Princeton is a community in Mercer County, New Jersey, home to about 30,756 people across 18 square miles. Its ZIP codes are 08540, 08542 and 08544.
Homes sold for a median of $554 per square foot across 2 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and all of them were seller’s markets.
Mostly Princeton; also Franklin Township (Somerset County) and West Windsor
All in Princeton
All in Princeton
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Princeton. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Princeton’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)33 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Trenton Mercer Airport (TTN)11 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Newark, NJ35 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA36 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Princeton; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Princeton had 30,681 residents in the 2020 census, up 116% since 2000.
It’s the 78th largest of 565 towns in New Jersey by population.
Mercer County grew from 95,365 residents in 1900 to 387,340 in 2020.
Mercer County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 87°F in summer, and winter lows average 21°F. About 47.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 24 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Hightstown 2 W, NJ weather station (8 miles away).
208,192 jobs at 9,683 businesses in Mercer County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
1,272 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Princeton’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 127 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 252 |
| Dentists | 67 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 152 |
| Mental health providers | 519 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 118 |
| Optometrists | 25 |
| Chiropractors | 12 |
| Pharmacies | 12 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (22 nearby)
Grocery stores (4 nearby)
Pharmacies
Libraries (7 nearby)
Museums (1 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (4 nearby)
Counts are within about 3 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1700.
Colleges and universities
Sports teams
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Princeton Public School District, Princeton Charter School. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Park SchoolPrinceton | Pre-K–5 | 316 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Johnson Park SchoolPrinceton | Pre-K–5 | 360 | Public | 2.6 mi |
| Littlebrook SchoolPrinceton | Pre-K–5 | 374 | Public | 0.2 mi |
| Riverside SchoolPrinceton | Pre-K–5 | 306 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| Princeton Charter SchoolPrinceton | K–8 | 423 | Charter | 0.9 mi |
| Princeton Middle SchoolPrinceton | 6–8 | 794 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| Princeton High SchoolPrinceton | 9–12 | 1,518 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chapin SchoolPrinceton | Pre-K–8 | 171 | Nonsectarian | 4.7 mi |
| French American School of PrincetonPrinceton | Pre-K–8 | 116 | Nonsectarian | 1.2 mi |
| Princeton Child Development InstitutePrinceton | Pre-K–12 | 27 | Nonsectarian | 5.2 mi |
| Princeton Day SchoolPrinceton | Pre-K–12 | 952 | Nonsectarian | 2.6 mi |
| Princeton Friends SchoolPrinceton | Pre-K–8 | 82 | Friends (Quaker) | 3.3 mi |
| Princeton Montessori SchoolPrinceton | Pre-K–8 | 93 | Nonsectarian | 3.1 mi |
| St Paul School of PrincetonPrinceton | Pre-K–8 | 245 | Roman Catholic | 1.2 mi |
| Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred HeartPrinceton | Pre-K–12 | 283 | Roman Catholic | 2.3 mi |
| Waldorf School of PrincetonPrinceton | Pre-K–8 | 93 | Nonsectarian | 3.3 mi |
| Wilberforce SchoolPrinceton | Pre-K–12 | 344 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 1.2 mi |
| Fusion Academy PrincetonPrinceton | 7–12 | 38 | Nonsectarian | 1.6 mi |
| Princeton International Schl of Math and SciencePrinceton | 9–12 | 120 | Nonsectarian | 3.3 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Franklin Township (Somerset County), West Windsor, Lawrence, Plainsboro, South Brunswick, Montgomery and Hopewell Township (Mercer County).
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.