Two listing sheets sit side by side. Both say "Swedesboro, NJ 08085." The houses could be close in price and size, a short drive apart. One is in Swedesboro Borough, near Kings Highway. The other is in Woolwich Township or Logan Township, and the mailing address doesn't show it.
On a portal they look like the same market. At the closing table and on every tax bill after it, they belong to different towns with different budgets and different tax rates.
The Town Name On The Listing Is The Post Office's Town Name
Swedesboro's post office handles ZIP code 08085, according to USPS. Plenty of addresses with that ZIP sit outside the borough. Woolwich Township lists its own municipal building as 120 Village Green Drive, Woolwich Township, NJ 08085. Part of Logan Township uses it too.
The size gap is the important part. Census Reporter puts the population of ZIP area 08085 at 22,340 using ACS 2024 5-year estimates. The same Census vintage counts 2,733 people in Swedesboro Borough. That means about one in eight people with a "Swedesboro" mailing address lives in the borough. The other seven live somewhere else under that same address label.
This confusion has been around a long time. A 2011 letter to the editor on NJ.com pointed out that Pureland Industrial Park, which is entirely in Logan Township, kept getting described as Swedesboro. The writer said the Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn in Logan used Swedesboro addresses too. The same letter said the postal service had allowed Logan Township residents and businesses with an 08085 ZIP to use "Logan Township" as their mailing address, and that the same applied to Woolwich. Some sellers use their township's name. Many still use the post office's name, and that's the one that tends to end up on listing sheets.
The Municipality Sets The Rate, And The Rates Are Far Apart
New Jersey property taxes are set by municipality. ZIP codes play no part. The state publishes a general tax rate and an effective tax rate for every town each year. The latest complete statewide table, the NJ Division of Taxation's 2025 General Tax Rates, shows how far apart the three 08085 towns are.
| 2025 rates | General tax rate | Effective tax rate |
|---|---|---|
| Swedesboro Borough | 4.358 | 2.672 |
| Woolwich Township | 3.377 | 2.314 |
| Logan Township | 1.445 | 1.487 |
The effective rate is the one that lets you compare towns fairly. The general rate is charged against a home's assessed value, and towns assess at different levels relative to market value. The effective rate adjusts for that difference, so it works as a tax rate on market value across towns. In Swedesboro Borough the 2025 general rate was 4.358 and the effective rate was 2.672. That gap means borough assessments sat well below market value that year. A buyer who compares general rates will overstate the borough's disadvantage.
The effective rates still differ a lot. Here's what they mean in dollars for a home with an estimated market value of $400,000, using the 2025 effective rates:
- Swedesboro Borough: about $10,690 a year
- Woolwich Township: about $9,260 a year
- Logan Township: about $5,950 a year
That's roughly a $1,430 yearly difference between the borough and Woolwich, and about $4,740 between the borough and Logan. All three homes could be listed as "Swedesboro." These are rough figures for comparison. Your actual bill depends on the home's assessed value and the current year's rate.
Why A Year-Old Rate Is Still The Number To Compare
The 2025 table is the most recent full statewide set of rates. The 2026 rates are already in use locally. On July 23, 2026, Woolwich Township said it had received its 2026 tax rate and updated tax amounts in its payment system. So the 2025 numbers show how the three towns compare, but they won't match the bill on any specific house today. Assessed values and rates can both change, so even this year's bill may not predict next year's.
The ranking among the three towns is what holds up best. A rate can move a little from one year to the next. A difference this large between Logan and the borough isn't likely to disappear in one budget cycle.
The Same Logic Runs Through The Pipes
Taxes aren't the only thing the municipality decides. The utility setup behind a house also depends on which side of a town line it's on.
Swedesboro Borough runs its own system. Borough code places water and sewer under a Water and Sewer Department of the Borough of Swedesboro. A buyer in the borough deals with one local utility that the borough controls.
Woolwich is set up differently, and its own planning documents show why. The township's 2022 Master Plan says a proposed joint Swedesboro-Woolwich treatment plant was dropped. Woolwich chose a cooperative arrangement with Logan Township instead, including a sewer conveyance system to the Logan Treatment Plant. The same plan describes Gloucester County Utilities Authority sewer extensions serving Woolwich's Regional Center. It also describes continued coordination with the Logan Township Municipal Utilities Authority for extensions in the Logan service area.
So for two Woolwich homes with the same 08085 address, the sewer bill could go to different entities depending on where each house sits. Neither address tells you which. You need to confirm it for each property, using the seller's actual utility bills and the township.
Reading A Listing Sheet Before You Compare Prices
The practical point is simple. Find out which town a house is in before you compare it to anything else. The listing price matters, but ongoing costs come from the municipality. Compare a borough home to a Logan home only by price, and you leave out a carrying cost that, at the 2025 rates, could run thousands of dollars a year.
These checks take only a few minutes:
- Find the municipality on the tax record. County and state property records list properties by municipality, block and lot, not by mailing city. The town named there sets the tax rate.
- Ask for the current tax bill. It reflects the current year's rate and the home's actual assessment, which the 2025 table can't give you.
- Use the effective rate to compare towns and the actual bill to compare houses. The two answer different questions.
- Ask who bills water and sewer, and get a recent statement. In the borough the answer is the borough. In Woolwich it depends on the address.
- Ask the right town about renovation plans. Permits and approvals come from the municipality the house sits in, so any project you have in mind should start with that town's office, not the one on the mailing label.
When you plan a monthly budget, the mortgage payment depends on price and rate, and the tax escrow depends on the town. A lender will base escrow on the actual tax figure, so that number is worth getting before you write an offer. This post is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Confirm your specific situation with your lender, attorney or tax professional.
A Few Direct Answers
If a house is in Woolwich, why does the listing say Swedesboro? Swedesboro's post office handles ZIP 08085, and many addresses in Woolwich and part of Logan carry that ZIP. Woolwich's own municipal building address is "Woolwich Township, NJ 08085." Either town name can appear on mail. The tax record shows which municipality the house is in.
Which of the three towns had the lowest 2025 effective tax rate? Logan Township, at 1.487. Woolwich Township was 2.314 and Swedesboro Borough was 2.672, according to the state's 2025 table.
Why does the borough's general rate look so much higher than its effective rate? The general rate is charged against assessed value, and the borough's assessments sat below market value in 2025. The effective rate corrects for that, which makes it the better figure for comparing towns.
Does the ZIP code affect which utilities serve the house? No. The municipality and the specific service area determine utilities. The borough runs its own water and sewer department. Woolwich has a mix of arrangements described in its master plan.
If you're comparing homes across the 08085 ZIP, I can help you sort out which ones are in the borough, Woolwich or Logan, and what that means for the tax bill and utilities on each one before you make an offer. Reach out to Shayden Feret. Let's Connect.
