Plain

Residential delivery area · New Jersey

ZIP Code 08540: Princeton, NJ

ZIP code 08540 uses the postal name Princeton, New Jersey and lies mostly in Mercer County (63% of its land), reaching into Somerset County and Middlesex County (Census 2020 ZIP-county file). About 50,000 people live there (Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024), the most populous of Princeton's 3 residential ZIP codes. Median household income is $176,983 (Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). By Census place, its land lies in Princeton (34%), East Rocky Hill (8%), Griggstown (5%), Ten Mile Run (5%) and Princeton Junction (2%), and 5% in smaller places; 42% is outside any Census place.

  • ACS2020-24
  • Census2020
  • FHFA2025
  • ZBP2023
  • IRS2022
0national area: New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and 5 more
085sectional center: Trenton, NJ (SCF 085)
40delivery area within it
Town
Princeton · 3 residential ZIPs
Census places
Princeton (34%); East Rocky Hill (8%) census-designated place; Griggstown (5%) census-designated place; Ten Mile Run (5%) census-designated place
Metro area
Trenton-Princeton, NJ
House districts
NJ-12 (90%), NJ-3 (10%) 119th Congress, by share of land
Time zone
Eastern
Land area
51.7 sq mi · 974 people per sq mi
PO Box ZIPs
08541, 08543 also use the name Princeton

Where is ZIP code 08540?

08540 centers on 40.365°, -74.656° and covers 51.7 square miles of land plus 1.0 of water. It borders 12 ZIP codes: 08542, 08544, 08528, 08553, 08558, 08536, 08502, 08550, 08852, 08648 and more.

08502 · Belle Mead08525 · Hopewell08528 · Kingston08536 · Plainsboro08542 · Princeton08544 · Princeton08550 · Princeton Junction08553 · Rocky Hill08558 · Skillman08648 · Lawrence Township08824 · Kendall Park08852 · Monmouth Junction08540 · Princeton (this ZIP)08540085250855008648085580885208502085360882408528085420855308502 · Belle Mead08525 · Hopewell08528 · Kingston08536 · Plainsboro08542 · Princeton08544 · Princeton08550 · Princeton Junction08553 · Rocky Hill08558 · Skillman08648 · Lawrence Township08824 · Kendall Park08852 · Monmouth Junction08540 · Princeton (this ZIP)08540085250855008648085580885208502085360882408502 · Belle Mead08525 · Hopewell08528 · Kingston08536 · Plainsboro08542 · Princeton08544 · Princeton08550 · Princeton Junction08553 · Rocky Hill08558 · Skillman08648 · Lawrence Township08824 · Kendall Park08852 · Monmouth Junction08540 · Princeton (this ZIP)085400852508550086480855808852085020853608824
Shaded by median household income, in national fifths (ACS 2020-2024); 08540 outlined. Census 2020 ZCTA boundaries. <$54.1k$98.1k+no figure

The map draws ZIP code areas only. For the streets inside 08540, open its center on OpenStreetMap.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ZCTA cartographic boundaries and the 2023 Gazetteer (2020 ZCTAs); ZIP-to-county shares, Census places and House districts (119th Congress) from the Census 2020 relationship files (shares of land); metro area from the OMB delineation (July 2023); town name and time zone from simplemaps US ZIP Codes (CC BY 4.0).

How does 08540 compare with the rest of Princeton?

Rank of 08540 among the residential ZIP codes of its town, county and state (1 = the most; income and home value among ZIP codes of 1,000+ people living in households)
Measure08540In PrincetonIn Mercer CountyIn NJ
People (ACS 2020-2024)50,3881st of 31st of 2626th of 598
Median household income$177k1st of 23rd of 2262nd of 476
Median home value$768k1st of 23rd of 2277th of 515

Its median household income is higher than in 98% of U.S. residential ZIP codes, and it is denser than 78% of all U.S. residential ZIP codes. ZIP codes at the ACS caps ($250,000 or more for household income, $2,000,000 or more for home value) share the top rank.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B01003, B19013, B25077); ranks by PlainZIP over residential ZIP codes (ZCTAs).

How many people live in 08540?

