Princeton at a glance
Princeton is a university town of about 30,700 people, according to the 2020 Census, formed when Princeton Borough and Princeton Township merged in 2013. It pairs a walkable downtown around Palmer Square and Nassau Street with leafy residential streets, preserved land, and some of the region’s most distinctive homes. For New York commuters, the draw is simple: the Dinky shuttle connects Princeton to Princeton Junction, where express trains reach New York Penn Station in about 55 minutes. In ZIP 08540, Zillow’s typical single-family home value was about $1.05 million in September 2026.
Schools
Princeton is served by Princeton Public Schools, which enrolled about 4,100 students in October 2025.
| School | Grades |
|---|---|
| Community Park, Johnson Park, Littlebrook, Riverside | Elementary |
| Princeton Middle School | Middle |
| Princeton High School | 9 to 12 |
Cranbury sends its high school students to Princeton High, and U.S. News ranked Princeton High School 55th in New Jersey in its 2025-26 list. Princeton also has a deep bench of private and independent schools.
Daily life
- Downtown: Palmer Square, developed in the 1930s, and Nassau Street give Princeton a true town center, with shops, restaurants, and the Princeton University campus across the street.
- Culture: McCarter Theatre Center won the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 1994, and the Princeton University Art Museum and lecture calendar keep the town busy year round.
- Open space: Lake Carnegie, opened in 1906 for Princeton’s rowers, and the Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath give runners and cyclists miles of flat trail. Princeton Battlefield State Park preserves the site of the January 3, 1777 Battle of Princeton.
- Getting around town: the free Loop Express bus, launched in April 2026, runs between Princeton Shopping Center and the Dinky station.
Homes and prices
Princeton’s housing ranges from older homes close to downtown and the university to large houses on generous lots in the Western Section, where many estates sit within the Princeton Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1975. In ZIP 08540, Zillow’s typical single-family home value was about $1.05 million in September 2026, up about 3 percent over the year. Across all home types, the least expensive third of homes was valued at about $588,000 and the most expensive third at about $1.64 million.
Getting to New York and around
- By train: the Dinky runs about 5 minutes from Princeton station to Princeton Junction, timed to meet Northeast Corridor trains. Express trains from Princeton Junction reach New York Penn Station in about 55 minutes. At fares effective July 1, 2026, a monthly pass is $607 from Princeton station or $549 from Princeton Junction.
- By bus: Suburban Transit’s Line 100 runs from Princeton to New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal.
- By car, Princeton Junction is about 10 minutes away, Midtown Manhattan about 1 hour 20 minutes, and Center City Philadelphia about 1 hour 5 minutes without traffic. Yardley, across the river in Pennsylvania, is about 25 minutes.
The guide to the NYC commute from Bucks County and Princeton compares every option.
Things to know before you buy
- Property taxes are high. Princeton’s 2025 average residential tax bill was $23,373, with a general tax rate of 2.733 per $100 of assessed value and an effective rate of 1.814 percent.
- Sellers of homes over $1 million now pay New Jersey’s graduated fee, which moved from buyers to sellers in July 2025. It starts at 1 percent of the full price and rises to 3.5 percent above $3.5 million.
- Resale certificate: sellers need a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm certificate from the Princeton Bureau of Fire Safety before closing. New Jersey dropped the fire extinguisher requirement for one- and two-family homes in 2025.
- Historic district rules can affect exterior changes in parts of town, so check before planning an addition.
The guide to living in PA or NJ and working in New York explains how income, property, and transfer taxes compare across the river.
Working with Karen in Princeton
Karen Langsfeld is licensed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, so buyers can compare Princeton with West Windsor, Pennington, or Yardley across the river with one agent. She helps New York buyers weigh the commute, the tax bill, and the school district for each home, and helps Princeton sellers price against the sales that truly compare.
Reach Karen directly at (215) 495-2914 or through the contact page.