The community was settled by Europeans in the mid-1660s and named after an English carpenter from Deal, Kent.

[18] Deal is home to a significant population of Orthodox Sephardic Jews, mainly of Syrian origin.

[21] Most of the town consisted of homes close to or over one hundred years old in the Victorian and American Foursquare styles.

In 2007, Deal was ranked by Forbes magazine as the 13th most expensive ZIP Code in the nation with a median sale price of $1,825,000.

[22] It was also named the 4th most expensive zip code in New Jersey in 2017, with a median sale price of $1,207,500.

[23] In 2019, PropertyShark ranked Deal in a tie with 94110 in San Francisco as the 85th most expensive ZIP Code in the country, and second-highest in New Jersey, with a median sales price of $1,500,000.

[24] Then again in 2021, it was ranked as the second-most expensive zip code in New Jersey with a typical home value of $2,141,154 [25] In 2022, Deal was ranked as the most expensive zip code in New Jersey, with homes valued at $2,400,000.

[27][28] Present-day Norwood Avenue dates back to the early 18th century construction of the Long Branch-Deal Turnpike.

[citation needed] Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include South Elberon.

[34] The borough borders the Monmouth County communities of Allenhurst, Long Branch, and Ocean Township.

[38] The 2010 United States census counted 750 people, 333 households, and 182 families in the borough.

[55][56][57] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 6th congressional district is represented by Frank Pallone (D, Long Branch).

[60] For the 2024-2025 session, the 11th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Vin Gopal (D, Long Branch) and in the General Assembly by Margie Donlon (D, Ocean Township) and Luanne Peterpaul (D, Long Branch).

[91] For ninth through twelfth grades, students attend Shore Regional High School, as part of a sending/receiving relationship.

[93] Students also have the option to attend Academy Charter High School in Lake Como, which accepts students on a lottery basis from the communities of Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Avon-by-the-Sea, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Deal, Interlaken and Lake Como.

[103] Route 71, Norwood Ave., is the only state highway serving Deal directly -- much of which is a divided road with a median.

NJ Transit train service is available at the Allenhurst[104] and Elberon[105] stations on the North Jersey Coast Line.

July is the peak in thunderstorm activity and the average wettest month is August.

[111] The plant hardiness zone is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 3.4 °F (−15.9 °C).

[108] The average date of first spring leaf-out is March 24[112] and fall color typically peaks in early-November.