08079 ZIP Code — Salem, NJ

Salem County, New Jersey

ZIP code 08079 is located in Salem, New Jersey, within Salem County. It covers approximately 88.68 square miles and serves a population of 10,426 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 856/609.

About ZIP code 08079

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the pre-1940, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $169,100. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 57%.

Median household income is $50,975. Poverty affects 19% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 20% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 42% 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 28 minutes is near the national average.

College attainment at 18% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Health indicators show elevated rates of smoking (21%) compared to national benchmarks.

Overall, ZIP code 08079 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, a significant Social Security-dependent population, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

10,426

population

88.68

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

08079 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 08079

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 08079. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Salem	Acceptable
Salem	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

08070 Pennsville (7.6 mi) 08353 Shiloh (9.3 mi) 08098 Woodstown (9.5 mi) 19720 New Castle (10.5 mi) 08323 Greenwich (10.7 mi) 19721 New Castle (11 mi) 08069 Penns Grove (12.1 mi) 08302 Bridgeton (12.4 mi) 19709 Middletown (12.6 mi) 08318 Elmer (13 mi) 19801 Wilmington (13.6 mi) 08067 Pedricktown (14.1 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	10,426
Population density	118 / sq mi
State FIPS	34
County FIPS	033

Geography
Land area	88.68 sq mi
Water area	8.97 sq mi
Latitude	39.5319
Longitude	-75.4463
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	856/609

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	55.6%	39.1%	30.2%
$50k – $100k	19.4%	27.7%	26.7%
$100k – $200k	20.8%	26.5%	28.3%
Over $200k	4.1%	6.7%	14.8%

Demographics & statistics

10,426

Population

118

People per sq mi

40.0

Median age

$50,975

Median household income

$32,400

Per capita income

$169,100

Median home value

$1,033

Median monthly rent

57.1%

Home ownership

19.0%

Poverty rate

6.9%

Unemployment

3,321

Housing units

17.6%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

365

Under 5

425

355

5–9

414

303

10–14

353

150

15–19

175

298

20–24

347

635

25–34

742

533

35–44

622

490

45–54

572

336

55–59

392

402

60–64

468

528

65–74

616

267

75–84

311

151

85+

176

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	2,503	24.0%
18 and over	7,923	76.0%
65 and over	2,049	19.7%
Median age	40.0 years

Race & ethnicity

White 60.1%

Black or African American 33.8%

Two or more races 2.5%

Hispanic or Latino 1.7%

Asian 0.6%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%

Other race 0.6%

Group	Count	%
White	6,374	60.1%
Black or African American	3,587	33.8%
Two or more races	266	2.5%
Hispanic or Latino	184	1.7%
Asian	68	0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	68	0.6%
Other race	63	0.6%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	55.6%	39.1%	30.2%
$50k – $100k	19.4%	27.7%	26.7%
$100k – $200k	20.8%	26.5%	28.3%
Over $200k	4.1%	6.7%	14.8%

Under $10k 4.5%

$10k–$15k 12.3%

$15k–$25k 8.0%

$25k–$35k 9.7%

$35k–$50k 14.9%

$50k–$75k 13.3%

$75k–$100k 10.4%

$100k–$150k 13.4%

$150k–$200k 7.4%

$200k+ 6.0%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	4.5%
$10k–$15k	12.3%
$15k–$25k	8.0%
$25k–$35k	9.7%
$35k–$50k	14.9%
$50k–$75k	13.3%
$75k–$100k	10.4%
$100k–$150k	13.4%
$150k–$200k	7.4%
$200k+	6.0%
Median income	$50,975

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 12.5%

$50k–$100k 16.7%

$100k–$150k 11.2%

$150k–$200k 19.1%

$200k–$300k 21.6%

$300k–$500k 16.1%

$500k–$1M 2.5%

$1M+ 0.3%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$169,100
Median rent / month	$1,033
Owner occupied	57.1%
Renter occupied	42.9%
Vacant	18.4%
Single-family detached	59.9%
Large apartment buildings	1.9%
Mobile homes	1.9%
Median rooms	5.7
Avg household size (owned)	2.40

