Princeton grew from 17,027 people in 2020 to about 43,500 in 2025 (Census), and it was the fastest-growing city of 20,000+ in the country from 2023 to 2024. It sits on US-380 in east Collin County, about 8 miles east of McKinney and 5 miles from Lavon Lake. I'm Ben Jimenez, a real estate agent with Real Broker, LLC, and this is everything I'd tell a client before they buy or sell in Princeton, including the MUD and PID taxes most buyers don't see coming.
Ben's take: “In Princeton the price is only half the story. Two homes at the same price can be $200 a month apart once you add the PID or MUD, so I compare the full payment before my buyers fall for a house.”Ben Jimenez, Real Estate Agent, Real Broker, LLC
Zillow's typical home value in Princeton was about $283,000 in September 2026, down 9.8% from about $314,000 a year earlier. In ZIP code 75407, Realtor.com counted 340 active listings in October 2026 at a median list price of $300,000 (down 6.1% from a year earlier), a median of 59 days on market, and price cuts on about 16% of listings. That's the second-lowest typical home value of the 22 Collin County cities Zillow tracks, which is a big part of why Princeton grew so fast.
Latest market numbers: the median sale price was $323,775 in the three months ending October 2026, with 4.4 months of supply (a balanced market, Redfin). See the Princeton housing market report for October 2026.
Prices are down from a year ago and there are plenty of homes to choose from, so buyers can negotiate on price, repairs and closing costs. Builders are competing for the same buyers, and resale homes in older sections often have no PID. Compare the full monthly payment, not just the price.
Your home is competing with new construction down the road and with resale homes that have sat for two months. Pricing against recent closed sales and showing the home well in the first two weeks matter more here than in a hot market. I market every listing with professional photos, drone footage and a full video tour.
Ben's take: “Princeton's base tax rate is higher than Plano's or Frisco's, and the PID or MUD comes on top. I put the real monthly number in front of my buyers before we tour, so there are no surprises at closing.”Ben Jimenez, Real Estate Agent, Real Broker, LLC
Princeton raised its city rate for 2026-27 to the voter-approval rate of $0.472959, about 3.3 cents higher than last year, and Collin County raised its rate for the first time in 33 years. Princeton ISD's rate dipped slightly. The city has no general homestead exemption, but owners 65+ or disabled get a $25,000 city exemption and a tax freeze. Most new neighborhoods add a PID assessment, and neighborhoods outside the city limits pay a MUD tax instead of city tax (see the MUD and PID section below).
| City of Princeton (FY 2026-27) | $0.472959 per $100 |
| Princeton ISD | $1.2011 per $100 |
| Collin County | $0.151414 per $100 |
| Collin College | $0.08122 per $100 |
| Combined (city, Princeton ISD) | about $1.9067 per $100 |
| Outside city limits, in a MUD | about $2.5337 per $100 (no city tax; MUD $1.00 and ESD #1 $0.10 added) |
| PID neighborhoods | plus a yearly PID installment, about $820 to $4,120 per lot |
The city's median homestead for 2026-27 is $307,881. At about $1.91 per $100 that's about $5,870 a year before exemptions. After the $140,000 school homestead exemption and the county and college homestead exemptions, it's closer to $4,120 a year, or about $343 a month, before any PID or MUD. Eastridge, Westridge and part of Southridge are inside the city but in McKinney ISD, which has a lower school rate, so I pull the exact bill for the address before my buyers make an offer.
Ben's take: “Princeton ISD is opening schools almost every year and redrawing attendance zones as it goes. I confirm the district and the assigned campuses for the exact address before my buyers write an offer.”Ben Jimenez, Real Estate Agent, Real Broker, LLC
Most of Princeton is in Princeton ISD, which had about 9,956 students in 2024-25 (TEA) and now runs 17 schools: two high schools, Princeton Senior High and Lovelady High, four middle schools, nine elementary schools and two early childhood centers. Banschbach Middle School and Carrell Elementary opened in fall 2026. The district earned a B (81) from TEA for 2026. Its 2023 bond plan schedules more elementary campuses, a fifth middle school, and a second senior high school planned for 2029. Eastridge, Westridge and part of Southridge, inside Princeton's city limits, are zoned to McKinney ISD. The Princeton Onion Festival is run by Princeton ISD and the Princeton Lions Club.
