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.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010 , New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023. The township ranked as the fifth-most-populous municipality in the state in 2020,Table 1. New Jersey Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships: 2020 and 2010 Censuses , New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed March 19, 2022. 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).The Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships in 2010 in New Jersey: 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed May 12, 2017. The sharp increase in population from 2000 to 2010 was led largely by increases in the township's Orthodox Jewish and Latino communities.Rundquist, Jeanette. "Lakewood, N.J.'s fastest-growing town, is defined by its diversity" , The Star-Ledger, February 6, 2011. Accessed September 5, 2011. "The 54 percent population increase, according to residents and community leaders in Lakewood, was fueled by growth in the Jewish community, the Latino community, and a third group, senior citizens. The town's African-American population, meanwhile, dropped slightly." 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.Cervenka, Susanne. "Ocean no longer among state's oldest counties; Affordable housing, access to Parkway behind population shift" , Home News Tribune, August 5, 2022. Accessed June 27, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Lakewood leads Ocean County's youth movement. The township, which is New Jersey's fastest growing community, saw its median age drop from 24.6 years in 2010 to 18.5 years last year, the most recent year for which data is available. Much of its growth, and the decline in median age is a result of the burgeoning Orthodox Jewish community.... Families are also typically large in the Orthodox community, and state data shows Lakewood has been experiencing a baby boom for much of the last 20 years." 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."Lakewood Sees 5% Growth Since 2020, New Census Estimates Show; Now Fourth-Largest Town In New Jersey", The Lakewood Scoop, May 15, 2025. Accessed July 3, 2025. "Lakewood Township continues to be among the fastest growing township in the state of New Jersey, and is closely followed by several of its neighboring municipalities, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. According to data from the Census' Current Population Survey released this morning, Lakewood's population grew by approximately 6,862 residents, swelling from 135,123 in July 2020 to 141,985 by July, 2024. According to the estimates, Lakewood is now also the fourth-largest municipality in the state, overtaking the City of Elizabeth, which now has an estimated 140,413 residents. Newark, Jersey City and Paterson remain the top three in the state by population."

As a major hub of Orthodox Judaism, Lakewood is home to Beth Medrash Govoha, the largest yeshiva outside of Israel.Di Ionno, Mark. "How Lakewood became a worldwide destination for Orthodox Jews" , The Star-Ledger, May 7, 2017. Accessed May 12, 2017. "It is Friday in Lakewood. A few thousand young men in black suits and wide-brimmed black hats are rushing toward Beth Medrash Govoha (BMG), the world's largest yeshiva outside of Israel... The yeshiva has about 6,500 students, equal in enrollment to the College of New Jersey." The large Orthodox population, which comprises more than half the township's population, strongly influences the township's cultureGoldberg, Rabbi Meir. "NJ Orthodox: Lots of variation in Lakewood's Jewish community" , Asbury Park Press, June 27, 2019. Accessed February 6, 2022. "Lakewood's Orthodox Jews have created an economic engine that employs tens of thousands of Jews and non-Jews alike, including construction, tech, health care, real estate, law, medicine, finance, service and home repair industries and more." and wields considerable political clout in the township as a voting bloc.Peterson, Iver. "Tragedy Forces Town To Face Its Divisions; Breaching Barriers of Creed and Culture" , The New York Times, August 19, 1995. Accessed June 20, 2016. "The community is not withdrawn in politics, however. The Orthodox vote as a nearly solid bloc, making them the dominant political power in Lakewood, and a power that can only grow: Leaders of the yeshiva community, which had about 400 members in 1968, expect their numbers to top 27,000 by the turn of the century."Weiss, Steven I. "U.S. gets another Orthodox mayor" , Jewish Telegraphic Agency, July 12, 2006. Accessed February 6, 2022. "That's certainly the case in Lakewood, where Meir Lichtenstein was inaugurated as mayor in January. Orthodox Jews make up nearly half of the village's 70,000 residents, and they often vote as a bloc, with a council of leaders determining whom they should support."Stilton, Phil. Jack Ciattarelli visits Lakewood, making a pitch for the Lakewood bloc vote , Shore News Network, May 31, 2021. Accessed February 6, 2022. "New Jersey candidate for Governor Ciattarelli this week visited Lakewood to lobby for that town's large and highly coveted 'bloc vote'. In politics, the Lakewood Orthodox Jewish community often votes as a bloc, but not always, guided by a council of rabbis and business owners in the growing city called 'the VAAD'. The Lakewood vote can often make or break a candidate's campaign and Ciattarelli knows that."

