Trenton, NJ
Mercer County · New Jersey · United States
Home to 23,373 people across 5.427 square miles.
At a glance
08638 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.
Location
Where 08638 is
| Coordinates | 40.254018, -74.763385 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/New_York |
| County | Mercer County |
| State | New Jersey (NJ) |
| Land area | 5.427 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/New_York
Current weather
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Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Philadelphia, PA | 29.7 mi |
|---|---|
| New York, NY | 50.9 mi |
| Boston, MA | 241.1 mi |
| Chicago, IL | 678.9 mi |
People
Who lives in 08638
23,373 residents in 9,129 households, averaging 2.56 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 19.7% of residents.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 9,129 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.56 |
| Family households | 53.6% |
| Living alone | 38.0% |
| Median age | 35.8 years |
| Households with internet | 85.7% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 08638
The median household here earns $65,650 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 08638 ahead of 42% of American ZIP codes. 21.6% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $65,650 ±$3,483 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $33,023 |
| Poverty rate | 21.6% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% |
| Labor force participation | 60.2% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 30.9% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 88.9% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 08638
A typical home is valued at $226,700, and median rent runs $1,499 a month. Ownership is close to even at 56.3% owned, and the typical building went up in 1958.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $226,700 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $1,499/mo |
| Median year built | 1958 |
| Housing units | 10,148 |
| Vacancy rate | 10.0% |
Own vs. rent
Of 9,129 occupied units
| Owner households | 5,137 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 3,992 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 08638 commutes
67.6% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 27.5 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 27.5 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 08638
ZIP code 08638 is assigned to Trenton, NJ, and falls within Mercer 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 23,373 people live inside it.
At 4,307 residents per square mile spread over 5.427 square miles, 08638 reads as a densely built-up 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 track close to the national picture. The median of $65,650 puts 08638 near the middle of the pack, ahead of 42% 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 Trenton looks like
Housing in 08638 costs close to the national median. A typical home is valued at $226,700 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $1,499 a month. The split between owning and renting is fairly even at 56.3% 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 72.2% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1958, making the housing here mid-century.
The population skews younger than the country as a whole, with a median age of 35.8 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.56 people, and 53.6% are family households.
Getting to work takes 27.5 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 67.6% of workers, while 10.3% work from home. Commute patterns are one of the better proxies for how a place actually functions day to day.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Trenton, NJ
Trenton is a built-up area, so you will generally find a mix of chain hotels near the main approach roads and a smaller number of independent properties closer to the centre. Staying in 08638 itself often costs less than an equivalent room in the nearest downtown while keeping you close to it.
Median rent in 08638 is $1,499 a month, which sits in the middle of the national range; accommodation pricing locally tends to be similarly mid-market. For reference, Philadelphia, PA is about 29.7 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.
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Practical uses
What ZIP code 08638 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 08638 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, 08638 offers a compact profile of Trenton: 23,373 residents, a median household income of $65,650, 30.9% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 5.4%. 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. 08638 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Trenton 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 08638
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 Trenton
Trenton is served by 27 postal codes.
More in Mercer County
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Questions
Common questions about 08638
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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 08638. 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).