Ben's take: “I read the PID or MUD line on every Princeton home before my clients write an offer. It's often the difference between a payment that works and one that doesn't.”Ben Jimenez, Real Estate Agent, Real Broker, LLC
A PID (public improvement district) is a special assessment the city places on lots in a new neighborhood to repay the bonds that built its streets, water and sewer lines, parks and amenity center. A MUD (municipal utility district) is its own taxing district, usually outside city limits, that builds and runs water, sewer and drainage and charges a tax rate every year. Both are billed on top of city, school, county and college taxes, on the same Collin County tax bill, so a lender usually escrows them into your monthly payment. Example: on a $300,000 home, a $1.00 MUD rate adds $3,000 a year, about $250 a month. A $2,250 PID installment adds about $187 a month. Do they end? A PID is a fixed debt on the lot, paid in yearly installments until the assessment is paid off, and owners can prepay it at any time (MuniCap). A MUD is a permanent taxing district whose rate is reset every year; it does not simply expire, though the debt part shrinks as its bonds are paid. The City of Princeton lists PIDs for 11 communities, administered by MuniCap, and four MUDs with Princeton addresses sit just outside the city limits. PID amounts below are the 2026-27 installment per lot from each PID's 2026 service and assessment plan update; MUD rates are 2026 rates from Collin CAD.
About $822 to $1,138 per lot for 2026-27, depending on phase and lot size (Phases 1-2: $1,070; 3-4: $1,034; 5-7: $1,096; 8-9: $822 to $1,138). Source: City of Princeton 2026 SAP updates.
About $1,267 per 55-ft lot in Phase 1 and $1,039 in Phases 2-3 for 2026-27. Source: City of Princeton 2026 SAP update.
Three PIDs. Original PID (Phases 1-4): about $839 to $864 per lot. PID No. 2: about $1,307 per home. PID No. 3: about $1,327 to $1,887 per lot. 2026-27 installments, City of Princeton 2026 SAP updates. Winchester Crossing Phase 12 is outside the city in Collin County MUD #4.
Phase 1: about $1,292 to $1,550 per lot. Phases 2 and 3: about $1,757 to $2,331 for the phase, plus $298 to $358 for the Phases 2-6 major improvements. 2026-27 installments, City of Princeton 2026 SAP updates.
About $2,059 to $2,249 per lot for 2026-27 across Improvement Areas 1, 2 and 3. Source: City of Princeton 2026 SAP update.
About $2,447 to $3,179 per lot for 2026-27 in Improvement Areas 1-3, before a TIRZ annual credit that reduces the bill. Zoned to McKinney ISD. Source: City of Princeton 2026 SAP update.
About $2,993 (40-ft), $3,498 (50-ft) and $4,075 (60-ft lot) for 2026-27, before any TIRZ credit. Zoned to McKinney ISD. Source: City of Princeton 2026 SAP update.
About $2,471 to $3,651 per lot for 2026-27 across Improvement Areas 1-4, before any TIRZ credit. Source: City of Princeton 2026 SAP update.
Improvement Area 1: about $3,495 (40-ft) to $4,122 (50-ft lot). Major Improvement Area: about $1,400 to $1,651. 2026-27 installments. The PID helped fund a trail system and an artificial swimming lagoon. Source: City of Princeton 2026 SAP update.
Princeton's newest PID, created in 2024, with about 700 homes planned on 50-ft lots. Phase 1 (213 lots) assessments were levied in 2026. Get the installment for the exact lot from the builder or MuniCap.
$1.00 per $100 (2026, Collin CAD). Covers Bridgewater, Tillage Farms (including The Haven and Tillage Farms West), Cypress Creek, Daybreak and Acorn. These homes pay no City of Princeton tax but add ESD #1 at $0.10.
Each $1.00 per $100 (2026, Collin CAD). MUD #4: Ranger Crossing, Frontier Pointe and Winchester Crossing Phase 12. MUD #10: Arbor Trails. LC MUD #1: Ashford Crossing. No city tax; ESD #1 at $0.10 applies.
