NATURAL and CULTURAL FEATURES of MONMOUTH COUNTY

2004 in the County - 3162 single and multi-family units; more than 50% were built in Ocean and
Manalapan townships (MCPB, 2005c).
The greatest rate of population growth in Monmouth County was when it more than doubled
between 1950 and 1970, following the post war boom and the opening of the Garden State
Parkway in 1954, from 225,337 in 1950 to 461,489 in 1970 (MCPBb, 2005). It increased by 9%
from 1970 to 1980, 10% from 1980 to 1990, and 11% from 1995 to 2005 (MCPBb, 2005).
During the boom years of 1950-1970, almost 50% of the population growth occurred within 3
miles of the Parkway; since 1990, much of the growth takes place in western Monmouth, in
Howell (16%), Marlboro (14%), Freehold Township (11%), and Manalapan (11%) (MCPBb,
2005). The MCPB’s analysis of vacant land, development trends and current zoning predicts a
0.5% increase in population growth per year for the County, from the current estimate of
645,349, reaching 697,071 in 2025 (MCPBb, 2005).
In 2004, more than 60% of the new single family units were found in western Monmouth, while
65% of the multi-family units were found in the coastal region (MCPB, 2005c). According to the
2000 Census, homes valued under $100,000 accounted for only 6.7% of the County’s housing
stock, while homes valued over $300,000 accounted for 24.9% (MCPBb, 2005). In 2004, there
were 343 new single family development homes built that were worth more than $1 million,
about a 76% increase over 2003 (MCPBb, 2005). The County was third in NJ for issuance of
2,628 residential building permits in 2004, but second in terms of total value of residential
development, at $410,856,945; Manalapan, Howell, Middletown, Upper Freehold and Marlboro
issued the most single family permits in 2004 (MCPBb, 2005). Proposed residential activity is
near a 15 year high (MCPBb, 2005). The municipalities with the greatest amount of the 207 non
residential site plans that were submitted to the MCPB in 2004 were Upper Freehold (32%),
Freehold Township (16%), Wall (11%), Tinton Falls (10%), Howell (5%) and Middletown (4%)
(MCPBb, 2005). Industry in the County is small, only 24 million square feet compared to 36
million in Somerset and 98 million on Rt. 287 near the NJ Turnpike (MCPBb, 2005). There are
3 enclosed malls, as well as Monmouth Park Raceway, the PNC Arts Center, and Wall Stadium.
The top 5 employers in Monmouth County as of 2005 are: Meridian Health Systems (7500),
Fort Monmouth (5500), AT&T (4050),Monmouth County (3607), Foodarama (2458) (MCPBa,
2005). Ft. Monmouth accounts for 5500 workers, 5000 of which are private contractors; Naval
Weapons Station Earle provides 1500 jobs (MCPBb, 2005). In 2005, Fort Monmouth, the 2 nd
major employer in the County, announced it will be closing its base, and in 2006, Lucent
Industries, the 11 th top employer, announced it was selling its facility in Holmdel.
As of 1990, there were a total of 274,238 commuters; almost 65 % of commuters worked within
the County, 25% commuted to other New Jersey counties, and almost 10% commuted to New
York State. In 2002, the number of vehicles reported as owned were: none: 12,538; three or
more: 51,619; one: 63,816; two: 96,952 (MCPB, 2005; MCDEDT, 2005). Between 1990 and
2000, the number of County residents working in Staten Island rose by 35.7%, in Brooklyn by
36.4%, and Manhattan by 17.7% (MCPBb, 2005). Of the 286,271 (2000) workers 16 years or
older who commute, about 85% drive, and of those 243,943 drivers, only about 10% carpool
(MCPBb, 2005). Of the 22,061 who take public transportation, about 55% are bus riders, 31%
take the train, and 4% take ferries; 7,654, or 2.7% of the total workers, work at home, a bit more
than those who walk to work (6,672) (MCPBb, 2005). A report in 2006 by the Tri-State
Transportation Campaign found that between 1997 and 2004 found that about 1 in 10 NJ