Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 3.0Princeton spent more per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar cities
Princeton’s city government spent $6.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,380 per resident. Water and other utilities ($13.2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Princeton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,332 per resident in 2022: more than 70% of them
Princeton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,332 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,074, and the middle half spent $815–$1,405. Princeton spent more than 70% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.6 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Princeton itself left out).
About $1,380 per resident a year, or $3.78 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 7% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Princeton reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,332 · 2023: $1,380.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,839 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.30% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota.
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 princetonmn.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 111 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (4,883).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
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 Public School District
Princeton’s K–12 school district, shared with Princeton Township, Blue Hill Township, Baldwin, Greenbush Township, Spencer Brook Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,180 per pupil, $9,111 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.
Minnesota districts overall: 30% local, 62% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Princeton’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota 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 Mille Lacs County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.6%10,570 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.8%4,374 votesOthers: 1.6% (246 votes).
Most votes in Mille Lacs County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
95% of Princeton lies in Mille Lacs County; the rest in Sherburne County. Every 2024 race in Mille Lacs County is on the county’s page.
Mille Lacs 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: princetonmn.org ↗
- 2Minnesota HouseState representatives
- 3Minnesota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Minnesota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Princeton compares with the towns next door
Princeton spent $1,332 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Princeton Township | $175 | $2,720 |
| Baldwin | $177 | — |
| Princeton | $1,332 | $2,839 |
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 $1,380 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,332 was more than 70% of 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Princeton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,839 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.30% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see princetonmn.org.
Who runs Princeton’s government?
See princetonmn.org 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?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Princeton alone. Mille Lacs County, where 95% of Princeton lies, voted Trump 69.6%, Harris 28.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Princeton?
44 full-time and 17 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $305,304 (about $3.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Princeton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 27 (Andrew Mathews) and State House District 27B (Bryan Lawrence). The House district also covers nine 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 →