Belford is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 1,648 people and two associated neighborhoods, Belford is the 448th largest community in New Jersey.

Housing costs in Belford are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in New Jersey.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 12.38% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Because of many things, Belford is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Belford really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Belford perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.

One of the nice things about Belford is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

One downside of living in Belford, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 37.89 minutes every day commuting to work. However, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.

In Belford, a lot of people use a ferryboat to get to work every day though Belford is a relatively small town. Those that ride a ferryboat are primarily traveling out of town to good jobs in other cities.

The citizens of Belford are among the most well-educated in the nation: 41.09% of adults in Belford have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Belford in 2022 was $57,367, which is upper middle income relative to New Jersey, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $229,468 for a family of four.

Belford is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Belford home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Belford residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Belford also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 10.03% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Belford include Irish, German, Italian, Polish, and English.

The most common language spoken in Belford is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.