Best Places08551, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08551, 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.
08551 ranks 1,110th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on high incomes by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 08551
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.
08551's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08551 ranks high
- Household income$190,356 median, better than 99% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 95% of zip codes
Where 08551 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 60 pleasant days a year, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,458 a month, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Short commute33.1 minutes each way, better than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08551
A household needs to earn about $190,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08551 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $190,356, 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 08551's effective rate of 2.01%, 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 08551
08551 runs older than the country, though fewer residents are over 65 than the national share.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 08551.
Who works in 08551, and how
Work in 08551 centers on manufacturing and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 27%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 08551
The coast is about 46 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 08551, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08551, month by month
08551 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 08551
The nearest airport, Trenton Mercer, is about 12 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 08551
Schools across 08551 average a B, better than 66% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Copper Hill Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Barley Sheaf Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- East Amwell TownshipB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- J.p. Case Middle SchoolB · 43% proficient
- Reading-fleming Intermediate SchoolB− · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- Hunterdon Central Regional High School DistrictB− · 45% proficient
- South Hunterdon Regional High SchoolC− · 26% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08551 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08551 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 08551 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 08551
Is 08551 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08551 ranks 1,110th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on high incomes, what local pay buys, and low crime, 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 08551 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $622,845. The overall cost of living runs about 12% above the national average. Set against a $190,356 median income, cost of living beats 99% of zip codes.
Is 08551 safe?
Yes, 08551 is safer than 96% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $104 per resident a year.
Compare 08551 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08551. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08551 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.
08551 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08551: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08551: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08551: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08551: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08551 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.