08520 ZIP Code — Hightstown, NJ

Mercer County, New Jersey

ZIP code 08520 is located in Hightstown, New Jersey, within Mercer County. It covers approximately 18.04 square miles and serves a population of 29,296 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 609.

About ZIP code 08520

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the 1970s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $339,600. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 70%.

The gap between median ($115,931) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up. The poverty rate of 5% is below the national average.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 30 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is high — 48% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national average of 33%.

Notable community characteristics include Spanish spoken in 21% of households.

29,296

population

18.04

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

08520 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 08520

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 08520. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Hightstown	Acceptable
Hightstown	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

08691 Robbinsville (4 mi) 08535 Millstone Township (4.2 mi) 08512 Cranbury (5.3 mi) 08550 Princeton Junction (6 mi) 08510 Millstone Township (6.1 mi) 08536 Plainsboro (7.2 mi) 08690 Trenton (7.5 mi) 08831 Monroe Township (7.7 mi) 08501 Allentown (7.8 mi) 07726 Englishtown (8.3 mi) 08514 Cream Ridge (8.3 mi) 08810 Dayton (8.5 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	29,296
Population density	1,624 / sq mi
State FIPS	34
County FIPS	021

Geography
Land area	18.04 sq mi
Water area	0.12 sq mi
Latitude	40.2491
Longitude	-74.5151
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	24.2%	30.6%	30.2%
$50k – $100k	25.6%	25.8%	26.7%
$100k – $200k	33.7%	28.0%	28.3%
Over $200k	16.5%	15.6%	14.8%

Demographics & statistics

29,296

Population

1,624

People per sq mi

38.9

Median age

$115,931

Median household income

$51,112

Per capita income

$339,600

Median home value

$1,533

Median monthly rent

70.4%

Home ownership

5.2%

Poverty rate

3.5%

Unemployment

7,987

Housing units

48.0%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

919

Under 5

886

882

5–9

851

908

10–14

876

822

15–19

792

997

20–24

962

2,094

25–34

2,020

1,951

35–44

1,881

2,378

45–54

2,293

826

55–59

796

1,027

60–64

990

1,161

65–74

1,119

668

75–84

644

282

85+

271

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	6,408	21.9%
18 and over	22,888	78.1%
65 and over	4,145	14.1%
Median age	38.9 years

Race & ethnicity

White 55.4%

Asian 17.2%

Hispanic or Latino 9.6%

Two or more races 6.8%

Black or African American 6.2%

Other race 4.8%

Group	Count	%
White	17,958	55.4%
Asian	5,566	17.2%
Hispanic or Latino	3,122	9.6%
Two or more races	2,214	6.8%
Black or African American	2,003	6.2%
Other race	1,555	4.8%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	24.2%	30.6%	30.2%
$50k – $100k	25.6%	25.8%	26.7%
$100k – $200k	33.7%	28.0%	28.3%
Over $200k	16.5%	15.6%	14.8%

Under $10k 1.6%

$10k–$15k 2.2%

$15k–$25k 4.0%

$25k–$35k 3.9%

$35k–$50k 8.5%

$50k–$75k 9.5%

$75k–$100k 14.5%

$100k–$150k 20.4%

$150k–$200k 13.6%

$200k+ 21.9%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	1.6%
$10k–$15k	2.2%
$15k–$25k	4.0%
$25k–$35k	3.9%
$35k–$50k	8.5%
$50k–$75k	9.5%
$75k–$100k	14.5%
$100k–$150k	20.4%
$150k–$200k	13.6%
$200k+	21.9%
Median income	$115,931

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 0.9%

$50k–$100k 1.6%

$100k–$150k 2.2%

$150k–$200k 4.8%

$200k–$300k 30.8%

$300k–$500k 41.3%

$500k–$1M 17.8%

$1M+ 0.6%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$339,600
Median rent / month	$1,533
Owner occupied	70.4%
Renter occupied	29.6%
Vacant	5.5%
Single-family detached	42.3%
Large apartment buildings	7.8%
Mobile homes	1.8%
Median rooms	5.6
Avg household size (owned)	2.95

