08204 ZIP Code — Cape May, NJ

Cape May County, New Jersey

ZIP code 08204 is located in Cape May, New Jersey, within Cape May County. It covers approximately 20.46 square miles and serves a population of 17,392 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 609.

About ZIP code 08204

The housing stock consists of predominantly single-family detached homes. Most homes were built in the 1970s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $345,900. Owner-occupancy is high at 78%, well above the national average.

The gap between median ($76,624) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up. 48% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 17 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 36% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Overall, ZIP code 08204 reflects a community defined by high homeownership and a significant Social Security-dependent population.

17,392

population

20.46

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

08204 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 08204

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 08204. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Cape May	Acceptable
Cape May	Acceptable
Cape May	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

08242 Rio Grande (2.9 mi) 08251 Villas (3.1 mi) 08260 Wildwood (4.1 mi) 08247 Stone Harbor (8.5 mi) 08210 Cape May Court House (9.9 mi) 08202 Avalon (11.8 mi) 08314 Delmont (16.1 mi) 08243 Sea Isle City (16.2 mi) 08324 Heislerville (18.3 mi) 08327 Leesburg (18.4 mi) 08230 Ocean View (18.5 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	17,392
Population density	850 / sq mi
State FIPS	34
County FIPS	009

Geography
Land area	20.46 sq mi
Water area	3.32 sq mi
Latitude	38.9858
Longitude	-74.9062
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	609

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	36.3%	34.9%	30.2%
$50k – $100k	31.3%	31.1%	26.7%
$100k – $200k	26.1%	25.0%	28.3%
Over $200k	6.3%	9.0%	14.8%

Demographics & statistics

17,392

Population

850

People per sq mi

48.9

Median age

$76,624

Median household income

$46,580

Per capita income

$345,900

Median home value

$1,180

Median monthly rent

77.8%

Home ownership

8.3%

Poverty rate

5.6%

Unemployment

11,174

Housing units

35.9%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

418

Under 5

416

506

5–9

502

436

10–14

434

441

15–19

438

457

20–24

455

1,031

25–34

1,024

877

35–44

872

778

45–54

774

507

55–59

504

959

60–64

954

1,344

65–74

1,336

692

75–84

688

275

85+

274

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	3,264	18.8%
18 and over	14,128	81.2%
65 and over	4,609	26.5%
Median age	48.9 years

Race & ethnicity

White 85.6%

Two or more races 5.3%

Hispanic or Latino 4.2%

Other race 2.5%

Black or African American 1.5%

Asian 0.8%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Group	Count	%
White	15,540	85.6%
Two or more races	965	5.3%
Hispanic or Latino	757	4.2%
Other race	461	2.5%
Black or African American	265	1.5%
Asian	149	0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	12	0.1%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	36.3%	34.9%	30.2%
$50k – $100k	31.3%	31.1%	26.7%
$100k – $200k	26.1%	25.0%	28.3%
Over $200k	6.3%	9.0%	14.8%

Under $10k 4.0%

$10k–$15k 4.2%

$15k–$25k 6.0%

$25k–$35k 10.1%

$35k–$50k 8.2%

$50k–$75k 16.5%

$75k–$100k 13.0%

$100k–$150k 19.2%

$150k–$200k 9.0%

$200k+ 9.8%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	4.0%
$10k–$15k	4.2%
$15k–$25k	6.0%
$25k–$35k	10.1%
$35k–$50k	8.2%
$50k–$75k	16.5%
$75k–$100k	13.0%
$100k–$150k	19.2%
$150k–$200k	9.0%
$200k+	9.8%
Median income	$76,624

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 3.5%

$50k–$100k 0.7%

$100k–$150k 1.5%

$150k–$200k 5.4%

$200k–$300k 29.7%

$300k–$500k 32.9%

$500k–$1M 21.1%

$1M+ 5.2%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$345,900
Median rent / month	$1,180
Owner occupied	77.8%
Renter occupied	22.2%
Vacant	39.6%
Single-family detached	74.0%
Large apartment buildings	3.8%
Mobile homes	2.4%
Median rooms	5.8
Avg household size (owned)	2.13

