Best Places08542, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08542, 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.
08542 ranks 511th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 08542
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.
08542's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08542 ranks high
- BikingBetter than 99% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 97% of zip codes
Where 08542 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 60 pleasant days a year, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,394 a month, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08542
A household needs to earn about $257,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08542 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $137,485, 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 08542's effective rate of 1.72%, 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 08542
08542 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 08542.
Who works in 08542, and how
Work in 08542 centers on education and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 36%
- Work from home 26%
- Transit, walk, or bike 39%
Life in 08542
08542 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 96% of zip codes. The coast is about 33 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 08542 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08542, month by month
08542 sees roughly 60 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 08542
The nearest airport, Trenton Mercer, is about 10 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 08542
Schools across 08542 average a B+, better than 78% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Riverside SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Community Park SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Princeton Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
Top high schools
- Princeton High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08542 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08542 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 08542 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 08542
Is 08542 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08542 ranks 511th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on biking, walkability, and population health, 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 08542 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $872,990. The overall cost of living runs about 38% above the national average. Set against a $137,485 median income, cost of living beats 78% of zip codes.
Is 08542 safe?
08542 is safer than 20% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $378 per resident a year.
Compare 08542 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08542. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08542 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.
08542 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08542: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08542: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08542: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08542: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08542 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.