Cape May is a very small coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 2,757 people and four associated neighborhoods, Cape May is the 392nd largest community in New Jersey. Cape May home prices are not only among the most expensive in New Jersey, but Cape May real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.Cape May is a decidedly white-collar city, with fully 88.19% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Cape May is a city of sales and office workers, managers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Cape May who work in office and administrative support (18.94%), management occupations (12.35%), and business and financial occupations (11.27%). There are many members of the armed forces living in Cape May. You will notice when you visit or live here that some of the people you meet or see around town are employed by the armed services - even if they are not always in uniform. One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 8.38% 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. Another notable thing is that Cape May is a major vacation destination. Much of the city’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Cape May’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live. One of the nice things about Cape May 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. Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Cape May spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 18.48 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Cape May. 50.00% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%. The per capita income in Cape May in 2022 was $65,085, 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 $260,340 for a family of four. However, Cape May contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Cape May is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Cape May home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Cape May residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Cape May also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 12.98% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Cape May include Irish, Italian, German, English, and Polish. The most common language spoken in Cape May is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Arabic.