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.2%
2010–2019	4.7%
2000–2009	8.6%
1990–1999	6.9%
1980–1989	14.4%
1970–1979	25.1%
1960–1969	18.0%
1950–1959	10.5%
1940–1949	3.1%
1939 or earlier	8.4%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	2.5%
1 bedroom	16.1%
2 bedrooms	23.7%
3 bedrooms	32.4%
4 bedrooms	21.6%
5+ bedrooms	3.7%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	6.1%
1 vehicle	29.7%
2 vehicles	42.4%
3 or more	21.8%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	76.5%
Electricity	18.6%
Propane / LP gas	1.1%
Fuel oil	3.4%
No fuel used	0.4%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	6,337	60.5%
Cohabiting couple	587	5.6%
Male householder, no spouse	1,404	13.4%
Female householder, no spouse	2,152	20.5%
Households with children under 18	3,762	35.9%
Households with seniors (65+)	2,887	27.5%
Average household size	2.78

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	31.6%	29.1%
Married	60.5%	54.6%
Separated	0.8%	1.1%
Widowed	1.1%	7.7%
Divorced	6.0%	7.4%

Education

Less than 9th grade 3.4%

Some HS, no diploma 4.3%

HS graduate 24.6%

Some college, no degree 12.3%

Associate's degree 7.4%

Bachelor's degree 29.1%

Graduate / professional 18.9%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	92.3%
Bachelor's or higher	48.0%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	334	5.3%
Kindergarten	286	4.5%
Elementary school	2,783	43.8%
High school	1,450	22.8%
College / grad school	1,496	23.6%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 20.2%

Professional & management 14.5%

Retail trade 13.4%

Manufacturing 10.0%

Transportation & utilities 8.0%

Arts, food & hospitality 7.5%

Finance & real estate 7.4%

Other services 6.0%

Wholesale trade 4.9%

Construction 3.1%

Public administration 3.0%

Information 1.3%

Agriculture & mining 0.5%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	44.6%
Service	13.7%
Sales & office	21.7%
Natural resources & construction	4.7%
Production & transportation	15.3%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	88.3%
Government	9.1%
Self-employed	2.4%
Unpaid family workers	0.2%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	70.4%
Carpool	8.2%
Public transit	3.3%
Walk	1.1%
Work from home	14.1%
Other means	3.0%
Avg commute (minutes)	29.6

Poverty

All people 5.2%

Under 18 years 9.6%

18 and over 4.0%

Married-couple families 0.8%

Female-led households 15.1%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	25.5%
Retirement income	23.1%
Supplemental Security	3.8%
Cash public assistance	1.3%
Food stamps / SNAP	3.9%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	26.3%
High blood pressure	0.0%
High cholesterol	0.0%
Diabetes	7.8%
Heart disease	4.5%
Stroke	2.1%
Asthma	8.7%
Arthritis	18.3%
Kidney disease	2.2%
Pulmonary disease	4.2%
Cancer	5.4%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	11.8%
Binge drinking	16.1%
No physical activity	18.1%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	32.7%
Depression	16.6%
Fair or poor health	9.6%
Poor mental health	12.7%
Poor physical health	7.1%
No health insurance	13.7%
Visited doctor (checkup)	73.9%
Visited dentist	68.4%
Cholesterol screening	0.0%
Teeth loss	8.9%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	673	2.9%

Disability	%
Any disability	7.8%
Under 18	3.3%
18–64 years	4.9%
65 and over	28.4%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	76.8%
Public insurance	24.5%
No insurance	8.2%
Uninsured under 19	2.3%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	27,491	93.8%
Spanish	5,792	21.1%
Other Indo-European	3,597	13.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander	1,285	4.7%
Other languages	781	2.8%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	20,193	68.9%
Born in same state	19,758	67.4%
Born in different state	13,577	46.3%
Foreign born	435	1.5%
Naturalized citizen	9,103	31.1%
Not a US citizen	5,037	55.3%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	2,915	10%
French	1,258	4.3%
Arab	685	2.3%
Irish	301	1%
Dutch	186	0.6%

Ancestry	Count	%
Polish	50	0.2%
German	45	0.2%
Norwegian	45	0.2%
English	44	0.2%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	35.8%
Internet access	97.3%

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

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 08520

What city is ZIP code 08520 in?

ZIP code 08520 is primarily assigned to Hightstown, New Jersey.

What county is ZIP code 08520 in?

ZIP code 08520 falls within Mercer County, New Jersey.

Is Spanish widely spoken in ZIP code 08520?

Approximately 21% of households in ZIP code 08520 speak Spanish as a primary language.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 08520?

48% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher — well above the national average of ~33%, reflecting a highly educated population.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 08520?

The median home value in ZIP code 08520 is $339,600.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 08520?

The median household income in ZIP code 08520 is $115,931, above the national median of ~$75,000.

What timezone is ZIP code 08520 in?

ZIP code 08520 observes the EST timezone.