Best Places08535, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08535, 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.
08535 ranks 684th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 08535
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.
08535's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08535 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Household income$222,497 median, better than 99% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 96% of zip codes
Where 08535 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,493 a month, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Short commute34.8 minutes each way, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 66 pleasant days a year, better than only 17% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08535
A household needs to earn about $225,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08535 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $222,497; 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 08535's effective rate of 1.85%, 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 08535
08535 runs older than the country, though fewer residents are over 65 than the national share, 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 08535.
Who works in 08535, and how
Work in 08535 centers on professional & technical and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 08535
The coast is about 30 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 08535, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08535, month by month
08535 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 08535
The nearest airport, Trenton Mercer, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Newark Liberty International, about 34 miles away.
The best schools in and around 08535
Schools across 08535 average a B−, better than 52% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Oak Tree Elementary SchoolA · 66% proficient
- Newell Elementary SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Roosevelt Public SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Monroe Township Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Stonebridge Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Millstone Township Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top high schools
- Monroe Township High SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Allentown High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Manalapan High SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08535 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08535 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 08535 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 08535
Is 08535 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08535 ranks 684th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, low crime, and high incomes, and lowest on state finances and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 08535 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $753,491. The overall cost of living runs about 19% above the national average. Set against a $222,497 median income, cost of living beats 100% of zip codes.
Is 08535 safe?
Yes, 08535 is safer than 99% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $88 per resident a year.
Compare 08535 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08535. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08535 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.
08535 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08535: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08535: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08535: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08535: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08535 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.