Photo: Kepper66 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Princeton run?
Princeton’s city government spent $9.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2023, about $1,220 per resident. Water and other utilities ($11.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Princeton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,220 per resident a year, or $3.34 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Princeton yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Princeton’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2023 only (2022 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 73 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $2,556 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.90% of the home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Princeton’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Princeton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Princeton →
Who’s in charge in Princeton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Princeton’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on princeton-il.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 95 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (7,716).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Princeton Elementary School District 115
Princeton’s K–12 school district, shared with Arispie Township, Dover Township, Dover, Tiskilwa, Princeton Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,908 per pupil, $9,978 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Illinois districts overall: 52% local, 38% state, 10% federal.
Princeton High School District 500 · $19,488 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Princeton’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Princeton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Bureau County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican60.9%9,784 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat36.7%5,900 votesOthers: 2.5% (394 votes).
Most votes in Bureau County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Princeton lies in Bureau County. Every 2024 race in Bureau County is on the county’s page.
Bureau County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Princeton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: princeton-il.com ↗
- 2Illinois HouseState representatives
- 3Illinois SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Princeton compares with the towns next door
Princeton’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $70 to $386 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Princeton Township | $70 | $2,732 |
| Dover Township | $386 | $1,833 |
| Princeton | estimate | $2,556 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Princeton’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Princeton’s government
How much does Princeton spend per resident?
About $1,220 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Princeton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,556 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.90% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see princeton-il.com.
Who runs Princeton’s government?
See princeton-il.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Princeton yet.
How did Princeton vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Princeton alone. Bureau County, where 100% of Princeton lies, voted Trump 60.9%, Harris 36.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Princeton?
81 full-time and 24 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $512,324 (about $6.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Princeton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 37 (Li Arellano) and State House District 73 (Ryan Spain). The House district also covers 111 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Princeton’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →