Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 3.0Princeton has lower unemployment (1.6%) than 89% of U.S. towns
About one in five work in Princeton; the top destination outside it is Elk River (7%, 16 miles). Jobs and income earn Princeton B; getting around on foot earns it B. 5% of workers work from home, against 18% across Minnesota.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Princeton at work: what stands out
Jobs & income in Princeton: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Princeton is better than 62% of U.S. towns, #169 of 273 in Minnesota. Unemployment holds Princeton’s grade up; household income pulls it down ($62,219, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Princeton could be anywhere from C+ to A−.
Princeton fills up on a workday
On a workday 1,572 residents head out to work, 427 work right here, and 3,078 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,000 people are in Princeton on a workday afternoon, 27% more than live here.
1.8 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Who travels to work in Princeton, and from where
Where Princeton clocks in
7% of workers
4% of workers
4% 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.
Jobs in Princeton: what the 3,505 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Princeton, 2013 → 2023: 3,301 → 3,505. 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.
Getting to work from Princeton takes about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Princeton workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,483 commuters (the 5% who work from home are left out). Across Minnesota: 84% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Miles to work from Princeton
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.
In Princeton, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Princeton is more walkable than 59% of U.S. towns, #163 of 273 in Minnesota. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 5.7% across Minnesota.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,611 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.0% of Princeton households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Princeton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 3,800 to 7,400, Princeton ranks 1,520th of 3,612 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 15 | Elko New Market MN | 5,300 | $152K | 1.1% | 0.0% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Hanover MN | 4,392 | $157K | 0.6% | 1.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | West Lakeland Township MN | 3,931 | $216K | 3.8% | 1.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,518 | La Grand Township MN | 4,309 | $94K | 10.0% | 2.5% | 3% | B |
| 1,519 | Milan IL | 5,028 | $63K | 12.3% | 1.1% | 7% | B |
| 1,520 | Princeton MN | 5,480 | $62K | 8.5% | 1.6% | 21% | B |
| 1,521 | Primera TX | 5,478 | $80K | 13.1% | 2.9% | 1% | B |
| 1,522 | North Syracuse NY | 6,773 | $71K | 9.2% | 3.8% | 5% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 3,612 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Princeton, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Princeton and its neighbors
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Princeton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | – | B | B | 26 min | $62,219 |
| Princeton Township | under 3% | B | C | 40 min | $88,056 |
| Baldwin | under 3% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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?
$62,219 (±$13,110) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Princeton?
8.5%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Princeton?
26 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Princeton work?
21% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Elk River (7%, 16 mi), Cambridge (4%, 18 mi), St. Cloud (4%, 28 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Princeton walkable?
Princeton is more walkable than 59% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.3 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Princeton without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% 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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.