PrincetonTX
A town of 43,524, settled in 1888. Public schools that outperform most of Texas.
Is Princeton a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Princeton grades B overall, 152nd of 640 graded towns in Texas. The median household earns $105K. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $283K, 3.1 years of the Dallas metro’s $90K median household income. Princeton’s median rent is $2,239 a month, above both Texas’ towns ($1,206 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Princeton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 88% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is J.M. Caldwell Sr. Community Park, at 80 acres.
What makes Princeton stand out
Where Princeton beats most towns.
Princeton has grown 540% since 2010
6,807 counted in 2010 and 17,027 in 2020; an estimated 43,524 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 156.1% since 2020, after 150.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Princeton grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Princeton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Princeton: who provides what
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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Princeton.
Princeton has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has seen reported crime rise by a third or more and has little public open land.
Most working residents commute out of Princeton
Princeton has 2,897 jobs for its 10,523 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 997 in 2013 to 2,897.
Most working residents leave Princeton for work: only 5% work in town. The average trip to work in Princeton is 32 minutes. Jobs based in Princeton grew to 2,897 in 2023, 1,900 more than in 2013.
| Princeton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $105,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 15% | 9.6% | 11% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Princeton’s public schools outperform 72% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Princeton ISD. Three of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southard MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 929 | A− |
| Lovelady H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–10 | Grades 9–10 | 1,388 | – |
| Princeton Sr. H STop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,262 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Mild winters and hot summers in Princeton
July afternoons average 94.2°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 34.1°. The Lavon Dam weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 95 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 85% of Texas places with climate records.
Princeton has mild winters and hot summers. Princeton’s July high is 94°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Princeton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 34°F | 37°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Younger than Texas overall
People 65 and older are 7% of residents (13% statewide); children under 18 are 31% of residents (25% statewide). Princeton has grown 156% since 2020, to 43,524 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Texas.
| Princeton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 7% | 14% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 31% | 26% | 22% |
| Median age | 32.4 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 23% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 33.2, men 31.6.
| Princeton | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.8% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.7% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.9% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.3% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.8% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.3% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.2% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 4.6% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.4% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.9% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.5% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.2% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.8% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.7% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.9% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
On CDC estimates, Princeton is healthier than 61% of U.S. towns
Against the 7,820 U.S. towns with household incomes like Princeton’s, it is less healthy than 64%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Princeton beats the Texas average on 10 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 71% of adults had a checkup this year in Princeton.
| Princeton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 74% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Princeton | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.9% | 5.6% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.1% | 12.7% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 68.7% | 74.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Tornadoes leads a moderate hazard risk in Princeton
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Princeton since 2018.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Princeton earns a D for cost of living
The typical value, about $283K, is 26% below its July 2022 peak. At about $283K, home values are down 7% in five years, against a rise of 10% across Texas.
Typical home values fell 9.8% in the year to September 2026.
Typical home value
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Less crime per resident in Princeton than in 53% of U.S. towns
Reported crimes rose from 209 to 285 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. At 17.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 65% of Texas’s graded towns.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Conserved land covers 0.9% of Princeton
Just 86 of its 9,244 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Princeton itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.1 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. J.M. Caldwell Sr. Community Park | 0.1 mi | 80 |
| 2. Twin Groves Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Trails at Riverstone Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Cotton Bowl and 49 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Princeton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaCotton Bowl
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaTexas Stadium
19 mi Theme parkUniversal Kids Resort
19 mi Stadium & arenaToyota Stadium
11 mi MuseumSouthfork Ranch
29 mi Stadium & arenaGerald J. Ford StadiumPhoto credits
Cotton Bowl: Robbiewest88, Public domain · Texas Stadium: Allspamme, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Universal Kids Resort: CANthony0125, CC0 · Toyota Stadium: Flavius Constantine, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Southfork Ranch: Sf46 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Gerald J. Ford Stadium: Jmcstrav, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Princeton
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Princeton
About 7 of every 100 Princeton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
95% of working residents leave Princeton for work
Where Princeton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Princeton’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Princeton.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | #152 | B | D | B− | B+ | B |
| Lowry Crossing | #133 | B | C | — | A− | B− |
Lowry Crossing reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Princeton with a neighbor →
Questions about Princeton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Princeton, TX a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Princeton grades B overall, better than 55% of U.S. towns and #152 of 640 in Texas. It grades B for health, B− for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Princeton, TX expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
What is Princeton, TX known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Jackie Sullivan and Warren G. Harding.