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ZIP Code08872

Sayreville, NJ

Middlesex County · New Jersey · United States
Home to 20,040 people across 9.461 square miles.

Eastern45 ZIPs in county

At a glance

08872 by the numbers

Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.

Population
20k
±1,084 · top 25% nationally
Median household income
$97,204
US median $70,109 · top 25%
Median home value
$404,300
US median $207,500 · top 25%
Median age
39.2
US median 42 years
Population density
2,118/mi²
top 25% most dense
Land area
9.461 mi²
plus 1.346 mi² water

Location

Where 08872 is

40.455736, -74.351468 · Census ZCTA internal pointOpen larger map →
Coordinates40.455736, -74.351468
Time zoneAmerica/New_York
CountyMiddlesex County
StateNew Jersey (NJ)
Land area9.461 mi²
Coordinate sourceCensus ZCTA internal point

Local time

America/New_York

—:—:—

Current weather

Live from the National Weather Service

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Distance to major cities

Straight-line, computed from coordinates

New York, NY25.4 mi
Philadelphia, PA55.2 mi
Boston, MA215.4 mi
Chicago, IL696.9 mi

People

Who lives in 08872

20,040 residents in 7,382 households, averaging 2.71 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 22.7% of residents.

Age distribution

Share of residents by age band

Under 1822.7%
18-248.2%
25-3412.9%
35-4413.8%
45-5415.7%
55-6413.0%
65+13.7%

Households

Composition and size

Total households7,382
Average household size2.71
Family households69.4%
Living alone25.4%
Median age39.2 years
Households with internet92.8%

Race & ethnicity

Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.

White46.9%
Black19.5%
Asian18.8%
Native American0.1%
Pacific Islander0.1%
Other8.1%
Two or more6.6%
Hispanic / Latino15.8%

Income & work

What people earn in 08872

The median household here earns $97,204 a year, above the US median of $70,109, which puts 08872 ahead of 81% of American ZIP codes. 6.2% of residents live below the poverty line.

Compared to the US

This ZIP against the national median

Median household income$97,204
LowestHighest
Higher than 81% of all US ZIP codes.
Median household income$97,204 ±$12,078
Per capita income$45,285
Poverty rate6.2%
Unemployment rate3.9%
Labor force participation69.8%

Household income distribution

Share of households in each bracket

<$25k8.2%
$25-50k15.5%
$50-75k13.7%
$75-100k12.8%
$100-150k20.1%
$150-200k12.9%
$200k+16.8%

Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 36.1% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 90.2% finished high school.

Housing

Homes and rent in 08872

A typical home is valued at $404,300, and median rent runs $1,594 a month. Ownership is close to even at 59.0% owned, and the typical building went up in 1976.

Costs

Typical values

Median home value$404,300
Median gross rent$1,594/mo
Median year built1976
Housing units7,837
Vacancy rate5.8%

Own vs. rent

Of 7,382 occupied units

Owner-occupied59.0%
Renter-occupied41.0%
Owner households4,359
Renter households3,023

Building types

Units by structure size

Single family64.2%
2-4 units9.3%
5-19 units23.5%
20+ units3.0%

Getting to work

How 08872 commutes

75.3% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 33.5 minutes.

Mode of transport

Workers 16 and older

Drove alone75.3%
Carpooled9.5%
Public transit5.1%
Walked0.5%
Worked from home6.7%

Travel time

Mean commute 33.5 minutes

<10 min7.5%
10-1923.2%
20-2919.2%
30-4424.7%
45-5911.6%
60+13.8%

Overview

Understanding ZIP code 08872

ZIP code 08872 is assigned to Sayreville, NJ, and falls within Middlesex County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 20,040 people live inside it.

At 2,118 residents per square mile spread over 9.461 square miles, 08872 reads as a suburban area. It is a mid-sized postal code by population, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.

Household earnings run above the national median. At $97,204, 08872 sits comfortably in the upper half, ahead of 81% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.

Living here

What life in Sayreville looks like

Housing in 08872 costs well above the national median. A typical home is valued at $404,300 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $1,594 a month. The split between owning and renting is fairly even at 59.0% owner-occupied, which tends to indicate a mix of housing types rather than one dominant form.

The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 64.2% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1976, making the housing here from the later twentieth century.

The population skews broadly in line with the national age profile, with a median age of 39.2 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.71 people, and 69.4% are family households.

Getting to work takes 33.5 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 75.3% of workers.

