Belford is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 1,648 people and two associated neighborhoods, Belford is the 448th largest community in New Jersey.

Housing costs in Belford 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.

A relatively large number of people in Belford telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 12.38% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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.

Because of many things, Belford is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Belford really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Belford perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.

Belford 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. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

One downside of living in Belford, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 37.89 minutes every day commuting to work. However, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.

Despite being a small town, Belford has a lot of people using a ferryboat to get to and from work every day. Most of these people on a ferryboat are using it to get to good jobs in other cities.

The education level of Belford ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Belford, 41.09% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.

The per capita income in Belford in 2022 was $57,367, which is upper middle income relative to New Jersey, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $229,468 for a family of four.

Belford is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Belford home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Belford residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Belford also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 10.03% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Belford include Irish, German, Italian, Polish, and English.

The most common language spoken in Belford is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.