Best Places08242, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08242, 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.
08242 ranks 18,004th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 08242
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.
08242's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08242 ranks high
- Short commute15.8 minutes each way, better than 96% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 89% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 85% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 08242 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,358 a month, better than only 11% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08242
A household needs to earn about $88,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08242 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $68,534, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 08242's effective rate of 1.44%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 08242
08242 runs older 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 08242.
Who works in 08242, and how
Work in 08242 centers on public administration and construction. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 08242
08242 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 91% of zip codes. The coast is about 6 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 08242 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08242, month by month
08242 sees roughly 69 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 46, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 37° | 29° |
| April | 65° | 54° | 45° |
| July | 88° | 78° | 69° |
| October | 71° | 61° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 08242
The nearest airport, Atlantic City International, is about 34 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 62 miles away.
The best schools in and around 08242
Schools across 08242 average a D+, better than 14% of zip codes.
Top middle schools
- Middle Township Elementary #4D+ · 25% proficient
- Sandman Consolidated SchoolD · 22% proficient
Top high schools
- Lower Cape May Regional High SchoolC · 30% proficient
- Middle Township High SchoolD · 19% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08242 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08242 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 08242 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 08242
Is 08242 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08242 ranks 18,004th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, transit, and walkability, and lowest on an overheated housing market and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 08242 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $309,941. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $68,534 median income, cost of living beats 33% of zip codes.
Is 08242 safe?
Yes, 08242 is safer than 60% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $196 per resident a year.
Compare 08242 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08242. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08242 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.
08242 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08242: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08242: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08242: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08242: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08242 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.