Most of Princeton commutes out: there are 0.3 jobs for every working resident
2,897 jobs are based in Princeton for 10,523 working residents. Princeton grades A for jobs and income and B− for walkability. Household incomes here are higher than in 81% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Princeton
Jobs in Princeton have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in Princeton went from 997 in 2013 to 2,897 in 2023, +191%. The jobs ↓
Princeton’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Princeton is Dallas, 31 miles away as the crow flies. 15% of working residents (1,610) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Princeton is a place people come home to
There are 2,897 jobs based in Princeton, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. Day and night ↓
Princeton workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 32 minutes each way, against 27 across Texas. Over a year that’s about 245 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The four measures behind Princeton’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Princeton is better than 95% of U.S. towns, #48 of 642 in Texas. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Princeton’s grade. It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Princeton could be anywhere from A− to A+.
What Princeton’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Princeton, 2013 → 2023: 997 → 2,897. 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.
Where in the region Princeton works
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 by day and by night
On a workday 10,020 residents head out to work, 503 work right here, and 2,394 people come in from elsewhere.
About 36,000 people are in Princeton on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Getting to work from Princeton takes about 32 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Princeton workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 11,345 commuters (the 15% who work from home are left out). Across Texas: 83% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
15% of working residents work in Dallas
Where Princeton clocks in
14% 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.
For most of Princeton, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Princeton is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns, #295 of 642 in Texas. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 2.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.0% across Texas, on an EPA index of 6.4.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 13,274 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 2.7% of Princeton households have no vehicle (Texas 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Princeton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,039 U.S. towns of 30,000 to 59,000, Princeton comes 67th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Keller TX | 46,078 | $175K | 3.4% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Coppell TX | 41,386 | $146K | 5.4% | 2.6% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 65 | Kaysville UT | 33,307 | $133K | 3.4% | 2.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 66 | Elmhurst IL | 46,111 | $150K | 3.3% | 4.3% | 11% | A |
| 67 | Princeton TX | 43,524 | $105K | 4.1% | 2.5% | 5% | A |
| 68 | Menomonee Falls WI | 41,291 | $100K | 5.2% | 1.9% | 14% | A |
| 69 | Bridgewater Township NJ | 46,455 | $173K | 4.1% | 3.7% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,039 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Texas.
The towns around Princeton
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Princeton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | – | A | B− | 32 min | $105,200 |
| Lowry Crossing | under 3% | A | C− | 31 min | $116,875 |
Same-state neighbors only. 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?
$105,200 (±$9,799) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Princeton?
4.1%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Princeton?
32 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Princeton work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Dallas (15%, 31 mi), McKinney (14%, 9 mi), Plano (13%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Princeton walkable?
Princeton is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 6.4 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Princeton without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% 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.