ZIP 08009 vs ZIP 08091

This side-by-side compares ZIP 08009 (Berlin, NJ) and ZIP 08091 (West Berlin, NJ) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 08009 has a population of 12,854 at 363 people per square mile, while ZIP 08091 has 5,357 at 619 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 08009 reports a median household income of $101,184 against $75,238 in ZIP 08091, with per-capita income of $45,542 vs $40,163. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 33.8% in 08009 and 26.5% in 08091. Poverty rate reads 7.6% vs 10.9%, and unemployment 3.3% vs 4.2% — 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 $317,900 in 08009 versus $302,600 in 08091, with median rent of $1,441 and $1,372 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 76.1% vs 67.1%. 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.