Best Places08872, NJ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 08872, 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.
08872 ranks 7,444th 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 08872
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.
08872's strengths and weaknesses
Where 08872 ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Household income$112,364 median, better than 87% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 08872 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,499 a month, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Short commute31.6 minutes each way, better than only 21% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 08872
A household needs to earn about $136,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 08872 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $112,364, 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 08872's effective rate of 1.46%, 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 08872
08872'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 08872.
Who works in 08872, and how
Work in 08872 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 08872
08872 has more parkland per resident than 71% of zip codes. The coast is about 7 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 08872 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 08872, month by month
08872 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 08872
Newark Liberty International sits about 19 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 08872
Schools across 08872 average a C, better than 36% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Harry S. Truman Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Woodrow Wilson Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Emma Arleth Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Jonas Salk Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Sayreville Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Old Bridge High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Sayreville War Memorial High SchoolC · 32% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 08872 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
08872 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 08872 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 08872 suits
Families
Schools land around the 36th percentile and crime safety beats 73%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 73% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 10% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 08872
Is 08872 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 08872 ranks 7,444th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on big-city access, fast internet, and population health, and lowest on state finances and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 08872 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $476,189. The overall cost of living runs about 13% above the national average. Set against a $112,364 median income, cost of living beats 73% of zip codes.
Is 08872 safe?
Yes, 08872 is safer than 73% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $176 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 08872?
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 39% of zip codes.
Is 08872 good for families?
Schools beat 36% of zip codes, crime safety beats 73%, and childcare runs $1,499 a month.
Compare 08872 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 08872. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 08872 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.
08872 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 08872: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 08872: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 08872: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 08872: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
08872 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.