Photo: ajay_suresh · CC BY 4.0Princeton spent less per resident in 2022 than 87% of similar cities
Princeton’s city government spent $24.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $800 per resident.
What stands out about how Princeton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$800 per resident in 2022: less than 87% of them
Princeton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($800 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 15 New Jersey cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,321, and the middle half spent $1,054–$1,703. Princeton spent less than 87% 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 →
New Jersey cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Princeton itself left out).
About $800 per resident a year, or $2.19 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Princeton collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.
No trend yet
Princeton reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, up from 212 in 2022.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
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 princetonnj.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 130 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (30,879).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
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 Schools
Princeton’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $30,489 per pupil, $18,292 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.
New Jersey districts overall: 48% local, 46% state, 6% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Princeton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: princetonnj.gov ↗
- 2New Jersey General AssemblyState representatives
- 3New Jersey SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Jersey
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Princeton compares with the towns next door
Princeton spent $800 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Plainsboro Township | $705 | $10,000+ |
| Franklin Township | $796 | $8,498 |
| Hopewell Township | $856 | $10,000+ |
| Montgomery Township | $1,157 | $10,000+ |
| South Brunswick Township | $1,385 | $10,000+ |
| West Windsor Township | $1,425 | $10,000+ |
| Lawrence Township | $1,432 | $9,225 |
| Princeton | $800 | $10,000+ |
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 $800 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $800 was less than 87% of 15 New Jersey cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Princeton’s government?
See princetonnj.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Princeton yet.
How many people work for Princeton?
237 full-time and 48 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.7M (about $20.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Princeton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Andrew Zwicker) and General Assembly District 16 (Mitchelle Drulis and Roy Freiman). The General Assembly district also covers 13 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 →