ZIP Code 08731 — Forked River CDP, NJ Demographics & Data

ZIP code 08731 covers Forked River, NJ in Ocean County with a population of about 21,136.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 47.5 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area codes 609, 640; U.S. House district NJ-4; the NEW YORK media market.

Median household income in ZIP 08731 is about $93,267 — about 24% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 5.1%; unemployment rate near 6.0%; 31.6% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 2.1 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Education, Healthcare, and Retail trade; about 13.0% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 2.2 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $360,000 — about 3% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,676 (about 44% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 85.5% (about 20.1 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 08731 in Forked River, NJ, a household would need roughly $99,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $2,313. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($93,267). Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Forked River CDP, NJ as Relatively High (composite score 96.2), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (96.7) and wildfire (95.2). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Forked River CDP, NJ show little to no average snow and around 52.0 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,360 for ZIP 08731 (Forked River CDP, NJ) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.