Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community, as of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 135,158, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 42,315 (+45.6%) from the 2010 census count of 92,843, which in turn reflected an increase of 32,491 (+53.8%) from the 60,352 counted in the 2000 census. The township ranked as the most populous municipality in the Jersey Shore region and the fifth-most-populous municipality statewide in 2020 (after ranking seventh in 2010 and 22nd in 2000), placing the township only behind the state's four biggest cities (Newark; Jersey City; Paterson; Elizabeth), of which the former three are in the North region of the state. The sharp increase in population from 2000 to 2010 was led largely by increases in the township's Orthodox Jewish and Latino communities. Further growth in the Orthodox community led to a sharp increase in population in the 2020 census, with a large number of births leading to a significant drop in the township's median age. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the township's population was 141,985 in 2024, helping the fast-growing township surpass Elizabeth as the fourth-most-populous municipality in the state.
As a major hub of Orthodox Judaism, Lakewood is home to Beth Medrash Govoha, the largest yeshiva outside of Israel. The large Orthodox population, which comprises more than half the township's population, strongly influences the township's culture and wields considerable political clout in the township as a voting bloc.
