Portions of the township were taken to form Plumsted Township on March 11, 1845.

It became part of the newly created Ocean County on February 15, 1850. The township was named for president Andrew Jackson, a year before his death. Jackson Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 6, 1844, from portions of Dover Township (now Toms River Township), Freehold Township and Upper Freehold Township, while the area was still part of Monmouth County.

Jackson is also home to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor and the 350-acre (140 ha) Safari Off Road Adventure, which replaced Six Flags Wild Safari in 2013. Roughly equidistant between New York City and Philadelphia, Jackson is the site of Six Flags Great Adventure, home to the 456-foot (139 m) Kingda Ka, which as of 2023 is the tallest roller coaster in the world. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 58,544, an increase of 3,688 (+6.7%) from the 2010 census count of 54,856, which in turn reflected an increase of 12,040 (+28.1%) from the 42,816 counted in the 2000 census.

A portion of the township is located within the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Jackson Township is a township in Ocean County, in the U.S.

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