08540 ZIP Code, Princeton, NJ
08540 is a ZIP code in Princeton, New Jersey — mostly in Mercer County (63% of its land), with smaller parts in Somerset and Middlesex counties. It covers 52 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 08542, 08544 and 08528. 50,388 people live here in 18,609 households, more than in 9 of every 10 New Jersey ZIP codes. With about 974 people per square mile it is lightly settled, and owners and renters are mixed (64% own). Median household income is $176,983, well above the New Jersey median of $103,556.
Quick facts
- Mailing city: Princeton, NJ
- County: Mercer County
- Land area: 52 sq mi
- Population: 50,388
- Median household income: $176,983
- Carrier routes: 48 (20,795 homes)
Key figures
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Residents | 50,388 |
| Households | 18,609 |
| Median household income | $176,983 |
| Income per person | $89,601 |
| Median age | 40.6 |
| Homeowners | 63.7% |
| Median home value | $767,900 |
| Median rent | $2,218 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 82.7% |
| Average commute (minutes) | 28.5 |
| Households with kids under 18 | 36.4% |
| Moved in the past year | 14.8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.2% |
| Broadband internet | 95.3% |
| Speak a non-English language at home | 41.8% |
Household income
| % of households | Value |
|---|---|
| <$10K | 4.2% |
| $10–15K | 2.7% |
| $15–25K | 3.1% |
| $25–35K | 1.7% |
| $35–50K | 4.9% |
| $50–75K | 7.6% |
| $75–100K | 8.1% |
| $100–150K | 11.5% |
| $150–200K | 10.7% |
| $200K+ | 45.5% |
Age
| % of all residents | Value |
|---|---|
| <10 | 10.5% |
| 10–19 | 15.4% |
| 20–24 | 7.3% |
| 25–34 | 10.0% |
| 35–44 | 13.1% |
| 45–54 | 15.2% |
| 55–64 | 13.4% |
| 65–74 | 8.0% |
| 75+ | 7.0% |
Tenure
| % of housing units | Value |
|---|---|
| Owned, with mortgage | 36.0% |
| Owned outright | 25.1% |
| Rented | 33.9% |
| Vacant | 5.1% |
Type of building
| % of housing units | Value |
|---|---|
| Detached house | 49.8% |
| Townhome | 18.6% |
| 2–4 units | 4.1% |
| 5–19 units | 13.8% |
| 20+ units | 13.8% |
| Mobile / other | 0.0% |
Businesses in 08540
2,180 business establishments with 48,656 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 784
- Health Care and Social Assistance: 259
- Finance and Insurance: 157
- Other Services (except Public Administration): 132
- Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services: 129
- Accommodation and Food Services: 121
- Retail Trade: 120
- Wholesale Trade: 88
EDDM carrier routes
08540 has 48 USPS carrier routes with 20,795 residential and 1,790 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.
Carrier routes in 08540
08540 has 48 USPS carrier routes (39 city (C), 9 rural (R)) with 20,795 residential and 1,790 business mailboxes. Routes range from 59 homes (C029) to 1,063 homes (C049); the median route has 430 homes. The Census counted 18,609 households in 08540 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.
| Homes per route | Routes |
|---|---|
| 1–249 | 5 |
| 250–499 | 23 |
| 500–749 | 14 |
| 750–999 | 3 |
| 1,000–1,499 | 1 |
| 1,500+ | 0 |
Best routes in 08540 for…
Most businesses
For B2B offers: office supplies, cleaning, IT, catering and commercial services.
- Route C025 — USPS business mailboxes 256, 65 homes
- Route C009 — USPS business mailboxes 189, 0 homes
- Route C029 — USPS business mailboxes 170, 59 homes
- Route C044 — USPS business mailboxes 169, 214 homes
- Route C016 — USPS business mailboxes 155, 0 homes
Select these 5 routes on the route map
Every carrier route in 08540
| Route | Type | Homes | Businesses | Est. median income | Est. owners | Est. families with kids | Est. moved in past year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C001 | City | 864 | 4 | $157,171 | — | — | — |
| C003 | City | 282 | 2 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C004 | City | 270 | 28 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C009 | City | 0 | 189 | — | — | — | — |
| C010 | City | 410 | 64 | $193,053 | — | — | — |
| C011 | City | 426 | 5 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C014 | City | 351 | 9 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C015 | City | 510 | 3 | $154,936 | — | — | — |
| C016 | City | 0 | 155 | $85,423 | — | — | — |
| C017 | City | 339 | 2 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C019 | City | 334 | 2 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C020 | City | 272 | 5 | $176,942 | — | — | — |
| C023 | City | 238 | 119 | $186,455 | — | — | — |
| C024 | City | 234 | 0 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C025 | City | 65 | 256 | $193,053 | — | — | — |
| C026 | City | 501 | 69 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C027 | City | 313 | 0 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C029 | City | 59 | 170 | — | — | — | — |
| C031 | City | 456 | 39 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C032 | City | 349 | 11 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C033 | City | 611 | 11 | $150,982 | — | — | — |
| C034 | City | 355 | 0 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C035 | City | 254 | 1 | $176,942 | — | — | — |
| C036 | City | 342 | 12 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C038 | City | 628 | 0 | $72,047 | — | — | — |
| C039 | City | 674 | 47 | $163,379 | — | — | — |
| C040 | City | 433 | 0 | $101,114 | — | — | — |
| C041 | City | 504 | 1 | $85,423 | — | — | — |
| C044 | City | 214 | 169 | — | — | — | — |
| C045 | City | 329 | 54 | $176,942 | — | — | — |
| C046 | City | 615 | 0 | $164,141 | — | — | — |
| C049 | City | 1,063 | 33 | — | — | — | — |
| C050 | City | 773 | 6 | $139,391 | — | — | — |
| C051 | City | 286 | 74 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C052 | City | 474 | 5 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C053 | City | 314 | 7 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| C054 | City | 623 | 10 | $186,455 | — | — | — |
| C056 | City | 640 | 106 | $119,121 | — | — | — |
| C057 | City | 888 | 8 | $119,121 | — | — | — |
| R002 | Rural | 370 | 6 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R003 | Rural | 564 | 38 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R004 | Rural | 535 | 40 | $74,207 | — | — | — |
| R007 | Rural | 603 | 1 | $186,609 | — | — | — |
| R008 | Rural | 437 | 4 | $193,053 | — | — | — |
| R009 | Rural | 308 | 4 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R010 | Rural | 445 | 9 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R012 | Rural | 599 | 1 | $200,001+ | — | — | — |
| R013 | Rural | 641 | 11 | $74,207 | — | — | — |
Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 08540 on the EDDM route map.
