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 25.60% 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.

In addition, Belford is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.

Belford is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Belford’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

One of the nice things about Belford is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

One downside of living in Belford is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Belford, the average commute to work is 36.23 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the town, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative.

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

The citizens of Belford are among the most well-educated in the nation: 45.29% of adults in Belford have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Belford in 2022 was $53,640, which is middle income relative to New Jersey, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $214,560 for a family of four. However, Belford contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Belford is a very 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 Asian. Belford also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 11.19% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Belford include Irish, Italian, Polish, German, and English.

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