Best Places08527, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08527, 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.
08527 ranks 7,659th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on big-city access by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 08527
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.
08527's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08527 ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Household income$118,970 median, better than 89% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 08527 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,478 a month, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Short commute32.7 minutes each way, better than only 17% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08527
A household needs to earn about $149,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08527 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $118,970, 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 08527's effective rate of 1.63%, 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 08527
08527'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 08527.
Who works in 08527, and how
Work in 08527 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 08527
08527 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. The coast is about 20 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 08527 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08527, month by month
08527 sees roughly 66 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 35° | 26° |
| April | 67° | 54° | 43° |
| July | 89° | 78° | 69° |
| October | 71° | 59° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 08527
The nearest airport, Trenton Mercer, is about 29 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Newark Liberty International, about 40 miles away.
The best schools in and around 08527
Schools across 08527 average a C, better than 29% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Marshall W. Errickson SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Howard C. Johnson Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Elms Elementary SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top middle schools
- Carl W. Goetz Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Clifton T. Barkalow SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Christa Mcauliffe Middle SchoolD+ · 26% proficient
Top high schools
- Freehold Township High SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Jackson Memorial High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Jackson Liberty High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08527 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08527 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 08527 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 08527 suits
Families
Schools land around the 29th percentile and crime safety beats 90%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 80% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 14% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 08527
Is 08527 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08527 ranks 7,659th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on big-city access, fast internet, and low crime, 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 08527 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $510,551. The overall cost of living runs about 12% above the national average. Set against a $118,970 median income, cost of living beats 80% of zip codes.
Is 08527 safe?
Yes, 08527 is safer than 90% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $131 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 08527?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 45 with lows near 26. That works out to about 66 pleasant days a year, more than 18% of zip codes.
Is 08527 good for families?
Schools beat 29% of zip codes, crime safety beats 90%, and childcare runs $1,478 a month.
Compare 08527 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08527. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08527 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.
08527 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08527: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08527: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08527: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08527: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08527 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.