Long Branch is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 32,434 people and eight associated neighborhoods, Long Branch is the 53rd largest community in New Jersey.

Housing costs in Long Branch are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in New Jersey.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 7.62% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Long Branch is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

The population of Long Branch is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 21.84% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 34.30% of adults in Long Branch have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Long Branch in 2022 was $39,010, which is low income relative to New Jersey, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $156,040 for a family of four. However, Long Branch contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Long Branch is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Long Branch home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Long Branch residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Long Branch also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 21.50% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Long Branch include Italian, Irish, Brazilian, German, and Portuguese.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Long Branch's cultural character, accounting for 25.55% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Long Branch is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Portuguese.