PrincetonBritish Columbia
It is part of Okanagan-Similkameen, a census division. Some 3,050 people live in this town, in British Columbia.
Is Princeton a good place to live?
Princeton grades low on several counts. Homes are dear (D). The town grades D overall, better than just over a tenth of Canadian towns. In the ranking it comes #222 of 250 in British Columbia. Safety is weaker too (C−). Where it does best is walkability (A).
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Safety is the police detachment's figure, shared with the towns and countryside around it. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Princeton grades
Each subject compares Princeton with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Princeton stand out
The 3 things Princeton does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Princeton.
Princeton gets a D for cost of living
Owners put the median home at $348,000, lower than both British Columbia’s towns ($720,000) and Canadian towns ($406,000). Shelter took 30% or more of income for 15% of households, below both British Columbia’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%).
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Princeton | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value, 2021 | $348,000 | $720,000 | $406,000 |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 15% | 21% | 18% |
| Rent as a share of income | 25% | 24% | 20% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
Princeton gets a D for hazard risk
Radon is higher than usual: 17% of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Earthquakes are expected to cost $0.069 a year for every $1,000 of buildings, lower than British Columbia’s towns ($0.36) yet higher than Canadian towns ($0.030). Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy has mapped the flood hazard here: one study on the national inventory. Fire reaches the land around Princeton now and then: 4.4% within 25 km since 1986 (0.11% a year), below the high band. Princeton shares its radon tests numbers with the rest of the Okanagan health region.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Princeton | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 17% | 1.8% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.069 | $0.36 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
The force covering Princeton records more serious violence than British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns, at 174
Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over the Princeton detachment area
Where it is policed, 21.2 violent incidents per 1,000 residents are recorded each year. The index for the force that serves it came to 114, above both British Columbia’s towns (83) and Canadian towns (67). For every 1,000 residents of its police area, 37.1 property crimes are reported each year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Princeton | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 174 | 76 | 86 |
| Crime Severity Index | 114 | 83 | 67 |
| Violent crime | 21.2 | 12.5 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 37.1 | 31 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Princeton has warmer summers than British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: July afternoons reach 27.3°C
In January, overnight lows in Princeton settle at −9.1°C. Rain and melted snow add up to 355 mm a year, below both British Columbia’s towns (1,152 mm) and Canadian towns (883 mm). Between the last spring frost, 21 May, and the first in autumn, 15 September, lie 116 days. The most precipitation falls in November: 44 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Princeton | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation a year | 355 mm | 1,152 mm | 883 mm |
| July afternoon high | 27.3°C | 23.1°C | 25.5°C |
| Days with frost a year | 177 | 60 | 159 |
| January night low | −9.1°C | 0.5°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Princeton)
Very good or excellent health for 52% of adults in Princeton’s health region
Closer to home, a hospital is just 0.8 km from the average resident of Princeton, nearer than the usual 3.7 km. The region has more smokers than British Columbia, 12% of adults to 8.9%. For 2022/2024, the region’s figure is 81.0 years at birth, 84.1 for women and 78.2 for men. Chronic conditions run at 16% of adults, age-standardised, between British Columbia’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%). For health survey and life expectancy, the only official count covers all of the Okanagan Health Service Delivery Area, Princeton included.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Princeton | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 12% | 9% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 15% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 52% | 50% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
4 schools serve Princeton, 2 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 alternative or adult school
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Allison ElementaryIn PrincetonElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Princeton Secondary Middle fifth in British ColumbiaIn PrincetonSecondary | Secondary | – | English public |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
Trips to work from Princeton are shorter than from British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 18 min on average
86% of commuters drove, about level with both British Columbia’s towns (87%) and Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Princeton | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 18 min | 26 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 86% | 87% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
More of Princeton’s residents have an Indigenous identity than in British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 13%
Immigrants make up 8.5% of residents, lower than British Columbia’s towns (12%) yet higher than Canadian towns (6.4%). 7.7% of residents belong to a visible minority, below British Columbia’s towns (8.6%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
48.8% of Princeton’s residents are women
Here the census found 1,485 men and 1,415 women; the figure for women across Canada is 50.9%.
| Princeton | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 59% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 29% | 21% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 21% | 13% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 44% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
E.C. Manning Park is 14 km from Princeton
Within 10 km of the town, 1.2% of the land is protected, against 2.3% around a typical Canadian town. Whipsaw Creek Ecological Reserve (32 ha) is the biggest, 2.4 km from town. 4 areas within 10 km are protected for nature.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Princeton | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 1.2% | 6.7% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 1 | 14 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
A normal November in Princeton runs from −4°C to 4°C
Then December: −2°C by day, −9°C at night. Snow is normal by November, about 19 cm over the month. In November, the normal is 44 mm of rain and snow. Over the year, July is warmest at 27°C by day and January coldest at −9°C by night.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 0°C | −8°C | 97 mm |
| Spring | 14°C | 0°C | 68 mm |
| Summer | 26°C | 9°C | 86 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 1°C | 103 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Princeton); the forecast is on the Weather page
Helena Konanz (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Princeton in Ottawa as MP for Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay
From British Columbia come 43 MPs, 20 of them with the Liberal Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Princeton has one public library, ORL: Princeton Branch
It stands 1.1 km from the centre of Princeton.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Everything we know about Princeton
Famous people from Princeton
6 notable people were born in Princeton.
About Princeton
Town in British Columbia
Statistics Canada treats Princeton as a single census subdivision in British Columbia, and TownRatings keeps to that line.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 3,050 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- British Columbia
- Census division
- Okanagan-Similkameen
- Census subdivision
- 5907024
Questions about Princeton
How old are the people of Princeton?
52.8 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 29% of residents are 65 or over and 12% under 15.
Who are the people of Princeton?
8% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 13% have an Indigenous identity and 9% are immigrants.
Has Princeton grown?
It added people: 2,828 in 2016, 2,894 in 2021, 2.3% more, where the middle of Canadian towns grew 4.1%. Statistics Canada’s 2025 estimate is 3,050.
What kind of homes are in Princeton?
Mostly 66% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2 people on average, and 36% have just one.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).