How route demographics are estimated
Mailbox counts come from USPS; demographics are estimates
The number of homes and businesses on each carrier route is the current USPS EDDM count. The Census Bureau does not publish figures for carrier routes, so income, homeownership, ages, families, movers and housing age on a route are EDDM2GO estimates built from Census block groups (neighborhood areas of roughly 600 to 3,000 people).
How a route gets its figures: the block-group length-share method
We trace each route's streets every 25 meters and record which block group each stretch falls in. The route's homes are spread along its streets in proportion to length, so a route with 60% of its street length in one block group is assumed to have 60% of its homes there. Each block group then contributes its Census counts in proportion to the share of its housing units that sit on the route (capped at the whole block group). Medians are recalculated from the combined income, home-value and age brackets, the way the Census Bureau computes them, not averaged.
Margins of error
Census survey figures carry a margin of error at 90% confidence; we carry it through the calculation and show it as ±. Our margins treat the route-to-block-group split as exact, so the real uncertainty is larger. Routes with fewer than 100 estimated households, large margins, or streets we could not place are flagged.
Different years
USPS mailbox counts are current. Census figures are 5-year averages for 2020–2024, so a new subdivision may have more homes on the route today than the Census counted. Use the route figures to compare routes with each other, not as an exact head count.
Why some routes show identical figures
Two routes that run through the same block group get the same percentages and medians, because the Census publishes one set of figures for the whole block group. Their mailbox counts still differ, and those are exact.
Route and mailbox counts: USPS EDDM route data. Route demographics: EDDM2GO estimates from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year block-group data (2020–2024) and 2024 cartographic block-group boundaries. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Nearby ZIP codes
- 08542 — Princeton, NJ (0.7 mi)
- 08544 — Princeton, NJ (1.3 mi)
- 08528 — Kingston CDP, NJ (2.5 mi)
- 08553 — Rocky Hill borough, NJ (2.6 mi)
- 08558 — Skillman CDP, NJ (4.2 mi)
- 08536 — Princeton Meadows CDP, NJ (4.3 mi)
- 08502 — Belle Mead CDP, NJ (5.8 mi)
- 08550 — Princeton Junction CDP, NJ (6.1 mi)
Areas that include 08540
- Princeton, NJ ZIP codes — 3 ZIP codes
- Heathcote, NJ ZIP codes — 3 ZIP codes
- Ten Mile Run, NJ ZIP codes — 1 ZIP code
- Princeton Junction, NJ ZIP codes — 2 ZIP codes
- Kingston, NJ ZIP codes — 2 ZIP codes
- Griggstown, NJ ZIP codes — 1 ZIP code
- East Rocky Hill, NJ ZIP codes — 1 ZIP code
- Mercer County ZIP codes — 23 ZIP codes
- Middlesex County ZIP codes — 40 ZIP codes
- Somerset County ZIP codes — 32 ZIP codes
- New Jersey ZIP code data
Where it ranks
- No. 2 of 21: highest median household income in Mercer County
- No. 2 of 21: highest median home value in Mercer County
- No. 3 of 22: highest share of households with children in Mercer County
- No. 7 of 22: highest share of residents who moved in during the past year in Mercer County
Mail every home in 08540
Route counts on this page price as Full Service 6.5 × 9 postcards: we print, bundle by carrier route and hand the mailing to USPS. Prefer to take it to the Post Office yourself? Print only costs less and you pay postage at drop-off.
EDDM guides
ZIP code statistics describe the Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 08540, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
Frequently asked questions
- What city is 08540 in?
- 08540 is a Princeton, NJ mailing address. By land area, 34% lies inside Princeton, 8% lies inside East Rocky Hill, 5% lies inside Griggstown and 5% lies inside Ten Mile Run; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
- What county is 08540 in?
- 08540 is mostly in Mercer County (63% of its land), with smaller parts in Somerset and Middlesex counties.
- What is the population of 08540?
- About 50,388 people (±1,927), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 48,216.
- What is the median household income in 08540?
- $176,983 (±$15,327), compared with $103,556 for New Jersey as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.
- How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 08540?
- 48 USPS carrier routes with 20,795 residential and 1,790 business mailboxes (22,607 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
- What ZIP codes are near 08540?
- The closest, measured center to center: 08542 (0.7 mi, Princeton, NJ), 08544 (1.3 mi, Princeton, NJ), 08528 (2.5 mi, Kingston), 08553 (2.6 mi, Rocky Hill borough, NJ), 08558 (4.2 mi, Skillman) and 08536 (4.3 mi, Princeton Meadows).
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.