History The earliest documented European settlement of the present Lakewood area was by operators of sawmills, from about 1750 forward. One such sawmill—located at the east end of the present Lake Carasaljo—was known as Three Partners Mill from at least 1789 until at least 1814. From 1815 until 1818, in the same area, Jesse Richards had an iron-smelting operation known as Washington Furnace, using the local bog iron ore. The ironworks were revived in 1833 by Joseph W. Brick, who named the business Bergen Iron Works, which also became the name of the accompanying township. In 1865, the community was renamed Bricksburg, and in 1880, it was renamed Lakewood and became a fashionable winter resort.

Lakewood's developers thought that "Bricksburg" did not capture their vision for the community, and the names "Brightwood" and "Lakewood" were proposed. After reaching out to area residents, "Lakewood" was chosen, and the United States Postal Service approved the name in March 1880.History, Lakewood Township. Accessed July 3, 2025. "Because the name of the town did not suit the visions its promoters had for it, Samuel D. Davis suggested the name 'Brightwood'. Erastus Dickinson suggested 'Lakewood' and the Times and Journal conducted a house-to-house canvass of the citizens, who voted for 'Lakewood' by a large majority. On March 20, 1880, the Post Office officially recognized the name of the village as 'Lakewood.'" The name "Lakewood" was intended to focus on the location near lakes and pine forests.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names , New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 2, 2015.

Lakewood was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 23, 1892, from portions of Brick Township. Portions of Howell Township in Monmouth County were annexed to Lakewood Township in 1929.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968 , Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 203. Accessed March 19, 2012.

Lakewood's three most prominent hotels were the Laurel House (opened in 1880; closed in 1932), the Lakewood Hotel (opened January 1891, closed in 1925), and the Laurel-in-the-Pines (opened December 1891, burned down in 1967).Axel-Lute pp. 6–8, 11–12, 14, 26, 39, 42–43, 83–84, 95. Lakewood's promoters claimed that its winter temperature was usually about ten degrees warmer than that of New York City and were warmer than points located further south,Staff. "Lakewood A Winter Home.; Pure Air For Weak Lungs Among The New-Jersey Pines." , The New York Times, December 23, 1882. Accessed August 30, 2015. "We have here the purest of air, filtered through miles of pine forest; the purest of water, and the best possible soil for the purpose, with perfect drainage, and a climate always at least 10° warmer than that of New York and from 20° to 30° warmer than New-England.""Holidays At Lakewood; Balmy Christmas Weather a Boon to Outdoor Sports. Social Events Were Also Abundant Hotels Liberally Decorated and Extra Efforts to Entertain Guests -- Recent Arrivals from New-York." , The New York Times, December 29, 1895. Accessed August 30, 2015. "These observations have proved that Lakewood possesses an average temperature warmer than that of many a place much further south, a point on which many persons previously had doubts." but this claim is not substantiated by official records of the United States Weather Bureau. During the 1890s, Lakewood was a resort for the rich and famous, and The New York Times devoted a weekly column to the activities of Lakewood society.Axel-Lute pp. 52–53. Grover Cleveland spent the winters of 1891–1892 and 1892–1893 in a cottage near the Lakewood Hotel, commuting to his business in New York City.Axel-Lute p. 44. This cottage became part of the Tuberculosis Preventorium for Children in 1909. Mark Twain also enjoyed vacationing in Lakewood. George Jay Gould I acquired an estate at Lakewood in 1896, which is now Georgian Court University.Axel-Lute p. 49. John D. Rockefeller bought a property in 1902 which later became Ocean County Park.Axel-Lute p. 65. Lakewood's hotel business remained strong in the 1920s and 1950s, but went into severe decline in the 1960s.Axel-Lute, pp. 84, 95.

In 1943, Aharon Kotler founded Beth Medrash Govoha.Barchenger, Stacey (April 25, 2018) "BMG: How This Orthodox Jewish School and Its Leader Turned Lakewood Into NJ's Boom Town" , app.com. Retrieved April 20, 2022. In time, it would grow to become the largest yeshiva outside of Israel. In the 1960s, much of the woods and cranberry bogs in the township were replaced by large housing developments. Leisure Village, a condominium retirement development on the south side of Route 70, opened for sale in 1963.Axel-Lute pp. 96–97.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 25.08 square miles (64.95 km2), including 24.68 square miles (63.92 km2) of land and 0.40 square miles (1.03 km2) of water (1.59%). Lying on the coastal plain, Lakewood is a fairly flat place: three-quarters of it is above sea level, and its highest point is about .Axel-Lute p. 1.

The North Branch of the Metedeconk River forms the northern boundary and part of the eastern boundary of the township, while the South Branch runs through the township. A southern portion of the township is drained by the north branch of Kettle Creek. As implied in its name, Lakewood township has four lakes, all of them man-made; three of them—Lake Carasaljo, Manetta, and Shenandoah—are on the South Branch of the Metedeconk River, whereas the fourth—Lake Waddill—is on Kettle Creek.