Atlantic County is a county in New Jersey, United States, along the Jersey Shore in the southern part of the state. It had a population of 274,534 at the 2020 census and covers a total of 671.84 square miles (1,740.1 km2), of which 555.51 square miles (1,438.8 km2) is land, centred near 39°28′N 74°38′W.
Mays Landing, an unincorporated community in Hamilton Township, is the county seat, and its postal code is 08330. The county has 23 municipalities — 13 cities, 6 townships, 3 boroughs and one town — plus a number of unincorporated communities inside the townships. Atlantic County sits in the Eastern time zone and carries FIPS code 34001.
Towns & Villages in Atlantic County
Every square mile of Atlantic County belongs to one of its 23 incorporated municipalities — New Jersey has no unincorporated land at the county level — but several of those municipalities, especially the six townships, contain unincorporated villages and hamlets that carry their own name and, often, their own ZIP code. The table below lists the 23 municipalities first, then the best-known of those internal communities as “Unincorp.” Populations not independently verified this session are marked —.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City | City | 38,497 | 08401 |
| Egg Harbor Township | Town | 46,483 | 08234 |
| Galloway Township | Town | — | 08205 |
| Hamilton Township | Town · seat township | — | 08330 |
| Hammonton | Town | — | 08037 |
| Pleasantville | City | — | 08232 |
| Absecon | City | — | 08201 |
| Brigantine | City | — | 08203 |
| Buena | Village | — | 08310 |
| Buena Vista Township | Town | — | 08350 |
| Corbin City | City | — | 08270 |
| Egg Harbor City | City | — | 08215 |
| Estell Manor | City | — | 08319 |
| Folsom | Village | — | 08037 |
| Linwood | City | — | 08221 |
| Longport | Village | — | 08403 |
| Margate City | City | 5,076 | 08402 |
| Mullica Township | Town | — | 08217 |
| Northfield | City | — | 08225 |
| Port Republic | City | — | 08241 |
| Somers Point | City | — | 08244 |
| Ventnor City | City | — | 08406 |
| Weymouth Township | Town | — | 08317 |
| Mays Landing | Unincorp. · seat | — | 08330 |
| Absecon Highlands | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bargaintown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cardiff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cologne | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dorothy | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Elwood | Unincorp. | — | 08217 |
| English Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Landisville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Leeds Point | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McKee City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Milmay | Unincorp. | — | 08340 |
| Minotola | Unincorp. | — | 08341 |
| Richland | Unincorp. | — | 08350 |
| Scullville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Smithville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sweetwater | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Atlantic City | Unincorp. | — | — |
“Type” here bends the site’s usual labels to New Jersey’s municipal system: the county’s six townships and one town (Hammonton) are shown as “Town”, its three boroughs as “Village”, and the thirteen cities — New Jersey’s odd habit of granting “city” status to places as small as Corbin City — as “City”. A handful of names from the old list — duplicated entries such as a second “Absecon Highlands” and “Cologne” row, and unverifiable curiosities like “Gigantic City” and “Reega” — were dropped rather than guessed at; see the notes for the full list.
ZIP Codes
- 08401 — Atlantic City
- 08402 — Margate City
- 08403 — Longport
- 08406 — Ventnor City
- 08201 — Absecon
- 08203 — Brigantine
- 08215 — Egg Harbor City
- 08234 — Egg Harbor Township
- 08205 — Galloway Township (also serves Smithville)
- 08037 — Hammonton (also serves Folsom)
- 08330 — Mays Landing, the county seat (Hamilton Township)
- 08221 — Linwood
- 08225 — Northfield
- 08232 — Pleasantville
- 08241 — Port Republic
- 08244 — Somers Point
- 08217 — Mullica Township (also serves Elwood)
- 08317 — Weymouth Township
- 08319 — Estell Manor
- 08270 — Corbin City
- 08310 — Buena
- 08350 — Buena Vista Township (also serves Richland)
- 08341 — Minotola
- 08340 — Milmay
Smaller unincorporated places such as Bargaintown, Cardiff, Cologne, English Creek and West Atlantic City generally share the ZIP code of the township section they sit in rather than carrying one of their own.
Geography
Atlantic County stretches from the Pine Barrens in its interior to barrier-island beach towns on the Atlantic coast, with the Mullica River forming much of its northern boundary and the Great Egg Harbor River its southern one. Roughly a fifth of the county is water — back bays, tidal marsh and inlets behind Absecon Island, Brigantine and the Great Egg Harbor barrier islands. It borders Ocean County to the north, Burlington County to the northwest, Camden County to the west, Gloucester County along a short stretch to the southwest, Cumberland County to the south, and Cape May County to the southeast.
Demographics
Atlantic County had a population of 274,534 at the 2020 census. Egg Harbor Township, with roughly 46,483 residents, is the county’s most populous municipality, ahead of Atlantic City itself at about 38,497. Median household income in the county runs below the New Jersey median of $99,781, a gap driven by Atlantic City’s casino-industry wage structure and a large seasonal-worker population. Overall density is about 494 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Casino gaming and tourism dominate the county’s economy, centred on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and its surviving casino-hotels. Atlantic Cape Community College and the county’s hospital systems (AtlantiCare, headquartered in Atlantic City and Pomona) are major non-gaming employers, and Stockton University’s main campus sits in Galloway Township. Hammonton, known as the “Blueberry Capital of the World,” anchors a farming belt of blueberries and other fruit in the county’s interior, and the Atlantic City International Airport in Egg Harbor Township supports a smaller aviation and logistics sector.
History
Atlantic County was created on February 7, 1837, from part of Gloucester County, and takes its name from the Atlantic Ocean along its eastern shore. Atlantic City itself was founded in 1854 as a rail-served seaside resort, and a 1976 statewide referendum legalized casino gambling there, reshaping the county’s economy around the gaming industry that still defines it today.
Getting There
The Atlantic City Expressway and the Garden State Parkway are the county’s main highways, along with US Route 30 (the White Horse Pike) and US Route 40/322 (the Black Horse Pike).
- Philadelphia — about 60 miles west
- Trenton — about 65 miles northwest
- Cape May — about 45 miles south
- Toms River — about 40 miles north
Atlantic City International Airport, in Egg Harbor Township, is the county’s own commercial airport; Philadelphia International Airport is the nearest larger hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Atlantic County?
It is in the southern part of New Jersey, on the Jersey Shore between Ocean and Cape May counties.
What is the population of Atlantic County?
274,534 at the 2020 census.
How big is Atlantic County?
555.51 square miles (1,438.8 km2) of land.
What is the county seat of Atlantic County?
Mays Landing, an unincorporated community in Hamilton Township, is the county seat.
How many towns and cities are in Atlantic County?
23 municipalities — 13 cities, 6 townships, 3 boroughs and one town — plus numerous unincorporated communities within the townships.
What ZIP codes are in Atlantic County?
They range from Atlantic City’s 08401 to Weymouth Township’s 08317; the county seat, Mays Landing, uses 08330.
Is Atlantic City the county seat?
No. Atlantic City is the county’s largest and best-known city, but Mays Landing, in Hamilton Township, has been the county seat since the county’s creation in 1837.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in New Jersey.