[10][9][11] Ocean Acres is located in the northwestern end of Stafford Township and part of Barnegat Township, and is the newest and biggest part of both communities, with approximately 5,500 lots in an area of 6 square miles (16 km2).

The original models were located on New Jersey Route 72, west of the present site of the Southern Ocean Medical Center, all three are currently used as businesses.

The community offered several recreation centers, such as a lakefront park near the Nautilus Drive entrance (it was eventually leveled to make way for an expanded lake), a second lakefront park with tennis and basketball courts off of Buccaneer Lane was created.

The pool has since been removed, but the bathing beach is still open to swimmers after being closed for several years throughout the 1990s.

For years, a state-mandated moratorium on construction west of the Garden State Parkway had limited the 5,500-lot community to fewer than 800 homes.

Large areas of vacant land in Ocean Acres were even set aside for other individual subdivisions, such as The Oaks at Stafford development.

[13] The Walters Group became the first developer to build in the Barnegat section, an early sales promotion for the Ocean Acres Barnegat homes included a free Toyota Yaris hatchback to be included with the homes.

The opening of the exit and redesign of the interchange fueled growth of the Barnegat section starting in the 2010s, with a major shopping center under construction at the intersection.

[15][16] The 2010 United States census counted 16,142 people, 5,561 households, and 4,371 families in the CDP.

[10] As of the 2000 United States Census[4] there were 13,155 people, 4,683 households, and 3,807 families living in the CDP.