Year-Round Living: A Genuinely Substantial Permanent Community, Still Shrinking
Ventnor City counted 9,210 year-round residents at the 2020 census -- down 1,440 people, or 13.5%, from 10,650 in 2010, which was itself down 2,260 people, or 17.5%, from 12,910 in 2000. That two-decade trend is a real, sustained decline, but the resulting population is still the largest permanent community among this site's recent New Jersey markets: well above Margate City's 5,317 and far above Longport's 893. Of 7,897 total housing units, 45.6% were vacant at the time of the census -- overwhelmingly seasonal or vacation homes -- leaving 4,296 households anchoring the city year-round. The confirmed 2020 snapshot adds further texture: a median age of 51.7 (younger-skewing than several neighboring shore towns), 14.3% of residents under 18 against 26.8% age 65 and older, 95.0 males per 100 females, and a population that is 99.6% urban. This page does not state a current (2026) population figure, current home prices, current property tax rates, or specific current school, hospital, or grocery names beyond what is noted below -- none of that was independently confirmed for this page, and none of it is invented here.
A Population That Has Declined, But Remains Genuinely Substantial
The 2020 census recorded 9,210 people living in Ventnor City year-round -- down 13.5% from 10,650 in 2010, which was itself down 17.5% from 12,910 counted in 2000. Stack those two decades together and the permanent population has fallen by close to a third since 2000, a real and sustained contraction that should not be glossed over. At the same time, 9,210 is a meaningfully larger year-round community than several of this site's other recent New Jersey shore markets -- more than four times Margate City's 5,317 and more than ten times Longport's 893 -- which means Ventnor City's day-to-day, off-season civic life happens at a genuinely different scale than those smaller neighboring towns.
We do not have a confirmed current (2026) population figure beyond the 2020 census count of 9,210, and we are not going to estimate one. Anyone evaluating a year-round move here should treat 9,210 as the most recent hard number available and confirm anything more current directly with Ventnor City government or Atlantic County.
Housing: 45.6% Vacant, But Less Seasonally Skewed Than Some Neighbors
Of Ventnor City's 7,897 housing units at the 2020 census, 45.6% were vacant -- predominantly seasonal and vacation homes rather than units sitting empty for sale -- leaving 4,296 households occupying the city year-round. That is still a substantial seasonal skew, and anyone weighing a full-time move should expect a city whose infrastructure and tax base are shaped in real part by absent seasonal owners. It is nonetheless a notably lower vacancy rate than some neighboring Absecon Island markets, where roughly six in ten or more housing units sit vacant, which points toward a comparatively more balanced year-round-to-seasonal housing mix in Ventnor City.
For a year-round resident, 4,296 occupied households is a meaningful, functioning base -- not a token handful of full-time neighbors scattered across an otherwise empty town. We do not have a confirmed current (2026) vacancy figure, current listing counts, or current seasonal-home valuations, and none is invented here.
A Median Age of 51.7 -- Younger-Skewing Than Some Nearby Shore Towns
The confirmed 2020 census snapshot shows a median age of 51.7 in Ventnor City, with 14.3% of residents under 18 against 26.8% age 65 and older -- meaning older adults still outnumber children by roughly two to one, but by a narrower margin than in some smaller neighboring shore communities. The census also recorded 95.0 males per 100 females and a population that is 99.6% urban. Together, those figures point toward a permanent community that, while still weighted toward older residents, carries a somewhat larger working-age and family presence than the most seasonally extreme towns nearby.
That younger-skewing profile matters for anyone weighing a full-time move with school-age children in particular: a 14.3% under-18 share is a real, if modest, base of local families. We do not have a confirmed current (2026) median age or current age-distribution figures, and demographic patterns can shift, so these numbers should be read as the most recent independently confirmed data point rather than a current fact.
Schools: A Local PreK-8 District, Then Atlantic City High School
Ventnor City operates its own PreK-8 school district across two schools: Ventnor Elementary School (302 students, PreK-5) and Ventnor Middle School (177 students, grades 6-8), for a confirmed 2023-24 total enrollment of 495 students and a student-teacher ratio of 7.0:1. High-school-age students attend Atlantic City High School under a sending/receiving arrangement that has been in place since 1920 -- a long-standing, well-established regional structure rather than a recent or improvised one. For a city with 14.3% of residents under 18, that means a genuinely functioning local elementary and middle school system, paired with a century-old high school pipeline to Atlantic City.
We do not have confirmed current school ratings or current tuition terms under the Atlantic City High School sending/receiving arrangement for this page, and none is invented here. Anyone with school-age children should confirm current district structure, enrollment, and arrangements directly with the Ventnor City School District and the Atlantic City school system.
Civic Life Under a Walsh Act Commission Government
Ventnor City has operated under the Walsh Act commission form of municipal government since it was adopted on September 17, 1968. Three commissioners are elected at-large to four-year concurrent terms in nonpartisan elections, and the commissioners then select one of their own to serve as Mayor. As of 2025, Mayor Tim Kriebel served as Commissioner of Public Safety alongside Commissioner of Public Works and Code Enforcement Lance B. Landgraf Jr. and Commissioner of Revenue and Finance Maria Mento. For a city of Ventnor's size, that means civic life runs through a compact, at-large elected commission rather than a larger council-and-mayor structure or a professional city-manager system.
