Best Places08038, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08038, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
08038 ranks 17,952nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 08038
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.
08038's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08038 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 66% of zip codes
Where 08038 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,338 a month, better than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08038
A household needs to earn about $51,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08038 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $82,493, 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 08038's effective rate of 0.99%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 08038
08038 runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 08038.
Who works in 08038, and how
Work in 08038 centers on manufacturing and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 08038
08038 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 99% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 08038 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08038, month by month
08038 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 35° | 26° |
| April | 68° | 55° | 43° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 72° | 59° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 08038
The nearest airport, New Castle, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 28 miles away.
The best schools in and around 08038
Schools across 08038 average a C−, better than 18% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lower Alloways Creek Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Elsinboro Township SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Salem High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08038 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08038 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 08038 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 08038
Is 08038 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08038 ranks 17,952nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, big-city access, and few empty homes, and lowest on state finances and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 08038 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $191,510. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $82,493 median income, cost of living beats 66% of zip codes.
Is 08038 safe?
Yes, 08038 is safer than 81% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $142 per resident a year.
Compare 08038 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08038. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08038 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.
08038 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08038: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08038: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08038: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08038: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08038 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.