Depends on neighborhood. I know people there and it is middle class suburb USA. Why does a suburban community near the shore need to be “relevant”.
It’s a nice community.
Its a seasonal tourist town, has no large industry, the large chemical/dye factory in town was closed up decades ago.
It is also the county seat for ocean county, so it does have the court houses, but it does have a drug/seedy problems along 37, and plus being neighbors to seaside doesn’t help much.
A decade ago the boss of Toms River went to prison for corruption charges. The Feds raided his Seaside Ocean Front Mansion, his school office, the board of education homes and offices, his construction company, which was being run out of the Toms River board of education office.