We do not have confirmation that the 2025 commissioner roster (Kriebel, Landgraf, Mento) remains current as of today, and elected terms and assignments can change; anyone evaluating civic engagement in Ventnor City should confirm the current commission roster directly with Ventnor City government.
Living With Sea-Level Risk: The Lower Ventnor Heights Resiliency Project
Year-round life in parts of Ventnor City means living with a real, current, named flood-resiliency effort rather than an abstract or generic erosion concern. Lower Ventnor Heights is a suburban section of the city built on a former marsh island, concentrated near the Dorset Avenue bridge -- a double-leaf bascule drawbridge crossing the Intracoastal Waterway. The city's own published materials (referencing an April 6, 2023 presentation) describe this specific neighborhood as facing a constant threat from sea-level rise, coastal flooding, nor'easters, and tropical-borne storm activity, and characterize it by repetitive-loss properties, low elevation, older housing stock, and year-round -- not just seasonal -- residency. The city states its resiliency effort continues to improve annually with new technologies and assistance from outside public agencies.
We do not have a confirmed specific funding amount, project timeline, or named officials driving the Lower Ventnor Heights Resiliency Project, and none is invented here; it should be understood as an ongoing municipal initiative rather than a dated, fully funded, scheduled project. Anyone considering a year-round home in this part of Ventnor City should confirm current flood-zone status directly with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center and current project status directly with Ventnor City government.
A New Jersey Market: Taxes Work Differently Than Delaware
Ventnor City is this site's twelfth New Jersey market, following Cape May, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, North Wildwood, Stone Harbor, Avalon, Sea Isle City, Ocean City, Strathmere, Longport, and Margate City, 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. With 4,296 households carrying the year-round tax base for a city that also serves a substantial seasonal population, property taxes are a real and relevant consideration for full-time residents here.
We do not have a confirmed current New Jersey state sales tax rate, current Ventnor City property tax rate, or current assessment figures for this page, and none is invented here. Anyone evaluating a year-round move to Ventnor City should confirm current tax rates and rules directly with Atlantic County government, Ventnor City'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 9,210 (down 13.5% from 10,650 in 2010, itself down 17.5% from 12,910 in 2000), a median age of 51.7 with 26.8% of residents age 65 or older against 14.3% under 18, and a housing stock where 45.6% of 7,897 total units sit vacant as seasonal or vacation homes -- these are all real, confirmed facts pointing toward a place whose year-round character is genuinely substantial by this site's recent New Jersey standards, even as it continues a multi-decade decline. Civic life runs through a Walsh Act commission government, families can rely on a functioning local PreK-8 district feeding into Atlantic City High School since 1920, and residents of low-lying Lower Ventnor Heights live alongside a real, named municipal effort to manage sea-level and storm risk.
This page does not state current (2026) population figures, current median home prices, active listing counts, specific current rental rates, current Ventnor City or Atlantic County property tax rates, current New Jersey sales tax rates, or current school enrollment figures beyond the confirmed 2023-24 total noted above -- none of that was independently confirmed for this page, and none of it is invented here. Anyone evaluating a year-round move to Ventnor City should confirm current civic, tax, and school details directly with Ventnor City government, Atlantic County government, and the Ventnor City 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 Ventnor City, New Jersey: the 2020 census population of 9,210, down 13.5% (1,440 people) from 10,650 in the 2010 census, itself down 17.5% (2,260 people) from 12,910 in the 2000 census; a median age of 51.7; 14.3% of residents under 18 and 26.8% age 65 or older; 95.0 males per 100 females; a population that is 99.6% urban; 7,897 total housing units with a 45.6% vacancy rate (predominantly seasonal/vacation homes); 4,296 households; a total area of 3.52 square miles (1.96 square miles land, 1.57 square miles water, 44.52% water) on Absecon Island, bordering Atlantic City and Margate City; the city's incorporation on March 17, 1903 from portions of Egg Harbor Township, with its first official meeting held April 20, 1903 at the Carisbrooke Inn; the Walsh Act commission form of municipal government adopted September 17, 1968, with three at-large commissioners serving four-year concurrent terms who select one of their own as Mayor, and, as of 2025, Mayor Tim Kriebel (Commissioner of Public Safety), Commissioner Lance B. Landgraf Jr. (Public Works and Code Enforcement), and Commissioner Maria Mento (Revenue and Finance); the Ventnor City School District serving PreK-8 across Ventnor Elementary School (302 students, PreK-5) and Ventnor Middle School (177 students, grades 6-8), a 2023-24 total enrollment of 495 students, a 7.0:1 student-teacher ratio, and a sending/receiving arrangement with Atlantic City High School in place since 1920; and the Lower Ventnor Heights Resiliency Project, a municipal flood-resiliency initiative (referencing an April 6, 2023 presentation) targeting a suburban section of the city built on a former marsh island near the Dorset Avenue bridge, described by the city as facing sea-level rise, coastal flooding, nor'easter, and tropical-storm risk, with repetitive-loss properties, low elevation, older housing stock, and year-round residency. Current (2026) population, home price, rental rate, tax-rate figures, specific project funding or timeline details, and confirmation that the 2025 commissioner roster remains current were not independently verified this research pass and are not invented here, nor are specific current school ratings, hospital, or business names -- confirm directly with Ventnor City government, Atlantic County government, the Ventnor City School District, the State of New Jersey, and FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. Nothing on this page is legal, tax, or financial advice.