Best Places08817, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08817, 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.
08817 ranks 7,072nd 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 08817
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.
08817's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08817 ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 94% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Household income$119,549 median, better than 90% of zip codes
Where 08817 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,499 a month, better than only 6% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08817
A household needs to earn about $124,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08817 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $119,549; 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 08817's effective rate of 2.10%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 08817
08817's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 08817.
Who works in 08817, and how
Work in 08817 centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 71%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in 08817
08817 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 69% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 66% of zip codes. The coast is about 12 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 08817 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08817, month by month
08817 sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 35° | 29° |
| April | 64° | 54° | 46° |
| July | 87° | 78° | 71° |
| October | 68° | 59° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 08817
Newark Liberty International sits about 17 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 23.5 million passengers in 2025, with 242 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 08817
Schools across 08817 average a C+, better than 47% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Woodbrook Elementary SchoolA · 65% proficient
- John Marshall Elementary SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Woodrow Wilson Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Edgar Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Highland Park Middle SchoolC · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- Metuchen High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Highland Park High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Edison High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08817 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08817 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 08817 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 08817 suits
Families
Schools land around the 47th percentile and crime safety beats 55%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 75% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 19% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 08817
Is 08817 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08817 ranks 7,072nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on big-city access, population health, and fast internet, 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 08817 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $401,666. The overall cost of living runs about 17% above the national average. Set against a $119,549 median income, cost of living beats 75% of zip codes.
Is 08817 safe?
Yes, 08817 is safer than 55% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $208 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 08817?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 42 with lows near 29. That works out to about 77 pleasant days a year, more than 40% of zip codes.
Is 08817 good for families?
Schools beat 47% of zip codes, crime safety beats 55%, and childcare runs $1,499 a month.
Compare 08817 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08817. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08817 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.
08817 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08817: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08817: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08817: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08817: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08817 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.