Best Places08514, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08514, 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.
08514 ranks 1,697th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 08514
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.
08514's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08514 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Household income$170,926 median, better than 98% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 93% of zip codes
Where 08514 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,487 a month, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Short commute31.9 minutes each way, better than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08514
A household needs to earn about $202,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08514 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $170,926, 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 08514's effective rate of 1.75%, 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 08514
08514's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 08514.
Who works in 08514, and how
Work in 08514 centers on construction and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 08514
08514 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of zip codes. The coast is about 35 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 08514 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08514, month by month
08514 sees roughly 59 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° | 34° | 25° |
| April | 67° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 90° | 78° | 67° |
| October | 71° | 58° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 08514
The nearest airport, Trenton Mercer, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 43 miles away.
The best schools in and around 08514
Schools across 08514 average a B−, better than 55% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Newell Elementary SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Dr. Gerald H. Woehr Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Elms Elementary SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top middle schools
- Stonebridge Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
- New Egypt Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Carl W. Goetz Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- Allentown High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- New Egypt High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Jackson Memorial High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08514 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08514 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 08514 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 08514
Is 08514 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08514 ranks 1,697th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, high incomes, and what local pay buys, 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 08514 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $685,421. The overall cost of living runs about 12% above the national average. Set against a $170,926 median income, cost of living beats 97% of zip codes.
Is 08514 safe?
Yes, 08514 is safer than 99% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $88 per resident a year.
Compare 08514 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08514. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08514 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.
08514 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08514: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08514: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08514: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08514: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08514 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.