Lakewood is once again leading the way in population growth, hitting its 5th consecutive year.

According to the New Jersey Department of Health, 5,355 babies were born in Lakewood in 2025, making it the town with the highest number of births in the entire state. This marks the fifth consecutive year that Lakewood has surpassed 5,000 births, indicating a sustained trend. To put that in perspective, out of the 99,721 total births across New Jersey, more than 5.3% occurred in Lakewood alone! A single town accounts for a significant share of the entire state’s population growth.

And there is more to those numbers. Lakewood is also the second to youngest towns in the United States, with a median age of just 18.1 as of 2025. The only town with a younger average age is Kiryas Yoel, another heavily Orthodox Jewish town. That figure stands in sharp contrast to the rest of New Jersey, where the median age is 40.1. Even New Brunswick, home to Rutgers University and considered the state’s second-youngest city, has a median age of 25, far older than Lakewood.

At 36.1 births per 1,000 residents, Lakewood’s rate is more than three times higher than both the New Jersey average (10.9) and the national average (10.7). For residents, the numbers reflect everyday reality: bustling neighborhoods, expanding schools, and a constant need for housing and infrastructure to keep pace with the growth.