Best Places08830, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08830, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
08830 ranks 7,929th 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 08830
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.
08830's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08830 ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 96% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 93% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 08830 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,499 a month, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Short commute34.0 minutes each way, better than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08830
A household needs to earn about $126,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08830 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $116,501; 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 08830's effective rate of 2.20%, 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 08830
08830's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 08830.
Who works in 08830, and how
Work in 08830 centers on professional & technical and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 59%
- Work from home 23%
- Transit, walk, or bike 18%
Life in 08830
08830 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 80% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 82% of zip codes. The coast is about 10 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 08830 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08830, month by month
08830 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 08830
Newark Liberty International sits about 11 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 08830
Schools across 08830 average a B−, better than 53% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Oak Tree Road Elementary SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Indiana Avenue Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Robert Mascenik Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Iselin Middle SchoolB · 43% proficient
- Colonia Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Fords Middle SchoolD · 22% proficient
Top high schools
- John F. Kennedy Memorial High SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Colonia High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Woodbridge High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08830 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08830 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 08830 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 08830 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 23% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 08830
Is 08830 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08830 ranks 7,929th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on big-city access, population health, and walkability, 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 08830 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $405,534. The overall cost of living runs about 20% above the national average. Set against a $116,501 median income, cost of living beats 69% of zip codes.
Is 08830 safe?
08830 is safer than 48% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $226 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 08830?
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 08830 good for families?
Schools beat 53% of zip codes, crime safety beats 48%, and childcare runs $1,499 a month.
Compare 08830 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08830. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08830 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.
08830 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08830: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08830: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08830: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08830: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08830 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.