Ben's take: “Princeton is still building fast, and what goes in next door changes what a home is worth. I check the new phases and PID plans around a house before my clients buy.”Ben Jimenez, Real Estate Agent, Real Broker, LLC
Census estimates put Princeton's 2023-24 growth at about 30.5%, the fastest of any U.S. city with 20,000+ people. From 2024 to 2025 it grew another 18.1%, the 4th-fastest rate in the country.
In September 2024 the city announced a 120-day moratorium on new residential development permits to assess water, sewer, roads and emergency services. Projects already approved kept building.
Most new homes are in PID or MUD neighborhoods: Windmore (755 homes built across three areas), Sicily (577 planned in its first area), Whitewing Trails, Winchester Crossing, Southridge, Eastridge, and Serenity (about 700 planned).
TxDOT has proposed a 12-mile, eight-lane freeway on a new route north of Princeton, with the existing US-380 rebuilt on each end. At its September 2024 hearing it was estimated at about $979 million, targeted to be ready for bidding by 2027, and not yet funded.
A 297-acre mixed-use development on the east side of town, stretching more than a mile along US-380 between Princeton High School and Island Way, with retail, restaurant and residential sites.
Harrod Healthcare Real Estate is building about 25,000 square feet of medical office space on S. Beauchamp Boulevard in the Princeton Professional Park, the city's first medical office development, announced in 2026.
| Lavon Lake | about 5 mi |
| McKinney | 8 mi |
| Plano | 14 mi |
| Dallas Love Field | 31 mi |
| Downtown Dallas | 33 mi |
| DFW Airport | 37 mi |
Straight-line distances from central Princeton (Census city point). US-380 is the main road west to McKinney and US-75, and it's the commute tradeoff: most trips start on one corridor, so rush hour backs up. TxDOT planned to widen US-380 in Princeton to six lanes starting in 2025 and has proposed a new freeway north of town. Princeton isn't a DART member, so plan on driving.
Held every April at Princeton Senior High, with 100+ vendors and food trucks. It honors the early 1900s, when Princeton shipped more than 175 train-carloads of onions and was called the Onion Capital of Texas. Next one: April 24, 2027.
Four Corps of Engineers parks on Lavon Lake have Princeton addresses: Clear Lake Park, Tickey Creek Park, Twin Groves Park and Bratonia Park, with free or low-fee boat ramps.
23 full-hookup campsites at $30 a night, showers, two boat ramps, a day-use area and a group shelter, on CR 436.
A model airplane field run by the Richardson Radio Control Club, open to the public during flying hours, next to a free boat ramp on FM 546.
The Trinity Trail for hiking and horseback riding, and Sister Grove Park, a Collin County Open Space park with a primitive hiking and off-road bike trail.
Ball fields, an 18-basket disc golf course, a dog park, trails and pavilions, on the site of the town's 1940 migrant camp and 1945 German POW camp, with a memorial plaque.
Princeton's free Independence Day event at Caldwell Park (June 27 in 2026), with a kids zone, live music, a drone show and fireworks.
A free spring fishing day at the Municipal Center, 2000 E. Princeton Drive, with free poles and bait and hourly prizes for the heaviest fish.
October trick-or-treating and a costume contest at Caldwell Park, then December pop-ups including the Deck the Halls Dash on the Municipal Park trail.
Won the Texas Municipal Library Directors Association's Achievement of Library Excellence Award for both 2024 and 2025.
A little history: T. B. Wilson and his brother George began farming here in the late 1870s, and in 1881 the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad ran its Greenville-to-McKinney line through their land, so the stop was called Wilson's Switch. The name Wilson was already taken by another post office, so residents chose Princeton, after landowner and town promoter Prince Dowlin. The post office opened in 1888 and the town incorporated in May 1912. Princeton was one of 120 Texas towns with a World War II POW camp, and the population stayed near 564 until Lavon Lake was finished in 1953.
Representation on builder pricing, upgrades and the builder contract, starting from your first model-home visit in Princeton.
Live video tours, in-person inspections and remote closing, so you can buy in Princeton before you move to Texas.
Rent, tax and HOA numbers worked out before you offer on a rental in Princeton.
A relaunch for Princeton homes that came off the market: new pricing review, professional photos, drone and video tours, and a real marketing plan.
Selling the big house, finding the right-size next one, and timing both so you only move once.
Contingent offers, temporary leasebacks or bridge financing, lined up so your sale and your purchase close on a schedule that works.
