Best Places08012, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08012, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
08012 ranks 11,728th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on big-city access by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 08012
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
08012's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08012 ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 86% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 85% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 08012 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,380 a month, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 65 pleasant days a year, better than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08012
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08012 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $99,206, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 08012's effective rate of 2.72%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 08012
08012's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 08012.
Who works in 08012, and how
Work in 08012 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 08012
08012 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 67% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 78% of zip codes. The coast is about 45 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 08012 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08012, month by month
08012 sees roughly 65 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 36° | 27° |
| April | 68° | 56° | 44° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 72° | 61° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 08012
Philadelphia International sits about 11 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 14.8 million passengers in 2025, with 179 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 08012
Schools across 08012 average a D+, better than 17% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Whitman Elementary SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Birches Elementary SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Parkview Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Chestnut Ridge Middle SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Bunker Hill Middle SchoolD+ · 26% proficient
- Orchard Valley Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Washington Township High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Deptford Township High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Timber Creek Regional High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08012 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08012 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 08012 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 08012 suits
Families
Schools land around the 17th percentile and crime safety beats 71%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 78% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 14% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 08012
Is 08012 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08012 ranks 11,728th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on big-city access, few empty homes, and cell coverage, and lowest on property taxes and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 08012 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $284,382. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $99,206 median income, cost of living beats 78% of zip codes.
Is 08012 safe?
Yes, 08012 is safer than 71% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $180 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 08012?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 45 with lows near 27. That works out to about 65 pleasant days a year, more than 16% of zip codes.
Is 08012 good for families?
Schools beat 17% of zip codes, crime safety beats 71%, and childcare runs $1,380 a month.
Compare 08012 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08012. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08012 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
08012 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08012: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08012: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08012: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08012: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08012 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.