Most of Princeton commutes out: there are 0.5 jobs for every working resident
10% of workers have no commute at all, where Maine as a whole has 16%. Employers in Princeton report 139 jobs for 269 working residents. Working residents average 22 minutes each way, next to 25 for Maine and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Princeton in brief
Princeton and Baileyville trade workers both ways
Baileyville is the top workplace for Princeton residents (26%) and also where the most people who work in Princeton come from (19% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
A big share show a job far from home
41% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 269 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
26% of working residents work in Baileyville
Where Princeton clocks in
26% of workers
10% of workers
9% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The distance from Princeton to work
About 41% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The daily flow of workers through Princeton
On a workday 243 residents head out to work, 26 work right here, and 113 people come in from elsewhere.
About 620 people are in Princeton on a workday afternoon, 17% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
What Princeton’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Princeton, 2013 → 2023: 255 → 139. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Princeton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Princeton, about 22 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Princeton workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 310 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Maine: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Bordering towns draw 26% of Princeton’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Princeton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | – | — | — | 22 min | $56,406 |
| Alexander | under 2% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| Baileyville | 26% | D | C+ | 12 min | $60,000 |
Same-state neighbors only. Alexander: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Baileyville. Darker towns draw more of Princeton’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Princeton: questions
What is the median household income in Princeton?
$56,406 (±$25,998) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Princeton?
15.3%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Princeton?
22 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Princeton work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Baileyville (26%, 5 mi), Calais (10%, 15 mi), Bangor (9%, 65 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Princeton without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Princeton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Princeton
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.