Where to stay

Where to stay in Sayreville, NJ

Sayreville is largely suburban in character. Accommodation here skews toward mid-range chain hotels and extended-stay properties positioned near highway junctions and business parks, which suits anyone driving in or visiting for work rather than sightseeing.

Median rent in 08872 is $1,594 a month, which sits in the middle of the national range; accommodation pricing locally tends to be similarly mid-market. For reference, New York, NY is about 25.4 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.

Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.

Book a Hotel →

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Practical uses

What ZIP code 08872 is used for

Beyond addressing mail, 08872 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.

For anyone weighing a move, 08872 offers a compact profile of Sayreville: 20,040 residents, a median household income of $97,204, 36.1% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 3.9%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.

One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 08872 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Sayreville may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.

Nearby

ZIP codes near 08872

The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every New Jersey ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.

Other ZIP codes in Sayreville

Sayreville is served by 2 postal codes.

More in Middlesex County

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Questions

Common questions about 08872

What city is ZIP code 08872 in?
08872 serves Sayreville, New Jersey, in Middlesex County, United States.
What is the population of 08872?
About 20,040 people live in ZIP code 08872, according to the US Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. The margin of error on that figure is ±1,084. That works out to roughly 2,118 people per square mile.
What is the average income in 08872?
The median household income in 08872 is $97,204 per year, compared with a US median of $70,109. Per capita income is $45,285. Median income is more representative than an average because it isn't skewed by a small number of very high earners.
How expensive is housing in 08872?
The median home value is $404,300 and median gross rent is $1,594 a month. 59.0% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Is 08872 a good place to live?
That depends on what you're looking for, but here are the facts: 36.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the unemployment rate is 3.9%, and the median age is 39.2. The average commute is 33.5 minutes. We publish the numbers and let you weigh them.
What time zone is 08872 in?
08872 observes Eastern Time (America/New_York). This zone observes daylight saving time.
How big is ZIP code 08872?
ZIP code 08872 covers 9.461 square miles of land plus 1.346 square miles of water, per the US Census Bureau's 2023 Gazetteer files.
Is 08872 urban, suburban or rural?
By population density, 08872 reads as a suburban area. It holds 2,118 people per square mile across 9.461 square miles of land. For reference, densities above 10,000 per square mile generally indicate an urban core, 1,000–3,000 is typically suburban, and under 200 is rural. These are rules of thumb rather than official designations — the Census Bureau classifies urban and rural areas by census block, not by ZIP code.
How much is rent in 08872?
Median gross rent in 08872 is $1,594 a month, according to the American Community Survey. Gross rent includes contract rent plus the estimated cost of utilities and fuels, so it is closer to what a tenant actually pays than a headline rent figure. Of 7,382 occupied homes here, 3,023 are rented.
What is the commute like from 08872?
The average one-way commute from 08872 takes about 33.5 minutes. The most common way to travel is drove alone, used by 75.3% of workers aged 16 and over. Commute figures cover people who were employed and working outside the home during the survey period.
How many people work in 08872?
About 10,732 residents of 08872 are employed. Labor force participation stands at 69.8% and the unemployment rate is 3.9%. Note this counts residents by where they live, not by where they work — a ZIP with many offices can have far more jobs than employed residents.
Where should I stay when visiting 08872?
Accommodation in and around Sayreville, NJ ranges with the character of the area. See the 'Where to stay' section on this page for local context, and use the live search there for current availability and pricing.
Does 08872 cover more than one city or county?
This page lists Sayreville as the primary place and Middlesex County as the county. ZIP codes follow mail delivery routes rather than municipal or county lines, so a single code can straddle boundaries, and USPS also recognises alternate acceptable city names for many codes. If you need the definitive answer for a specific street address, the USPS ZIP Code Lookup is the authority.
Can ZIP code 08872 change?
Yes. USPS adjusts ZIP codes as delivery volumes shift — codes are occasionally split, merged, retired or newly created, and boundaries move more often than most people assume. The Census Bureau's ZCTA definitions, which underpin the demographic figures on this page, are redrawn only once a decade, so the two can drift apart between censuses.

Methodology

Where this data comes from

  • Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
  • Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 08872. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
  • Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
  • Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
  • Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
On accuracy. ACS figures are survey estimates, not counts. The margin of error shown alongside the population figure means the true value has a 90% chance of falling in that range. For small ZIP codes the error can be large relative to the estimate — treat the direction as more reliable than the exact number. This page reports data for ZCTA 08872, the Census approximation of the USPS delivery area.