Best Places08544, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08544, 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.
08544 ranks 166th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 08544
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.
08544's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08544 ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 99% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Household income$197,554 median, better than 99% of zip codes
Where 08544 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 5% 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
- Cheap childcare$1,394 a month, better than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08544
A household needs to earn about $336,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08544 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $197,554, 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 08544's effective rate of 1.77%, 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 08544
08544 runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 08544.
Who works in 08544, and how
Work in 08544 centers on education and professional & technical. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 14%
- Work from home 28%
- Transit, walk, or bike 58%
Life in 08544
The coast is about 33 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 08544, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08544, month by month
08544 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 08544
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 08544
Schools across 08544 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 08544 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08544 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 08544 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 08544
Is 08544 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08544 ranks 166th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on population health, cell coverage, and an educated workforce, and lowest on state finances and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 08544 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,136,200. The overall cost of living runs about 14% above the national average. Set against a $197,554 median income, cost of living beats 98% of zip codes.
Is 08544 safe?
Yes, 08544 is safer than 58% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $197 per resident a year.
Compare 08544 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08544. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08544 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.
08544 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08544: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08544: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08544: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08544: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08544 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.