NJShore Guide

County Water Quality Comparison

Compare water quality across all Jersey Shore counties. See which areas have the cleanest beaches based on 5 years of monitoring data.

Overall Summary

4
Counties
268
Stations
97%
Excellent/Good
8
Avg CFU

Side-by-Side Comparison

CountyStationsExcellent/GoodAvg CFU2025 AdvisoriesRating Distribution
Atlantic CountyBest50100%63
Cape May County8899%520
Monmouth County6395%830
Ocean County6694%1537

County Details

Atlantic County

50 monitoring stations

#1 Water Quality
48
Excellent
2
Good
0
Fair
0
Poor
Quality Score
100%
Avg Bacteria
6 CFU
2025 Advisories
3
View All Atlantic County Stations →

Cape May County

88 monitoring stations

73
Excellent
14
Good
1
Fair
0
Poor
Quality Score
99%
Avg Bacteria
5 CFU
2025 Advisories
20
View All Cape May County Stations →

Monmouth County

63 monitoring stations

48
Excellent
12
Good
2
Fair
1
Poor
Quality Score
95%
Avg Bacteria
8 CFU
2025 Advisories
30
View All Monmouth County Stations →

Ocean County

66 monitoring stations

52
Excellent
10
Good
2
Fair
2
Poor
Quality Score
94%
Avg Bacteria
15 CFU
2025 Advisories
37
View All Ocean County Stations →

County Trends Comparison

20212022202320242025Avg CFU/100mLMonmouthOceanAtlanticCape May

Average bacteria levels (CFU/100mL) by county over 5 years. Lower values indicate cleaner water.

Key Insights

  • Atlantic County leads with 100% of stations rated excellent or good
  • Overall, 97% of all Jersey Shore beaches meet high water quality standards
  • Average bacteria levels across all counties are well below the EPA threshold of 104 CFU/100mL
  • !Always check conditions after heavy rainfall, regardless of overall rating