Year-Round Living: A Small, Affluent Town That Empties Out and Fills Back Up
Stone Harbor carried just 796 year-round residents at the 2020 census -- down 8.1% from 866 counted a decade earlier in 2010. That is a genuinely small permanent population, packed into a total area of only 2.19 square miles (1.42 square miles of land and 0.78 square miles of water) on Seven Mile Island, shared with neighboring Avalon to the north. Two facts define what year-round life here actually means: this is one of the more affluent communities on the entire Jersey Shore, independently described by the New York Times as a place of "gleaming McMansions and elegant shops" and ranked the third-most-expensive ZIP code in New Jersey by median home sale price in 2017; and the town's own summer population exceeds 20,000, a crowd Wikipedia describes as typically wealthier than the 796 people who actually live here year-round. This page does not state a current (2026) population figure, current home prices, current property tax rates, or specific school, hospital, or grocery names -- none of that was independently confirmed for this page, and none of it is invented here.
A Genuinely Small Year-Round Population
The 2020 census recorded 796 people living in Stone Harbor year-round -- a decline of 8.1% from the 866 residents counted in 2010. That is a small number by almost any measure, and anyone weighing a full-time move here deserves to see it stated plainly rather than folded into vague language about a "close-knit community." The borough occupies a total of just 2.19 square miles (1.42 square miles of land and 0.78 square miles of water), sitting on Seven Mile Island in Cape May County, sharing that island with Avalon to the north.
We do not have a confirmed current (2026) population figure beyond the 2020 census count, and we are not going to estimate one. What that 796 figure means in practice is that year-round life in Stone Harbor happens at a genuinely small scale -- a permanent community small enough that most residents likely recognize one another, set inside a town built for a much larger, seasonal audience. Anyone evaluating a move here should treat 796 as the most recent hard number available and confirm anything more current directly with the Borough of Stone Harbor or Cape May County government.
An Independently Confirmed Affluent Character
This is not a marketing claim -- it is independently documented. The New York Times has described Stone Harbor as a place of "gleaming McMansions and elegant shops." In 2017, Stone Harbor ranked as the third-most-expensive ZIP code in all of New Jersey by median home sale price, and in 2014, Forbes ranked it 191st among America's most expensive ZIP codes nationally. Those are dated figures -- 2017 and 2014 -- and should not be read as current pricing, but they establish a real, independently confirmed identity: this is an upscale resort community, not merely a quiet beach town.
That affluent identity carries real implications for year-round residents. A high-end housing stock built substantially for wealthy seasonal buyers can mean a smaller share of homes occupied full-time, a local economy geared heavily toward the summer trade, and a cost of living shaped by demand from people who do not live there most of the year. We do not have a confirmed current median home price, current property tax rate, or current rental figures, and none are invented here.
A Town of 796 That Becomes a Town of 20,000+
The single fact that shapes everyday life in Stone Harbor more than any other: a year-round population of 796 shares this 2.19-square-mile borough with a summer population that exceeds 20,000 -- a crowd that Wikipedia describes as typically wealthier than the town's own permanent residents. That is roughly a twenty-five-fold seasonal swing, concentrated on a barrier island footprint that does not grow with the crowd.
For someone considering a year-round move, that swing is worth sitting with rather than glossing over. The winter months here mean a genuinely small, quiet town. The summer months mean traffic, crowds, and demand for parking, services, and restaurant seating that a town of 796 was never sized for on its own -- because it was not built for 796; it was built for the 20,000-plus who arrive seasonally. We do not have confirmed current figures on summer traffic volume, parking capacity, or seasonal business hours, and none are stated here.
The Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary: A Quiet, Genuine Amenity
Stone Harbor is also home to a real, well-documented natural landmark: the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary, a 21.5-acre protected area established by local ordinance in 1947 and designated New Jersey's first National Natural Landmark in October 1965. Herons began nesting there naturally around 1938, and by 1964 more than 5,000 birds arrived annually during nesting season, which historically ran from March through July, with birds staying until December.
Beginning around 1995, nesting shorebirds mysteriously disappeared from the sanctuary, nearly vanishing by 2000 -- a real ecological event whose exact cause was not confirmed in our research and should not be assumed to be predation, pollution, disease, or any other specific cause. A 2005 rejuvenation project increased tidal water flow, removed invasive species, and removed feral cats, working to restore the habitat. For a year-round resident, the sanctuary is a genuine, close-to-home amenity that exists independent of the summer season -- but we do not have confirmed current visitor hours, admission details, or current nesting-population counts, and none are invented here.
