Best Places08036, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08036, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
08036 ranks 1,692nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 08036
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.
08036's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08036 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Household income$152,349 median, better than 96% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 95% of zip codes
Where 08036 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,470 a month, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Short commute29.8 minutes each way, better than only 29% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08036
A household needs to earn about $129,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08036 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $152,349, 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 08036's effective rate of 1.62%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 08036
08036 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 08036.
Who works in 08036, and how
Work in 08036 centers on retail trade and transportation & warehousing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 72%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in 08036
08036 has more parkland per resident than 89% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 08036 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08036, month by month
08036 sees roughly 61 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 35° | 25° |
| April | 67° | 54° | 42° |
| July | 90° | 78° | 67° |
| October | 71° | 59° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 08036
The nearest airport, Trenton Mercer, is about 21 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 23 miles away.
The best schools in and around 08036
Schools across 08036 average a C, better than 38% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Fleetwood Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Hainesport Township SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Holly Hills Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- T. E. Harrington Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Lumberton Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- Westampton Township Middle SchoolD+ · 26% proficient
Top high schools
- Lenape High SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Rancocas Valley Regional High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08036 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08036 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 08036 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 08036
Is 08036 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08036 ranks 1,692nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, what local pay buys, and high incomes, and lowest on state finances and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 08036 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $443,105. The overall cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. Set against a $152,349 median income, cost of living beats 98% of zip codes.
Is 08036 safe?
Yes, 08036 is safer than 80% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $162 per resident a year.
Compare 08036 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08036. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08036 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.
08036 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08036: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08036: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08036: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08036: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08036 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.