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.3%
2010–2019	3.2%
2000–2009	4.3%
1990–1999	6.3%
1980–1989	6.7%
1970–1979	8.6%
1960–1969	10.5%
1950–1959	13.6%
1940–1949	13.9%
1939 or earlier	32.7%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	1.9%
1 bedroom	10.0%
2 bedrooms	31.4%
3 bedrooms	42.4%
4 bedrooms	10.2%
5+ bedrooms	4.1%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	17.6%
1 vehicle	31.1%
2 vehicles	30.6%
3 or more	20.7%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	28.5%
Electricity	19.1%
Propane / LP gas	7.9%
Fuel oil	40.3%
Wood	3.1%
Solar	0.5%
No fuel used	0.3%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	1,521	36.5%
Cohabiting couple	263	6.3%
Male householder, no spouse	740	17.8%
Female householder, no spouse	1,644	39.4%
Households with children under 18	1,175	28.2%
Households with seniors (65+)	1,579	37.9%
Average household size	2.46

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	35.4%	37.8%
Married	44.4%	35.3%
Separated	1.3%	2.4%
Widowed	6.0%	14.8%
Divorced	12.9%	9.6%

Education

Less than 9th grade 4.6%

Some HS, no diploma 8.6%

HS graduate 42.1%

Some college, no degree 18.9%

Associate's degree 8.2%

Bachelor's degree 11.6%

Graduate / professional 6.0%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	86.8%
Bachelor's or higher	17.6%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	191	8.4%
Kindergarten	98	4.3%
Elementary school	1,256	55.3%
High school	354	15.6%
College / grad school	372	16.4%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 24.8%

Professional & management 11.0%

Transportation & utilities 10.3%

Retail trade 9.6%

Manufacturing 9.3%

Arts, food & hospitality 8.3%

Finance & real estate 5.7%

Public administration 5.6%

Construction 4.5%

Wholesale trade 4.2%

Other services 3.9%

Agriculture & mining 2.4%

Information 0.5%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	30.4%
Service	20.2%
Sales & office	19.2%
Natural resources & construction	9.0%
Production & transportation	21.1%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	79.0%
Government	16.4%
Self-employed	4.6%
Unpaid family workers	0.0%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	76.2%
Carpool	8.3%
Public transit	2.6%
Walk	2.3%
Work from home	9.1%
Other means	1.7%
Avg commute (minutes)	28.1

Poverty

All people 19.0%

Under 18 years 27.2%

18 and over 16.5%

Married-couple families 4.5%

Female-led households 20.1%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	42.2%
Retirement income	29.7%
Supplemental Security	10.5%
Cash public assistance	0.8%
Food stamps / SNAP	20.1%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	39.9%
High blood pressure	0.0%
High cholesterol	0.0%
Diabetes	13.5%
Heart disease	7.9%
Stroke	4.5%
Asthma	11.5%
Arthritis	27.2%
Kidney disease	3.8%
Pulmonary disease	8.9%
Cancer	6.9%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	20.9%
Binge drinking	15.5%
No physical activity	30.6%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	40.2%
Depression	20.9%
Fair or poor health	19.5%
Poor mental health	16.6%
Poor physical health	12.8%
No health insurance	16.5%
Visited doctor (checkup)	78.5%
Visited dentist	56.2%
Cholesterol screening	0.0%
Teeth loss	19.0%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	512	6.5%

Disability	%
Any disability	20.0%
Under 18	9.5%
18–64 years	17.2%
65 and over	41.4%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	59.1%
Public insurance	51.5%
No insurance	4.0%
Uninsured under 19	0.8%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	9,636	92.4%
Spanish	376	3.9%
Other Indo-European	355	3.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander	2	0.0%
Other languages	19	0.2%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	10,253	98.3%
Born in same state	10,015	96.1%
Born in different state	7,755	74.4%
Foreign born	238	2.3%
Naturalized citizen	173	1.7%
Not a US citizen	86	49.7%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	1,297	12.4%
French	1,036	9.9%
Arab	352	3.4%
English	165	1.6%

Ancestry	Count	%
Polish	46	0.4%
German	28	0.3%
Irish	11	0.1%
Dutch	3	0%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	40.0%
Internet access	86.4%

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

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 08079

What city is ZIP code 08079 in?

ZIP code 08079 is primarily assigned to Salem, New Jersey.

What county is ZIP code 08079 in?

ZIP code 08079 falls within Salem County, New Jersey.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 08079?

19% of residents in ZIP code 08079 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

Does ZIP code 08079 have a large retiree population?

42% of households in ZIP code 08079 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 08079?

The median home value in ZIP code 08079 is $169,100.

What is the population of ZIP code 08079?

ZIP code 08079 has an estimated population of 10,426 residents, with a density of 118 people per square mile.

What timezone is ZIP code 08079 in?

ZIP code 08079 observes the EST timezone.