Keansburg's housing stock reflects its history as a bayside resort and working-class community. The borough is made up largely of modest single-family homes and older cottages, many of them dating to the mid-twentieth century, with some newer construction near the waterfront. Lots tend to be small and the streets walkable, giving the borough a dense, close-knit feel. Multi-family homes and rentals are also part of the mix. The bayfront and marina areas hold particular appeal for buyers seeking water access, while the borough's proximity to the amusement park, beaches, and commuter links shapes its character as a practical shore community.

Keansburg is a compact borough organized around its bayfront. The area near the Keansburg Amusement Park and the waterfront holds the community's resort-era character, while inland streets blend older cottages and single-family homes in a tight street grid. The borough's small size means it functions as a single community rather than a collection of distinct districts, and many residents have deep family roots here. The marina and bay beaches anchor the waterfront, and the surrounding Bayshore towns — Middletown, Hazlet, and Union Beach — provide additional neighborhoods and services immediately adjacent.

Life in Keansburg is shaped by the bay and the boardwalk. The Keansburg Amusement Park and Runaway Rapids waterpark are the community's summer anchors, drawing families for rides, arcades, and classic shore food, while the bay beaches and marina support fishing, boating, and waterfront relaxation. The borough has a down-to-earth, family-oriented feel and a strong sense of local identity as one of the Bayshore's original shore towns. Everyday shopping and dining are supplemented by the larger commercial corridors of Middletown and Hazlet, and the borough's location puts both the Jersey Shore's ocean beaches and New York City within reasonable reach.

Keansburg is served by the Keansburg School District, which operates four schools serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade and enrolls roughly 1,600 students. The district is one of New Jersey's former Abbott districts, a designation tied to state support for school districts in urban and historically underserved communities. Students attend the district's elementary schools, Joseph R. Bolger Middle School, and Keansburg High School. The borough's location in Monmouth County also places students near regional vocational schools, community colleges, and the four-year institutions of central New Jersey.

Keansburg sits in the Bayshore region with several commuting options toward New York City. The borough is served by New Jersey Transit bus routes, and nearby Middletown and Hazlet offer New Jersey Transit rail stations on the North Jersey Coast Line. Academy bus lines also serve the area, and the New York Waterway ferry from nearby Belford provides a direct route across the bay to Manhattan. By road, State Route 36 and the Garden State Parkway connect Keansburg to the rest of Monmouth County and the wider region, placing the borough within commuting distance of both the shore and the city.

Recreation in Keansburg centers on the waterfront. The Keansburg Amusement Park, operating since 1904, offers rides, arcades, and games along the bay, while Runaway Rapids waterpark adds slides and pools for summer. The borough's bay beaches and marina support swimming, fishing, crabbing, and boating on Raritan Bay, with views across to Staten Island and the Verrazzano Narrows. Local parks, playgrounds, and sports fields serve families year-round, and the ocean beaches of Sandy Hook and the greater Jersey Shore are a short drive away, as are the trails of Hartshorne Woods and the Henry Hudson Trail.