Photo: Princetonnative · CC BY 4.0Princeton spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities
Princeton’s city government spent $8.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,517 per resident.
What stands out about how Princeton is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,459 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them
Princeton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,459 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 133 West Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $717, and the middle half spent $378–$1,090. Princeton spent more than 86% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($537,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
West Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Princeton itself left out).
About $1,517 per resident a year, or $4.16 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Princeton reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,459 · 2024: $1,517.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 61 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $742 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.62% of the home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia.
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 princetonwv.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 88 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (5,724).
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.
Mercer County School District
Princeton’s K–12 school district, shared with Athens, Bluefield, Bramwell, Oakvale. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,226 per pupil, $8,258 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.
West Virginia districts overall: 36% local, 46% state, 18% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Princeton’s votes are counted by county
West Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Princeton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Mercer County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican77.9%18,372 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat20.6%4,851 votesOthers: 1.5% (361 votes).
Most votes in Mercer County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Princeton lies in Mercer County. Every 2024 race in Mercer County is on the county’s page.
Mercer County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Princeton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: princetonwv.net ↗
- 2West Virginia House of DelegatesState representatives
- 3West Virginia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of West Virginia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
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 $1,517 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,459 was more than 86% of 133 West Virginia cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Princeton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $742 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.62% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see princetonwv.net.
Who runs Princeton’s government?
See princetonwv.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Princeton yet.
How did Princeton vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Princeton alone. Mercer County, where 100% of Princeton lies, voted Trump 77.9%, Harris 20.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Princeton?
65 full-time and 25 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 0 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $326,836 (about $3.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Princeton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Craig Hart and Mark Maynard) and House of Delegates District 38 (Joe Ellington). 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 →