Shared Island, Unconfirmed Local Institutions
Stone Harbor sits on Seven Mile Island alongside Avalon, both towns founded from the same corporate entity -- the Seven Mile Beach Company, which purchased the island in 1887 and developed Avalon on its northern half and Stone Harbor on its southern half. That shared origin means the two towns have long depended on some overlapping regional infrastructure, but we do not have confirmed specific names of current schools, hospitals, medical practices, or grocery stores serving Stone Harbor year-round residents, and we are not inventing any of those here.
Anyone considering a year-round move should independently confirm which school district, health care providers, and everyday services actually serve the borough today, directly with the Borough of Stone Harbor, the relevant school district, and Cape May County.
A Barrier Island Footprint: Water Close on Every Side
Stone Harbor's total area of 2.19 square miles includes 1.42 square miles of land and a substantial 0.78 square miles of water, sitting at just 7 feet of elevation above sea level on a barrier island facing the Atlantic Ocean. That is a small land footprint with water close on multiple sides, worth weighing seriously for anyone planning to live here year-round rather than visit for a week or a season.
We do not have confirmed current flood zone designations for individual Stone Harbor parcels, and none are stated here. Anyone evaluating a year-round move should confirm current flood-zone status directly with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, and should not assume any specific parcel's risk based on general barrier-island geography alone.
A New Jersey Market: Taxes Work Differently Than Delaware
Stone Harbor is this site's fifth New Jersey market, following Cape May, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, and North Wildwood, and that matters for anyone comparing it to Delaware coastal towns. New Jersey has a state sales tax and its own municipal and county property tax structure, both genuinely different from Delaware's no-sales-tax system. Given Stone Harbor's independently confirmed affluent character and high-end housing stock, property tax exposure is worth taking seriously here in particular -- but this page does not state a specific current New Jersey sales tax rate, current Cape May County or Borough of Stone Harbor property tax rate, or specific assessment figures, since none of those were independently confirmed for this page.
Anyone evaluating a year-round move to Stone Harbor should confirm current tax rates and rules directly with Cape May County government, the Borough of Stone Harbor's own finance office, and the State of New Jersey.
What This Means for Anyone Considering a Year-Round Move
Put together: a 2020 census population of 796 (down 8.1% from 866 in 2010), a total footprint of just 2.19 square miles on Seven Mile Island, an independently confirmed affluent identity -- the New York Times's "gleaming McMansions," a top-three New Jersey ZIP code by median home price in 2017 -- and a summer population exceeding 20,000 that is typically wealthier than the town's own year-round residents. These are all real, dated, confirmed facts pointing toward a place whose year-round character is genuinely defined by scale: a very small, quiet, affluent permanent community living inside the shell of a much larger seasonal resort town, with a real conservation amenity in the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary close at hand.
This page does not state current (2026) population figures, current median home prices, active listing counts, specific current rental rates, current Cape May County or Borough of Stone Harbor property tax rates, current New Jersey sales tax rates, or the specific names of current schools, hospitals, or grocery stores -- none of that was independently confirmed for this page, and none of it is invented here. Anyone evaluating a year-round move to Stone Harbor should confirm current civic, tax, and school details directly with the Borough of Stone Harbor, Cape May County government, and the relevant school district; check current flood-zone status directly with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center; and consult a licensed local real estate, tax, or legal professional before making a decision. Nothing on this page is legal, tax, or financial advice.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Data sourced from the competitive research file for Stone Harbor, New Jersey: the 2020 census population of 796, down 8.1% from 866 in the 2010 census, across a total area of 2.19 square miles (1.42 square miles land, 0.78 square miles water) on Seven Mile Island in Cape May County, at 7 feet elevation, shared with neighboring Avalon to the north; the New York Times's description of Stone Harbor as a place of "gleaming McMansions and elegant shops," its 2017 ranking as the third-most-expensive ZIP code in New Jersey by median home sale price, and its 2014 Forbes ranking of 191st among America's most expensive ZIP codes nationally; a summer population exceeding 20,000, typically wealthier than the borough's own year-round residents; the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary's status as a 21.5-acre protected area established by local ordinance in 1947 and designated New Jersey's first National Natural Landmark in October 1965, with more than 5,000 birds arriving annually by 1964, a mysterious shorebird disappearance beginning around 1995 and nearly vanishing by 2000, and a 2005 rejuvenation project; and Stone Harbor's shared founding with Avalon via the Seven Mile Beach Company's 1887 purchase of Seven Mile Island. Current (2026) population, home price, rental rate, and tax-rate figures beyond what's confirmed above were not independently verified this research pass and are not invented here, nor are specific current school, hospital, or grocery names, nor the exact cause of the bird sanctuary's 1995-2000 shorebird disappearance -- confirm directly with the Borough of Stone Harbor, Cape May County government, the relevant school district, the State of New Jersey, and FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. Nothing on this page is legal, tax, or financial advice.