County outline
Where Cape May County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 40.5% of Cape May County’s measured area and water for 59.5%. Its combined area converts to 1,606.6 square kilometers or approximately 396,996 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 251.513 | 651.416 | 160,968.3 |
| Water | 368.794 | 955.172 | 236,028.2 |
| Total | 620.307 | 1,606.588 | 396,996.5 |
How Cape May County compares
By original Census land area, Cape May County ranks #14 of 21 in New Jersey and #2907 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.781 times the New Jersey county-equivalent median of 322 square miles. It accounts for 3.4% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete New Jersey ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Cape May County
The Census Bureau estimates that 93,390 people lived in Cape May County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #661 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #20 of 21 in New Jersey. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 95,254, the population has declined by 1,864 (−2%), compared with +2.8% for New Jersey as a whole.
With 251.5 square miles of land, that is 371 people per square mile (143 per km²), placing Cape May County #436 nationally for density and #16 in New Jersey. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the New Jersey median is 1,137. Put another way, there are about 1.7 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 95,029 | 95,667 | 95,165 | 94,577 | 94,094 | 93,390 |
| Change | — | +638 | −502 | −588 | −483 | −704 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Cape May County
Cape May County is divided into 16 municipalities and townships. In New Jersey, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Lower township, with 21,533 residents (23.1% of the county). The largest by land is Middle township, at 70.2 mi², or 27.9% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Sea Isle City city grew fastest since then (+0.6%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower township | 21,533 | −2.4% | 27.4 | 10.9% |
| Middle township | 19,990 | −1.8% | 70.2 | 27.9% |
| Upper township | 12,355 | −1.6% | 62 | 24.7% |
| Ocean City city | 11,101 | −1.2% | 6.758 | 2.7% |
| Dennis township | 6,100 | −3% | 60.4 | 24% |
| Wildwood city | 5,068 | −1.7% | 1.541 | 0.6% |
| North Wildwood city | 3,518 | −3% | 1.725 | 0.7% |
| Wildwood Crest borough | 3,000 | −3.2% | 1.298 | 0.5% |
| Cape May city | 2,716 | −1.8% | 2.473 | 1% |
| Sea Isle City city | 2,114 | +0.6% | 2.199 | 0.9% |
| Woodbine borough | 2,104 | −0.9% | 8.019 | 3.2% |
| Avalon borough | 1,205 | −3% | 4.262 | 1.7% |
| West Cape May borough | 981 | −2% | 1.173 | 0.5% |
| Stone Harbor borough | 778 | −1.6% | 1.42 | 0.6% |
| West Wildwood borough | 529 | −2% | 0.287 | 0.1% |
Show the other 1 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape May Point borough | 298 | −2% | 0.295 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Cape May County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Cape May County is a central county of the Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2 county equivalents have 372,047 residents on 807.1 square miles of land; Cape May County accounts for 31.2% of the land and 25.1% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #303 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #153 by population. It belongs to the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic County | 278,657 | 555.6 |
| Cape May County | 93,390 | 251.5 |
ZIP codes
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Cape May County, and each lies mostly inside the county.
08202082040821008212082230822608230082420824308245082460824708248082510826008270
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Cape May County
Cape May County shares a land border with 2 county equivalents. Each of them has more land than Cape May County. The largest neighbor is Atlantic County (555.6 mi²) and the smallest is Cumberland County (483.4 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Cape May County forms a block of 1,290.5 mi² of land, of which it holds 19.5%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Cape May | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic County | 555.6 | 2.2× larger | Compare |
| Cumberland County | 483.4 | 1.9× larger | Compare |
How big is Cape May County compared with U.S. states?
Cape May County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 4.1 times as much. New Jersey’s county land could hold about 29 areas the size of Cape May County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 15.9 miles (25.5 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Cape May County?
Cape May County has more land than 315 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Cape May County at #1,676 nationally by total area, 1,231 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 59.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 58.3 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Cape May County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2906 | Morris County, Texas | 252 | Compare |
| #2907 | Cape May County, New Jersey | 251.5 | This county |
| #2908 | Erie County, Ohio | 251.3 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 39.085785, -74.846032. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 651,416,124 m²; AWATER: 955,170,914 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Cape May County?
Cape May County, New Jersey has 251.5 square miles (651.4 km²) of land and 368.8 square miles of water, for a total area of 620.3 square miles. It ranks #2907 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Cape May County the largest county in New Jersey?
No. Cape May County ranks #14 of 21 in New Jersey by land area. The largest is Burlington County, with 799.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Cape May County?
Cape May County shares a land border with Atlantic County and Cumberland County.
What is the population of Cape May County?
The Census Bureau estimates Cape May County had 93,390 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #661 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 371 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Cape May County?
The county seat of Cape May County is Middle Township.
What cities and towns are in Cape May County?
Cape May County has 16 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Lower township, Middle township, Upper township, Ocean City city, and Dennis township.
Is Cape May County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 2 county equivalents and 372,047 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Cape May County?
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Cape May County, and 16 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Cape May County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 4.1 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Cape May County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 160,968 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 396,996 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.