Howell Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is the largest municipality in the county by total area, comprised of about 61.21 square miles (158.5 km2). It is located in the New York metropolitan area and has been a steadily growing bedroom community of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 53,537, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 2,462 (+4.8%) from the 2010 census count of 51,075, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,172 (+4.4%) from the 48,903 counted in the 2000 census.

Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community, as of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 135,158, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 42,315 (+45.6%) from the 2010 census count of 92,843, which in turn reflected an increase of 32,491 (+53.8%) from the 60,352 counted in the 2000 census. The township ranked as the fifth-most-populous municipality in the state in 2020, after ranking seventh in 2010, and 22nd in 2000, placing the township only behind the state's four biggest cities. The sharp increase in population from 2000 to 2010 was led largely by increases in the township's Orthodox Jewish and Latino communities. Further growth in the Orthodox community led to a sharp increase in population in the 2020 census, with a large number of births leading to a significant drop in the township's median age. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the township's population was 139,506 in 2022, helping the fast-growing town surpass Elizabeth as the fourth-most-populous municipality in the state.