Ocean County is located in the Atlantic Coastal Plain in central New Jersey. The County is the second largest in the State in square miles (the first being Burlington County) and one of four New Jersey counties that border the Atlantic Ocean. Toms River, in Dover Township, serves as the County Seat and is centrally located within Ocean County. The County is in close proximity to two of the Nation's largest metropolitan centers, New York City approximately 60 miles to the north and Philadelphia roughly 50 miles to the west. In addition, Atlantic City is located approximately 50 miles to the south of the County Seat. These metropolitan areas are easily accessible to Ocean County via several major highways, as shown on the Regional Location Map.

With the growing year round population, Ocean County's economic base has become increasingly diverse, with a variety of industries now supplementing traditional tourist related businesses. The growth in employment opportunities within Ocean County is now becoming as notable as the population growth was in the recent past. Over the last ten years, Ocean County has had one of the fastest increases in new jobs in the State. The Health Care Industry has been by far the fastest growing employment sector and is now the top employer in the County. Employment projections released by the NJ Department of Labor show that Ocean County will continue to be at the forefront of New Jersey employment growth well into the next decade.