Forked River () is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP)State of New Jersey Census Designated Places - BVP20 - Data as of January 1, 2020, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 1, 2022. located within Lacey Township, in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.GCT-PH1 - Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County – County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Ocean County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 10, 2013.2006-2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 10, 2013.New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32), United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed January 10, 2013.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed April 18, 2015. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 5,274, an increase of 30 (+0.6%) from the 5,244 enumerated at the 2010 census,DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Forked River CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 10, 2013. which in turn reflected an increase of 330 (+6.7%) from the 4.914 counted in the 2000 census.

Many Ocean County residents commonly refer to all of Lacey Township as Forked River. The first word is pronounced by locals with two syllables (). Pronouncing the first word with one syllable () is considered a sign of a new resident or outsider (an example of a shibboleth).Pritchard, Michael. "Say What? : From 'Morris' River to 'R-Kansas' Avenue, Area Residents have own way of speaking.", The Press of Atlantic City, April 24, 2003. Accessed January 10, 2013. "There's Forked River in Lacey Township, Ocean County; Maurice River Township in Cumberland County and Green Creek in Cape May County, to name just a few. Locals know that the river may be forked, but it's the 'FOR-ked' River."Suhay, Lisa. "JERSEYANA; Where They Don't Speak With Forked Tongue", The New York Times, December 8, 2002. Accessed January 10, 2012. "When one person comes into the area and pronounces the name of the town Forkt River, that person is called a Benny, or an out-of-towner. 'It's FORK-ed River,' Jennifer Sawicki, 25, who was born in the town, said with a laugh. 'Nobody in town says Forkt. That would be silly.'"

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of , including of land and of water (73.66%).US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.

Forked River is located on U.S. Route 9 south of Toms River. The community of Lanoka Harbor is directly north of Forked River, Bamber Lake is to the west, Barnegat is to the southwest, and Waretown is to the south.

Forked River is also the name of a nearby river that empties into Barnegat Bay.

Demographics

Forked River first appeared as an unincorporated community in the 1970 U.S. census It did not appear in the 1980 U.S. census. The community was listed as a census designated place in the 1990 United States census.

Racial and ethnic composition +Forked River CDP, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)4,6684,7814,54794.99%91.17%86.22%Black or African American alone (NH)3631340.73%0.59%0.64%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)10780.20%0.13%0.15%Asian alone (NH)1632390.33%0.61%0.74%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)0510.00%0.10%0.02%Other race alone (NH)00210.00%0.00%0.40%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)18401590.37%0.76%3.01%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1663484653.38%6.64%8.82%Total4,9145,2445,274 100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Forked River had a population of 5,274. The median age was 43.4 years. 19.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.4 males age 18 and over.

96.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,097 households in Forked River, of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.2% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,640 housing units, of which 20.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.2%.

2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 5,244 people, 2,077 households, and 1,429 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 2,610 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 95.58% (5,012) White, 0.74% (39) Black or African American, 0.23% (12) Native American, 0.61% (32) Asian, 0.10% (5) Pacific Islander, 1.66% (87) from other races, and 1.09% (57) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.64% (348) of the population.

Of the 2,077 households, 25.7% had children under the age of 18; 55.7% were married couples living together; 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.2% were non-families. Of all households, 24.2% were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00.

20.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 102.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 100.0 males.

2000 census As of the 2000 United States census there were 4,914 people, 1,927 households, and 1,383 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 2,468 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.37% White, 0.73% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.83% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.38% of the population.DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Forked River CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 10, 2013.

There were 1,927 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $55,433, and the median income for a family was $59,830. Males had a median income of $46,179 versus $30,987 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,696. About 6.3% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over. Education Lacey Township School District is the local school district.

St. Mary Academy near Manahawkin CDP, a K-8 school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton, is in the area. From 1997, until 2019 it operated as All Saints Regional Catholic School and was collectively managed by five churches, with one being St. Pius X Church, in Lacey Township and adjacent to the Forked River CDP. - It has a Forked River postal address but is outside the CDP. - Relevant page: 1 In 2019 St. Mary Church in Barnegat took entire control of the school, which remained on the same Manahawkin campus, and changed its name. The other churches no longer operate the school but still may send students there.

In the news On October 11, 1989, three aides of New York business mogul Donald Trump were killed in a helicopter crash near the Garden State Parkway in Forked River. Five people, including three high-level executives of Trump's three casinos in Atlantic City, were killed when their helicopter crashed in pine woodlands.Hanley, Robert. "Copter Crash Kills 3 Aides Of Trump", The New York Times, October 11, 1989. Accessed January 10, 2013. "Five people, including three high-level executives of Donald J. Trump's three casinos in Atlantic City, were killed yesterday when their helicopter crashed in pine woodlands on the Garden State Parkway near Forked River, N.J."

On June 6, 1997, Melissa Drexler, known as The Prom Mom, delivered a baby in a restroom stall at her Lacey Township High School prom and threw the body in the trash before returning to the dance. She pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and was sentenced to fifteen years' imprisonment. After serving nearly 37 months, she was released on parole.Hanley, Robert. "New Jersey Charges Woman, 18, With Killing Baby Born at Prom", The New York Times, June 25, 1997. Accessed January 10, 2013. "The woman, Melissa Drexler, 18, of Forked River, was charged after an autopsy determined she had choked the baby and smothered him either with her hands or with the plastic bag, said John Kaye, the Monmouth County Prosecutor."

Transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service to Atlantic City on the 559 bus route.Ocean County Bus / Rail Connections, NJ Transit, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 26, 2010. Accessed January 13, 2013. Academy Bus provided bus service to Jersey City and New York City on the Parkway Express.Academy Bus - Timetables Local bus service is provided by Ocean Ride. Forked River is served by U.S. Route 9 and exit 74 of the Garden State Parkway.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Forked River include: Christopher J. Connors (born 1956), represents the 9th legislative district in the New Jersey General AssemblyAssembly Member Christopher J. Connors, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 9, 2007. Melissa Drexler (born 1978), Prom Mom Chris Fleming (born 1970), basketball player and coachTimmons, Nate. "One Denver Nuggets coach is bringing new perspective to team", BSNDenver.com, October 21, 2015. Accessed September 15, 2017. "Fleming grew up on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, population of 8,556, but when he was 10-years-old his family moved to Forked River, New Jersey and he eventually attended Lacey Township High School. Lacey Township sits roughly 84 miles south of the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets." "Irish" Teddy Mann (1951–2024), former middleweight boxing contender and author of Fighting For Redemption: The "Irish" Teddy Mann Storyvia Associated Press. "Mann Captures Split Decision", The New York Times, August 3, 1983. Accessed January 10, 2013. "Mann, of Forked River, N.J., had lost four straight fights since beating Robbie Epps here in March 1982." Brady Noon (born 2005), actor known for his roles in Boardwalk Empire, Good Boys and The Mighty Ducks: Game ChangersKuperinsky, Amy. "Mighty Ducks star Sway Bhatia scores with teen super-talent and Succession", The Star-Ledger, The Star-Ledger, September 30, 2022. Accessed February 9, 2026, via Newspapers.com. "She forms an engaging on-screen duo with fellow Jersey actor Brady Noon (Good Boys, Boardwalk Empire, Marry Me), 16, the Forked River/Lacey Township native who plays Evan."