The 2020 Census counted 48,216 people in 08540; the ACS, which samples households over 2020-2024, estimates 50,388. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew 2.3% (its boundary stayed at least 90% the same).

People, ACS 2020-2024
50,388
2020 Census count
48,216+2.3% since 2010 (47,115)
Households
18,609
Median age
40.6

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B01003, B01002, B11001); 2020 Census (DHC P1); 2010 Census (SF1 P1).

Who lives in 08540?

Of the 50,388 people the ACS estimates in 08540, 22.7% are under 18 and 15.0% are 65 or older. The largest group by race and Hispanic origin is White (not Hispanic) (49.5%), then Asian (not Hispanic) (33.2%).

  • Under 1822.7%
  • 18 to 6462.4%
  • 65 and older15.0%
Age of the people of 08540 (ACS 2020-2024, B01001)
  • White, not Hispanic49.5%
  • Asian, not Hispanic33.2%
  • Hispanic or Latino7.4%
  • Black, not Hispanic5.5%
  • Other or two or more4.4%
Race and Hispanic origin in 08540 (ACS 2020-2024, B03002); each person counted once

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B01001 age by sex, B03002 Hispanic or Latino origin by race); shares of the estimated population, small ZIP codes carry wide margins.

What do households in 08540 earn?

Median household income is $176,983 (ACS 2020-2024), the 3rd highest of the 22 ranked ZIP codes in Mercer County. It is not measurably different from 2015-2019 ($176,937 in 2024 dollars): the change is within the surveys' margins of error.

Median household income
$176,983
Income per person
$89,601
Below the poverty line
8.2%
Unemployed (of the labor force)
4.1%
Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree
82.7%
Adjusted gross income per tax return, 2022
$271,70122,230 returns; wages 61% of AGI (IRS)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 and 2015-2019 5-year estimates (B19013, B19301, B17001, B23025, B15003; 2015-2019 dollars converted with the BLS CPI-U, 1.22699); IRS Statistics of Income, ZIP code data, tax year 2022 (adjusted gross income per return, filed under the address on the return).

What are homes worth in 08540?

FHFA's house price index for 08540, built from repeat sales and appraisals of the same homes, rose 65% from 2015 to 2025 and rose 49% from 2020 to 2025, and moved +3.1% in 2025.

Median home value (owners' estimate)
$767,900
Median gross rent
$2,218
Homes owned by their occupants
63.7%
Housing units
19,622
0 200 400 600 800 1000 197919902000201020202025 0 200 400 600 800 1000 197919902000201020202025 0 200 400 600 800 1000 197919902000201020202025
Index = 100 in 1979, the first year FHFA reports for 08540; 2025: 929.3. Annual, not seasonally adjusted; FHFA calls its ZIP-level indexes developmental.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B25077, B25064, B25003, B25001); FHFA House Price Index, annual five-digit ZIP, updated 2026-03-31.

What businesses are in 08540?

2,180 business establishments had a location in this ZIP code in 2023, 1 fewer than in 2018; the most are in professional, scientific, and technical services (ZIP Code Business Patterns).

  • Professional, scientific, and technical services784
  • Health care and social assistance259
  • Finance and insurance157
  • Other services (except public administration)132
  • Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services129
  • Accommodation and food services121

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023 and 2018 (establishments with paid employees, by the business's ZIP code).

Which ZIP codes are next to 08540?

ZIP codes that share a boundary with 08540, then the nearest by center
ZIPTownPeopleHousehold incomeDistance
08542Princeton2,533$106k0.7 mi
08544Princeton4,392–1.3 mi
08528Kingston321–2.5 mi
08553Rocky Hill819$148k2.6 mi
08558Skillman7,648$236k4.2 mi
08536Plainsboro20,817$138k4.3 mi
08502Belle Mead11,849$227k5.8 mi
08550Princeton Junction21,067$224k6.1 mi
08852Monmouth Junction18,062$133k6.2 mi
08648Lawrence Township31,323$126k6.4 mi
08824Kendall Park13,366$175k6.7 mi
08525Hopewell4,522$165k6.9 mi

Source: PlainZIP from the Census 2020 ZCTA boundaries (shared edges) and internal points; figures ACS 2020-2024.