Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Princeton grades A− overall, ranked 151st of 466 in New Jersey. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally and the median household earns $192K. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $954K for a typical one and 9.5 times the Trenton metro’s $101K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 20 places on the National Register. 85% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Princeton, against 45% in New Jersey’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Princeton is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Grover Cleveland Home and Joseph Henry House.
Where Princeton beats most towns.
Grover Cleveland Home| Widest gap | Princeton | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5% | 9.6% |
Grover Cleveland Home is one of 9 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 20 National Register listings are more than in 98% of New Jersey towns with a listing.
The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1773 and 8 maps from 1888 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), 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 draw39 mi BeachConey Island
Big draw19 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great Adventure2.2M visitors a year
Big draw38 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw32 mi MuseumLynnewood Hall
Big draw38 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw38 mi MuseumEastern State PenitentiaryConey Island: OptimumPx, Public domain · Six Flags Great Adventure: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · USS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Lynnewood Hall: Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain
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 is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Hamilton Township and beyond and reports less crime than Hopewell Township or any other graded neighbor.
Princeton’s trail density comes in at 2.6 miles per square mile. Walkers can cover 48 miles of trail in 28 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Institute Woods, 289 acres with 5.5 miles of trail.
| Princeton | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.6 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 20% | 11% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Institute Woods | 5.5 mi | 289 |
| 2. Herrontown Woods | 4.5 mi | 142 |
| 3. Woodfield Reservation | 2.7 mi | 134 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Below: Three of its 12 schools, each with why it was picked. The Princeton Public School District runs its public schools. The 5 public schools in Princeton teach 1,779 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 794 | A |
| Princeton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,518 | A |
| Princeton Charter SchoolTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 423 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with New Jersey is tooth loss: 5% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.6% statewide.
The share of adults in Princeton who have diabetes: 6.9%. Only one of the 468 New Jersey towns we compare has a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than Princeton. The town beats the New Jersey average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Princeton | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 28% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 32% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.7% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Princeton | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5% | 9.6% |
| Fewer smokers | 5.7% | 10.9% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 73.1% | 77.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 9.5 years of the Trenton metro’s $101K median household income, the typical home (about $954K) costs more against local pay than in 87% of New Jersey towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
36% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent in Princeton. A typical home locally is worth about $954,000, up 3.3% in a year, 66% above the New Jersey typical home. The typical rent for Princeton comes to $2,636 a month.
| Princeton | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,636 a month | $1,778 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 55% | 77% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 36% | 52% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
23,752 jobs are based in Princeton, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 24.2 minutes, against 30.5 across New Jersey.
Jobs based in Princeton fell to 23,752 in 2023, 3,532 fewer than in 2013. Princeton: a third of workers work remotely from home. The top destinations are New York (9%), Plainsboro Township (4%) and Trenton (4%). Its average commute comes in at 24 minutes.
| Princeton | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 33% | 16% | 11% |
| Median household income | $192,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A− tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Hopewell Township (A−) comes closest. At 8.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 66% of New Jersey’s graded towns.
Princeton’s level of violent crime is 0.4 per 1,000 residents. The property offense rate locally is 5.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Princeton | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expect July afternoons of 86° and January nights of 23°, with about 24 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Compared with 55% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Princeton is higher. The national flood insurance program has paid 101 claims locally since 1978. Expected losses in Princeton break down as 64% from inland flooding and 12% from hurricanes. Federal aid has come to Princeton households in 8 declared disasters; the latest was in 2021.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
7 within 15 miles of the center of Princeton
College town 29 of every 100 Princeton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
12,307 counted in 2010 and 30,681 in 2020; an estimated 31,469 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
20 places in Princeton on the National Register of Historic Places.
44 notable people were born in Princeton.
Borough in New Jersey, United States
The Municipality of Princeton is a borough in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of which are now defunct. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 30,681, an increase of 2,109 (+7.4%) from the 2010 census combined count of 28,572. In the 2000 census, the two communities had a total population of 30,230, with 14,204 residents in the borough and 16,027 in the township. Princeton was founded before the American Revolutionary War. The borough is the home of Princeton University, one of the world's most acclaimed research universities, w…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Princeton.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | #151 | A− | D− | A− | B | A+ |
| Montgomery Township | #117 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| West Windsor Township | #77 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| Kingston | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lawrence Township | #228 | B | D | B− | B− | A+ |
| Franklin Township | #246 | B | D | B+ | C | A |
| Plainsboro Township | #103 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| Hopewell Township | #100 | A | C− | A− | A− | A+ |
Montgomery Township, West Windsor Township and Plainsboro Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Kingston isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Princeton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Princeton grades A− overall, better than 81% of U.S. towns and #151 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A+ for health, A− for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
44 notable people were born here, including Paul Robeson and Michael Bradley.
