Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Princeton gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $146K, 2.4 years of the county’s $60K median household income. It grades B− overall, 60th of 138 graded towns in Kentucky. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 85% of the country, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 76% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. On the plus side, its schools outperform 80% of the state's. 40% of working residents work locally in Princeton, above both Kentucky’s towns (15%) and U.S. towns (8%). Only 11 of Kentucky’s 204 towns score higher on civic life. Princeton has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Adsmore and Princeton Downtown Commercial District.
Where Princeton beats most towns.
Adsmore
Census counts: 366 in 1830, 6,270 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1859 and 4 maps from 1908 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Princeton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Princeton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Princeton.
Princeton pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, draws workers from Madisonville and beyond and is safe by national standards but not by Kentucky’s.
4,064 jobs are based in Princeton, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Princeton’s median household income is $47,000. Since 2013, Princeton has added 420 jobs, to 4,064 in 2023. Princeton’s average trip to work is 21 minutes.
| Princeton | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $47,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 16% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A− for schools comes with an A for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $146K.
Its public schools are run by the Caldwell County school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Caldwell County High School, with 561 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell County Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 532 | – |
| Caldwell County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 561 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,813 U.S. towns with household incomes like Princeton’s, it is less healthy than 58%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
16% of Princeton adults have diabetes. Princeton beats the Kentucky average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 13% of Princeton adults binge drink.
| Princeton | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Princeton | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.1% | 5.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 19.3% | 15.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.5% | 18.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 2.4 years of the county’s $60K median household income, the typical home (about $146K) costs less against local pay than in 95% of Kentucky towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. The typical value, about $146K, is 10% below its April 2025 peak.
53% of households own their home in Princeton. Typical home values fell 5.6% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Princeton is $762 a month.
| Princeton | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $762 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Since 1998, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Princeton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Princeton has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 26° and about 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 21.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 70% of Kentucky’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Princeton | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Princeton City Park | — | 12 |
| 2. Ratliff Park | — | 11 |
| 3. VFW Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Princeton; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Princeton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
Where Princeton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Princeton on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Princeton.
City in Kentucky, United States
Princeton is a home rule-class city in Caldwell County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. As of the 2020 census, Princeton had a population of 6,270. Princeton is home to several notable attractions such as Adsmore Museum, Champion-Shepherdson House (home of the Princeton Art Guild), University of Kentucky Research and Education Center Botanical Garden, and the Annual Black Patch Festival.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Princeton grades B− overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #60 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
10 notable people were born here, including Greg Smith and Ada Henry Van Pelt.