From pre-approval and down payment programs to inspection and closing, explained step by step before you sign anything.
Private showings, professional photo, drone and video production, and pricing built on true comparable luxury sales.
Ben Jimenez has helped Dallas-Fort Worth buyers, sellers and investors since 2021, with 56+ transactions, $23M+ in sales volume and a 5.0 rating from 46+ five-star reviews. He works in Princeton and across DFW on new construction, relocation, investing and multifamily, relaunching homes that didn't sell, downsizing, selling and buying at the same time, first-time buyers, and luxury homes over $1 million. Texas real estate license 0784675.
It depends on what you need. Princeton is one of the lowest-priced places to buy in Collin County, with a typical home value of about $283,000 in September 2026, second-lowest of the 22 Collin County cities Zillow tracks, and it grew from 17,027 people in 2020 to about 43,500 in 2025, the fastest growth rate of any U.S. city with 20,000+ people from 2023 to 2024 (Census). The tradeoffs are cost and commute. The combined base tax rate is about $1.91 per $100, and most newer neighborhoods add a PID installment of about $820 to $4,120 a year or a $1.00 MUD rate. Princeton ISD earned a B (81) from TEA for 2026 and is adding schools almost every year. Most commutes start on US-380, which backs up at rush hour; McKinney is about 8 miles west and Downtown Dallas about 33 miles away. Lavon Lake is about 5 miles from town. Ben Jimenez, a real estate agent with Real Broker, LLC, compares the full monthly cost of a Princeton home, including the PID or MUD, against nearby cities before his buyers decide.
Zillow's typical home value in Princeton was about $283,000 in September 2026, down 9.8% from a year earlier. In ZIP code 75407, Realtor.com showed a median list price of $300,000, 340 active listings and a median of 59 days on market in October 2026. Ben Jimenez, a real estate agent with Real Broker, LLC who works in Princeton, prices homes against recent closed sales and nearby new construction.
For 2026-27, the City of Princeton's rate is $0.472959 per $100, Princeton ISD's is $1.2011, Collin County's is $0.151414 and Collin College's is $0.08122, for a combined rate of about $1.91 per $100 before exemptions. Most newer neighborhoods add a PID installment or, outside the city limits, a MUD tax. The city gives owners 65+ or disabled a $25,000 exemption and a tax freeze. Ben Jimenez, a Princeton real estate agent with Real Broker, LLC, pulls the exact tax bill before his buyers make an offer.
Yes, outside the city limits. Four MUDs in Princeton ISD each charge $1.00 per $100 for 2026 (Collin CAD): Collin County MUD #2 (Bridgewater, Tillage Farms, Cypress Creek), MUD #4 (Ranger Crossing, Frontier Pointe), MUD #10 (Arbor Trails) and LC MUD #1 (Ashford Crossing). Those homes pay no city tax but add ESD #1 at $0.10, for about $2.53 per $100 in total. Inside the city, newer neighborhoods have PIDs instead, with 2026-27 installments of about $820 to $1,140 a lot in Arcadia Farms, $840 to $1,890 in Winchester Crossing, $2,060 to $2,250 in Windmore, and $2,450 to $4,120 in Eastridge, Westridge, Southridge and Sicily. Ben Jimenez, a real estate agent with Real Broker, LLC, checks the MUD or PID for every Princeton address before his buyers make an offer.
Most of Princeton is in Princeton ISD, which had about 9,956 students in 2024-25, runs 17 schools including Princeton Senior High and Lovelady High, and earned a B (81) from TEA for 2026. Eastridge, Westridge and part of Southridge, inside the city limits, are zoned to McKinney ISD. Ben Jimenez, a real estate agent who works in Princeton, confirms the district for the exact address before his buyers make an offer.
Princeton had 17,027 residents at the 2020 Census and an estimated 43,524 as of July 1, 2025, in Collin County. It grew about 30.5% from 2023 to 2024, the fastest rate of any U.S. city with 20,000+ people, and another 18.1% from 2024 to 2025.
Princeton has the Princeton Onion Festival every April, Lavon Lake boat ramps at Clear Lake, Tickey Creek, Twin Groves and Bratonia parks, camping at Clear Lake Park, the Trinity Trail and Sister Grove Park trails, J.M. Caldwell Sr. Community Park with disc golf and a dog park, Freedom & Fireworks in June, Fishin' Frenzy in spring, Pumpkin BooLooza in October and the award-winning Lois Nelson Public Library.
