Best Places08069, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08069, 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.
08069 ranks 26,352nd 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 08069
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.
08069's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08069 ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 93% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 84% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 82% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 71% of zip codes
Where 08069 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- School gradeD−, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08069
A household needs to earn about $78,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08069 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $71,719; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 08069's effective rate of 2.39%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 08069
08069 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 08069.
Who works in 08069, and how
Work in 08069 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 08069
08069 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 94% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 89% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 08069 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08069, month by month
08069 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 08069
The nearest airport, New Castle, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 16 miles away.
The best schools in and around 08069
Schools across 08069 average a D−, better than 3% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mannington Township Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Penn Beach ElementaryC− · 26% proficient
- Paul W CarletonF · 8% proficient
Top middle schools
- Penns Grove Middle SchoolF · 11% proficient
Top high schools
- Pennsville Memorial High SchoolD · 22% proficient
- Penns Grove High SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08069 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08069 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 08069 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 08069
Is 08069 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08069 ranks 26,352nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on big-city access, transit, and walkability, 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 08069 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $244,636. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $71,719 median income, cost of living beats 35% of zip codes.
Is 08069 safe?
Yes, 08069 is safer than 58% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $207 per resident a year.
Compare 08069 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08069. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08069 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.
08069 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08069: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08069: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08069: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08069: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08069 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.