Photo: ajay_suresh · CC BY 4.0Princeton’s household incomes are higher than in 98% of U.S. towns
The poverty rate is 6.1%; New Jersey has 9.7%. Princeton grades A for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 4.2 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 43.7 in Jersey City.
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
Home offices are common in Princeton
33% of Princeton workers work from home, against 17% across New Jersey. Time on the road ↓
Princeton’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Princeton is New York City, NY, 44 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (968) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Princeton is where the jobs are
Princeton has 23,752 jobs, 2.1 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
77% of Princeton’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 78% of the jobs based in Princeton. The jobs ↓
Nearly all the work in Princeton is services
91% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 1% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Princeton
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Princeton is better than 89% of U.S. towns, #141 of 468 in New Jersey. Household income holds Princeton’s grade up ($192,079, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (4.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Princeton could be anywhere from A− to A+.
How long Princeton spends getting to work: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Princeton workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,011 commuters (the 33% who work from home are left out). Across New Jersey: 75% drive alone, 10% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Princeton’s workers travel
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.
Princeton fills up on a workday
On a workday 8,462 residents head out to work, 2,885 work right here, and 20,867 people come in from elsewhere.
About 44,000 people are in Princeton on a workday afternoon, 39% more than live here.
2.1 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.
In Princeton, services account for most jobs
23,752 jobs are based in Princeton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Princeton, 2013 → 2023: 27,284 → 23,752. 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.
Who travels to work in Princeton, and from where
Where Princeton clocks in
9% 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.
Princeton is easy on foot, hard by bus
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 14,885 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 75% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 51% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 4.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 81% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 11.9% of Princeton households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 11% of Princeton’s commuters take a bus or train.
257th of 1,334: where Princeton ranks among U.S. towns of 22,000 to 42,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 16 | Scotch Plains Township NJ | 25,437 | $184K | 2.5% | 3.2% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Westfield NJ | 32,595 | $233K | 1.8% | 3.6% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | Cranford Township NJ | 24,725 | $156K | 2.5% | 3.6% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 255 | Avon IN | 25,350 | $98K | 5.7% | 2.9% | 9% | A |
| 256 | West Windsor Township NJ | 32,839 | $197K | 8.0% | 3.5% | 10% | A |
| 257 | Princeton NJ | 31,469 | $192K | 6.1% | 4.3% | 25% | A |
| 258 | North Ridgeville OH | 37,786 | $97K | 5.7% | 2.7% | 7% | A |
| 259 | Delaware Township IN | 36,770 | $102K | 5.4% | 3.3% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,334 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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 New Jersey.
Work next door: 14% of Princeton’s workers
The biggest share goes to Plainsboro Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Princeton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | – | A | A+ | 24 min | $192,079 |
| Montgomery Township | 2% | A | A− | 37 min | $226,771 |
| West Windsor Township | 3% | A | A | 39 min | $197,190 |
| Kingston | under 2% | — | — | 34 min | — |
| Lawrence Township | 3% | A− | A+ | 29 min | $130,142 |
| Franklin Township | under 2% | A | A− | 34 min | $124,648 |
| Plainsboro Township | 4% | A | A | 33 min | $131,638 |
| Hopewell Township | under 2% | A | B | 29 min | $178,167 |
| South Brunswick Township | 2% | A | A− | 34 min | $150,933 |
Same-state neighbors only. Kingston: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. 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?
$192,079 (±$24,402) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Princeton?
6.1%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Princeton?
24 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 33% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Princeton work?
25% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (9%, 44 mi), Plainsboro Township (4%, 5 mi), Trenton (4%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Princeton walkable?
Princeton is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.1 out of 20, and 48% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Princeton without a car?
11% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. 51% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
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.