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.3%
2010–2019	3.1%
2000–2009	7.5%
1990–1999	11.0%
1980–1989	16.6%
1970–1979	21.0%
1960–1969	11.1%
1950–1959	12.8%
1940–1949	2.8%
1939 or earlier	13.8%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	1.1%
1 bedroom	6.4%
2 bedrooms	26.2%
3 bedrooms	41.2%
4 bedrooms	18.8%
5+ bedrooms	6.2%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	6.1%
1 vehicle	36.7%
2 vehicles	40.1%
3 or more	17.1%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	71.8%
Electricity	22.7%
Propane / LP gas	1.9%
Fuel oil	1.8%
Wood	0.4%
Solar	0.4%
No fuel used	0.6%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	3,808	48.9%
Cohabiting couple	324	4.2%
Male householder, no spouse	1,421	18.2%
Female householder, no spouse	2,234	28.7%
Households with children under 18	1,949	25.0%
Households with seniors (65+)	3,385	43.5%
Average household size	2.17

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	29.6%	17.8%
Married	56.8%	53.2%
Separated	0.7%	0.8%
Widowed	5.9%	14.9%
Divorced	7.0%	13.2%

Education

Less than 9th grade 2.1%

Some HS, no diploma 3.4%

HS graduate 30.8%

Some college, no degree 20.2%

Associate's degree 7.7%

Bachelor's degree 25.6%

Graduate / professional 10.3%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	94.5%
Bachelor's or higher	35.9%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	193	5.9%
Kindergarten	286	8.8%
Elementary school	1,375	42.3%
High school	779	23.9%
College / grad school	621	19.1%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 23.3%

Arts, food & hospitality 22.4%

Retail trade 10.8%

Construction 10.5%

Professional & management 9.4%

Public administration 7.2%

Finance & real estate 6.4%

Other services 3.3%

Transportation & utilities 2.2%

Manufacturing 1.3%

Wholesale trade 1.3%

Information 1.3%

Agriculture & mining 0.6%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	34.2%
Service	28.6%
Sales & office	18.5%
Natural resources & construction	10.4%
Production & transportation	8.3%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	71.6%
Government	19.9%
Self-employed	8.1%
Unpaid family workers	0.5%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	70.5%
Carpool	13.3%
Public transit	0.8%
Walk	5.4%
Work from home	4.8%
Other means	5.2%
Avg commute (minutes)	17.3

Poverty

All people 8.3%

Under 18 years 7.7%

18 and over 8.4%

Married-couple families 4.3%

Female-led households 0.8%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	47.6%
Retirement income	35.0%
Supplemental Security	5.6%
Cash public assistance	0.9%
Food stamps / SNAP	5.2%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	28.0%
High blood pressure	0.0%
High cholesterol	0.0%
Diabetes	9.9%
Heart disease	7.6%
Stroke	3.2%
Asthma	9.6%
Arthritis	26.5%
Kidney disease	3.1%
Pulmonary disease	7.0%
Cancer	8.6%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	13.4%
Binge drinking	17.4%
No physical activity	20.0%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	29.9%
Depression	17.9%
Fair or poor health	12.2%
Poor mental health	13.3%
Poor physical health	9.5%
No health insurance	11.1%
Visited doctor (checkup)	78.5%
Visited dentist	69.8%
Cholesterol screening	0.0%
Teeth loss	10.3%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	1,229	9.1%

Disability	%
Any disability	14.1%
Under 18	4.9%
18–64 years	9.9%
65 and over	29.3%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	70.8%
Public insurance	43.2%
No insurance	6.1%
Uninsured under 19	3.4%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	16,558	95.2%
Spanish	554	3.3%
Other Indo-European	248	1.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander	64	0.4%
Other languages	81	0.5%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	16,231	93.3%
Born in same state	15,842	91.1%
Born in different state	8,000	46.0%
Foreign born	389	2.2%
Naturalized citizen	1,161	6.7%
Not a US citizen	704	60.6%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	4,848	27.9%
French	2,124	12.2%
Arab	873	5%
English	291	1.7%
Polish	230	1.3%

Ancestry	Count	%
Irish	212	1.2%
Dutch	167	1%
German	54	0.3%
Norwegian	53	0.3%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	44.8%
Internet access	95.6%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 08204

What city is ZIP code 08204 in?

ZIP code 08204 is primarily assigned to Cape May, New Jersey.

What county is ZIP code 08204 in?

ZIP code 08204 falls within Cape May County, New Jersey.

Does ZIP code 08204 have an older population?

27% of residents in ZIP code 08204 are 65 or older, above the national average of ~17%.

Does ZIP code 08204 have a large retiree population?

48% of households in ZIP code 08204 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 08204?

The median home value in ZIP code 08204 is $345,900.

Does ZIP code 08204 have a large veteran population?

9% of civilians in ZIP code 08204 are veterans, above the national average of ~7%.

What timezone is ZIP code 08204 in?

ZIP code 08204 observes the EST timezone.