data has margins of error. Sometimes the numbers gathered from any one municipality are so small, given the population of the town and the amount of surveys it received, that the numbers are not that reliable. In some cases, the margins of error for some of the more detailed questions are larger than the numbers themselves.

So while it's tempting to imagine, say, Margate as swarming with Belgians, the number of Belgians estimated to be living in Margate -- 24 -- is less than the margin of error, 40.

Still, the picture that can be gained from looking at the numbers says something about each town. Egg Harbor Township has the second most residents who work at home -- 523, the most among municipalities with a population of more than 15,000 people.

And why wouldn't they? They have the newest homes in the entire region, with the median home built in 1987.

Its counterpart? Greenwich Township, in which the median home was built in 1939 -- and which ranks 48th in the region when it comes to residents who work at home, with just 32.

THE FOLLOWING TEXT WAS NOT PUBLISHED:

Explore American Community Survey data from 2005 to 2009 on the Census Bureau's new American FactFinder website debuting Tuesday.