Trenton-Princeton, NJ
Metro Area Profile
385,864 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metropolitan area.
Residential permitting has slowed: 1,028 units authorized over the past twelve months, 39% below the prior year.
Physical-risk exposure is above the national median, driven mainly by inland flooding, hurricane and strong wind.
Its Area Score of 61 places Trenton-Princeton in the top 61% of published metro profiles.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 4.6% is lower than 33% of the 361 measured US metros.
Employment grew 0.4% over the past year, to 189,066 employed residents.
45% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 96% of measured US metros.
Household income is higher than at least 97% of measured US metros.
| Metric | Value | Compared with peers | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income ±$2,565 | $100,645 | Top 3% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,398 | $53,765 | Top 4% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 10.3% | Bottom 19% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute | 28.8 min | Top 13% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 45.4% | Top 4% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Employment | 189,066 | Top 36% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years) | -0.8% | Bottom 34% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 0.4% | Top 23% | June 2026 |
| Labor force | 198,152 | Top 36% | June 2026 |
| Labor force participation | 65.3% | Top 18% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wage | $82,560 | Top 2% | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wage | $63,490 | Top 2% | 2025 OEWS |
| Metro employment | 240,190 | Top 28% | 2025 OEWS |
| Unemployment change (year over year) | -1.0% | Bottom 4% | June 2026 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | Top 33% | June 2026 |
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 5,570 | $89,370 |
| Registered Nurses | 5,180 | $99,990 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 4,920 | $37,760 |
| Cashiers | 4,800 | $34,710 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 4,460 | $37,560 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 4,300 | $34,720 |
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated →Median rent of $1,623 takes 19% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.
A median home costs 3.8 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.
| Metric | Value | Compared with peers | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price to income | 3.75 | Top 32% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 62.2% | Bottom 13% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±116 | 151,138 | Top 17% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent ±$34 | $1,623 | Top 6% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$6,110 | $377,700 | Top 14% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income | 19.4% | Top 36% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate | 4.6% | Bottom 1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated →An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 392,138 in 2024.
At 2.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metros.
Weather & climate
6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 86°F and January a low of 24°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 45.6 inches, including 26.6 inches of snow.
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation | 45.6" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall | 26.6" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 24°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high | 86°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing | 44°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and strong wind.
Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, heat wave, lightning, cold wave, tornado, wildfire, coastal flooding, landslide, hail.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Taxes
AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.
Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.
Access
5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 40 miles away.
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newark Liberty Intl | EWR | 40 mi | 9,999 ft |
| Philadelphia Intl | PHL | 40 mi | 12,000 ft |
| John F Kennedy Intl | JFK | 55 mi | 14,511 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle | 28-day NASR cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) | Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current) |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals | Every ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period) |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | June 2026 | Monthly |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS | Annual (spring release) |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate | Annual (vintage released each spring) |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 | Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month |
| Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year | Annual (5-year estimates released each December) |
Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.