Yes. Most new homes are in master-planned communities with a PID, such as Windmore, Sicily, Whitewing Trails, Winchester Crossing, Southridge, Eastridge and Serenity, or in MUD communities just outside the city, such as Bridgewater, Tillage Farms and Ranger Crossing. Ben Jimenez, a real estate agent with Real Broker, LLC, represents buyers on new construction in Princeton from the first model-home visit and checks the PID or MUD before they sign.
Budget for the full tax bill, not just the base rate: about $1.91 per $100 inside the city plus a PID in most new neighborhoods, or about $2.53 per $100 in the MUD areas outside the city. Expect US-380 to be your main route and plan for rush-hour traffic toward McKinney and US-75. Check the school district for the exact address, since Princeton ISD is growing fast and some city neighborhoods are in McKinney ISD. Ben Jimenez, a real estate agent who helps people relocating to Dallas-Fort Worth, maps commute time, taxes and schools for each Princeton home before his clients tour.
Ben Jimenez is a Dallas-Fort Worth real estate agent with Real Broker, LLC (Texas license 0784675) who works with buyers and sellers in Princeton. He has closed 56+ transactions and $23M+ in sales volume since 2021, with a 5.0 rating from 46+ five-star reviews. Reach him at 469-730-6895 or ben@findyourhomedallas.com.
Ben Jimenez, a real estate agent who helps people relocating to Dallas-Fort Worth, starts the search from the new office or school address and works outward by commute time, then runs showings by live video and handles inspections and builder walk-throughs in person so clients can buy before they move.
Ben Jimenez, a real estate agent with Real Broker, LLC, takes over Princeton listings that didn't sell. He starts with why it didn't sell, including competition from new construction and the PID or MUD buyers are comparing, then relaunches it with a new pricing review against recent closed sales, professional photos, drone and video tours, and a marketing plan built for that home.
Yes. Common ways are a contingent offer, a temporary leaseback after your sale closes, or bridge financing, and some builders work with contingent buyers. With Princeton homes taking about two months to sell, Ben Jimenez, a real estate agent with Real Broker, LLC, lines up the sale and purchase so both close on a workable schedule.
Start with what your current home will sell for, then decide what size, lot and HOA you want next and whether to buy before or after you sell. Princeton gives owners 65 and older a $25,000 city exemption and a tax freeze and school districts add a $60,000 exemption for owners 65+. Ben Jimenez recommends asking the appraisal district about the school tax ceiling too.
Texas has state down payment and mortgage assistance programs, such as TDHCA's My First Texas Home and TSAHC's Home Sweet Texas, for buyers who qualify on income and other rules. Ben Jimenez, a real estate agent who works with first-time buyers in Princeton, connects buyers with lenders who use those programs and makes sure the PID or MUD is in the payment before they start touring.
It depends on the numbers for the specific home: rent, a combined tax rate near 1.91% inside the city or about 2.53% in a MUD, any PID installment, HOA dues and any HOA leasing rules. Ben Jimenez, a real estate agent who works with investors in Princeton, runs those numbers before his clients make an offer.
Book a call with Ben Jimenez, call or text 469-730-6895, or get a free home value.
*Zillow Home Value Index for Princeton, September 2026 (Zillow Research data); Realtor.com Residential Data, ZIP 75407, October 2026. **City of Princeton, Princeton ISD, Collin County and Collin College 2026 adopted rates (Collin CAD tax rates, Texas Open Data), summed; City of Princeton FY 2026-27 Taxpayer Impact Statement and Budget and Property Tax Q&A; Texas Comptroller school homestead exemptions. MUD and PID: Collin CAD 2026 entity rates and parcel data; City of Princeton 2026 Annual Service and Assessment Plan Updates for each PID (MuniCap). Sources: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Census and Vintage 2025 estimates; City of Princeton news releases (2024 moratorium, growth, parks, medical office); TEA 2026 accountability and 2024-25 TAPR; Princeton ISD; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lavon Lake; TxDOT US 380 Princeton hearing (September 2024); Texas State Historical Association; City of Princeton history. Distances are straight-line. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Updated November 11, 2026.