Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Princeton earns an A+, ranked 18th of 282 in Massachusetts. The median household earns $159K, residents are healthier than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and it reports less crime per resident than 88% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a B−, is in cost of living. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. 49% of the land in Princeton is conserved, against 19% in Massachusetts’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. On cost of living, just 6 of Massachusetts’ 324 towns do better. The biggest place to walk is Wachusett Reservoir Watershed, 2,174 acres with 1.3 miles of trail.
Where Princeton beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,016 in 1790, a low of 682 in 1920, 3,495 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1792 and 5 maps from 1885 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Princeton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Princeton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
27 mi LakeWalden Pond
23 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
30 mi MountainMount Monadnock
39 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard Stadium
14 mi Stadium & arenaDCU CenterLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · DCU Center: Terageorge, CC BY-SA 3.0
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 keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts and has less tooth loss than most of Massachusetts, but it has commutes longer than most of Massachusetts.
Its 11,196 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 99% of Massachusetts towns.
66 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. Princeton’s trail density is 1.9 miles per square mile, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 1.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Leominster State Forest | 20.1 mi | 1,530 |
| 2. Wachusett Mountain State Reservation | 12.8 mi | 1,440 |
| 3. Wachusett Meadows | 8.9 mi | 958 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Wachusett school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas PrinceLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 355 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is tooth loss: 5.8% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.9% statewide. Against the 2,241 U.S. towns with household incomes like Princeton’s, it is healthier than 59%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
84% of adults had a checkup this year in Princeton. Princeton beats the Massachusetts average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Princeton.
| Princeton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 82% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Princeton | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.8% | 11.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.6% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The property crime rate in Princeton is 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Princeton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Princeton since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 1,749 working residents takes 36.5 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts. Jobs based here grew from 696 in 2013 to 957.
Most working residents leave Princeton for work: only 6% work in town. Princeton’s average trip to work is 37 minutes. Since 2013, Princeton has added 261 jobs, to 957 in 2023.
| Princeton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $159,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.2% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.1% | 9.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Princeton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 15° and about 73 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Princeton home is worth about $628,000, up 0.5% in a year, close to the Massachusetts typical home. 94% of Princeton households own their home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
9 within 15 miles of the center of Princeton
About 2 of every 100 Princeton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
49.1% of the town is conserved land, across 20 parks and preserves.
7 places in Princeton on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Princeton.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Princeton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is bordered on the east by Sterling and Leominster, on the north by Westminster, on the northwest by Hubbardston, on the southwest by Rutland, and on the southeast by Holden. The preeminent landmark within Princeton is Mount Wachusett, which straddles the line between Princeton and Westminster but the entrance to which is within Princeton. According to tradition, in 1675, Mary Rowlandson was ransomed upon Redemption Rock, now within the town of Princeton, by King Philip. The population was 3,495 at the 2020 census. Princeton is a rural exurb, serving as a bedroom commuter town for nearby cities such as Worcester, Gard…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Princeton.
At #18 in MA, it grades higher overall than all 6 graded towns on its borders; Sterling (A) comes closest.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | #18 | A+ | B− | A | B+ | A |
| Sterling | #75 | A | D | A | B+ | A |
| Westminster | #166 | B | D | B | B | A− |
| Hubbardston | #117 | B+ | B | A | C | B+ |
| Leominster | #246 | C− | C− | C | C | B |
| Rutland | #77 | A | C+ | A | B+ | A |
| Holden | #87 | A− | C− | A | B+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Princeton grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #18 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, A for safety and B+ for schools.
That is 6.5 years of the area's median household income ($95,939 across the Worcester, MA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
5 notable people were born here, including Edward Savage and Leonard B. Chandler.
