South Toms River was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 28, 1927, from portions of Berkeley Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 3, 1927.
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,634 people, 1,073 households, and 902 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,131.9 people per square mile (1,209.6/km). There were 1,123 housing units at an average density of 967.8/sq mi (373.8/km). The racial makeup of the borough was 72.56% White, 21.16% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 2.50% from other races, and 2.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.27% of the population.
There were 1,073 households out of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 22.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.9% were non-families. 12.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.39 and the average family size was 3.63.
In the borough the population was spread out with 32.1% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $43,468, and the median income for a family was $45,375. Males had a median income of $31,859 versus $24,837 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $16,292. About 11.2% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.