Metro area · New Jersey
Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area
Trenton-Princeton, NJ is a metropolitan area of 1 county in New Jersey, home to 399,289 residents. Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area has a quality-of-life score of 77 out of 100 (high), ranking #216 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in New Jersey it ranks #1 of 3. It ranks best on depression (low), access to exercise opportunities (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (low). It ranks worst on effective property tax rate (high), income inequality (Gini index) (high) and severe housing problems (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #216 of 925 metro and micro areas
- New Jersey
- #1 of 3 in NJ
- Population
- 399,289 (2025)
- Land area
- 224 mi²
- Density
- 1,778.7 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 45940
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety59#383/924
- Economy77#215/925
- Housing12#810/925
- Health94#56/925
- Healthcare92#79/923
- Environment19#741/917
- Education78#203/925
- Infrastructure81#173/925
- Community80#184/925
- Leisure & amenities77#214/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Depression · low15.1%100/100New Jersey 15.6%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
- Access to exercise opportunities · high99.4%100/100New Jersey 95.9%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Distance to an Amtrak station · low4 mi99/100New Jersey 11 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
- Distance to an emergency room · low2.9 mi99/100New Jersey 3.9 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
- Average weekly wage · high$1,816
- Suicide rate · low7.3 /100k99/100New Jersey 8.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Weaknesses
- Effective property tax rate · high2.15%
- Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.493
- Severe housing problems · high18.7%10/100New Jersey 19.8%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Average commute time · high27.1 min
- Unemployment rate · high5.3%
- High ozone days · high2 days16/100New Jersey 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 75% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+75 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- High ozone daysImproving
9 days (2017) → 2 days (2022)
−78%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
- Homicide rateImproving
13.9 /100k (2021) → 3.7 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−73%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
- Firearm deathsImproving
12.0 /100k (2021) → 5.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−58%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
- Broadband subscriptionsImproving
83.0% (2015-2019) → 91.4% (2020-2024)
+8.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
- Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
27.6% (Dec 2021) → 35.0% (Aug 2026)
+7.4 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
What changed in five years
How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.
Metro and micro areas like Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.
Who lives here
Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
Local businesses
Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Counties in Trenton-Princeton, NJ
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
- Trenton90,338
- Princeton30,756
- Mercerville13,535
- Hamilton Square11,622
- White Horse10,507
- Twin Rivers8,382
- Yardville6,301
- Hightstown5,920
- Lawrenceville3,924
- Robbinsville Center3,777
- The College of New Jersey3,658
- Groveville3,100
- Pennington2,827
- Princeton Junction2,025
- Hopewell1,823
- Washington Crossing536
- Titusville501
- Windsor325
Other metro and micro areas in New Jersey
Areas based in New Jersey, best score first.
Neighboring metro and micro areas
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar metro and micro areas
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD73Alike on Price level, Flu vaccination, Work from home
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ68Alike on Exercise access, Mental distress, Depression
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN66Alike on ER distance, Price level, Exercise access
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD69Alike on Household income, Rent, Price level
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV86Alike on Weekly wage, Real income, Income per capita
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
- Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
- Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08