AtlantiCare Community Needs Assessment 2019

The median value of owner-occupied housing units in 2017 for Atlantic County is $219,000. This number is reduced from 2015, when the median value was $230,200. This number is also significantly lower than the New Jersey state median value of owner-occupied housing units for 2017 of $321,100. Median selected monthly household costs, including a mortgage, are $1,950. Without a mortgage, monthly housing costs equate to $863. Median gross rent is estimated to be $1,070. 45.4% of Atlantic County households are spending 30% or more of their monthly income on homeownership costs. In the City of Atlantic City, this rate jumps to a staggering 66.7%. These rates are much higher than both the New Jersey and national averages of, 34.4% and 27.5%, respectively. Higher rates can be found among renters, with 60.8% paying over 30% or more of their monthly income on rent and other housing costs. This too is significantly higher than the state at 51.7% and the national at 49.5%.

HOMEOWNERSHIP IS IMPORTANT TO A COMMUNITY’S HEALTH AS IT PLAYS AVITAL ROLE IN ASSISTING FAMILIES ESTABLISH FINANCIAL SECURITYAND A SENSE OF PLACE.

INCOME & EMPLOYMENT The median household income in 2017 was $57,514. This is well below the New Jersey state median household income in 2017 of $76,475, but is on par with the national average of $57,652. The percentage of county residents living at or below the poverty level in 2017 was estimated to be around 14.4%. This number has decreased from 2015 where the number was 15.1%. This number is larger than the 10% New Jersey state average of persons in poverty; however when looking at Atlantic City specifically, this number jumps to 36.3%. Atlantic City has the highest poverty rate in the county. The percentage of children living in poverty has declined since 2015, where it was 27%. In 2017 it was 21%. This number is still much higher than the 14% New Jersey average. 41% of children living in Atlantic County live in single parent households. This is significantly higher than the state rate at 29% of children living in a single parent household. In 2018, there was an unemployment rate of 8.5% in Atlantic County. This is lower than the 2014 rate of 11%. The county offers approximately 106,000 jobs. These are mainly comprised from healthcare, social services, tourism and hospitality industries. Additional employers include utilities, retail, and trades. The average commute time to work for Atlantic Country residents is 24.2 minutes. 27% of the population reports driving greater than 30 minutes to work. 77% report driving alone to work.

Community Health Needs Assessment – Atlantic County 2019 7