Best Places08520, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08520, 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.
08520 ranks 4,090th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 08520
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.
08520's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08520 ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Household income$130,929 median, better than 93% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 91% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 08520 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,394 a month, better than only 10% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08520
A household needs to earn about $128,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08520 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $130,929, 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 08520's effective rate of 2.36%, 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 08520
08520's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 08520.
Who works in 08520, and how
Work in 08520 centers on retail trade and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 08520
The coast is about 28 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 08520, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08520, month by month
08520 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 34° | 24° |
| April | 66° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 89° | 77° | 67° |
| October | 70° | 58° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 08520
The nearest airport, Trenton Mercer, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Newark Liberty International, about 35 miles away.
The best schools in and around 08520
Schools across 08520 average a C, better than 29% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sharon SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- Cranbury SchoolB · 49% proficient
- Grace N. Rogers Elementary SchoolC− · 26% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pond Road Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
- Millstone Township Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Melvin H. Kreps Middle SchoolD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Robbinsville High SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Hightstown High SchoolC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08520 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08520 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 08520 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 08520 suits
Families
Schools land around the 29th percentile and crime safety beats 80%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 91% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 20% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 08520
Is 08520 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08520 ranks 4,090th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on population health, big-city access, and high incomes, 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 08520 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $402,641. The overall cost of living runs about 6% above the national average. Set against a $130,929 median income, cost of living beats 91% of zip codes.
Is 08520 safe?
Yes, 08520 is safer than 80% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $157 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 08520?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 24. That works out to about 59 pleasant days a year, more than 7% of zip codes.
Is 08520 good for families?
Schools beat 29% of zip codes, crime safety beats 80%, and childcare runs $1,394 a month.
Compare 08520 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08520. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08520 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.
08520 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08520: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08520: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08520: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08520: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08520 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.