ZIP 08002 vs ZIP 08109

This side-by-side compares ZIP 08002 (Cherry Hill, NJ) and ZIP 08109 (Merchantville, NJ) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 08002 has a population of 22,274 at 1,195 people per square mile, while ZIP 08109 has 22,407 at 1,777 per square mile. That difference in population size and density alone reshapes how every other metric should be interpreted — a higher-income ZIP with 1,200 residents behaves very differently from one with 45,000.

On income and education, ZIP 08002 reports a median household income of $100,951 against $90,242 in ZIP 08109, with per-capita income of $51,949 vs $40,259. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 48.3% in 08002 and 28.8% in 08109. Poverty rate reads 10.4% vs 15.2%, and unemployment 6.7% vs 8.8% — these four fields alone drive most of the difference in the scorecard grades you will see for each ZIP.

Housing separates these two ZIPs further: median home value sits at $331,200 in 08002 versus $252,000 in 08109, with median rent of $1,974 and $1,167 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 68.0% vs 71.3%. When reading the comparison table below, focus on paired metrics rather than single winners — a ZIP with lower home values and lower income is not strictly "worse" if rent-to-income ratios and commute times land in the same zone. Every value is pulled from the exact same ACS table so the two columns are genuinely comparable.