Princeton grew 18.1% in the year ending July 1, 2025, reaching 43,524 residents and ranking third among U.S. cities with at least 20,000 people, according to the latest Census Bureau estimates.
The city added 6,668 people in that year. Only Celina, in Collin County's northwest corner, and Fulshear, near Houston, grew faster.
More than doubled since 2020
Princeton had 16,996 residents at the April 2020 census, so its population has grown about 156% in a little more than five years. The yearly estimates show how quickly that built up:
- July 2021: 20,071
- July 2022: 22,962
- July 2023: 28,234
- July 2024: 36,856
- July 2025: 43,524
The largest single year was 2023 to 2024, when the city added about 8,600 people. The 2025 gain was a little smaller, but still enough for a top-three national ranking.
Where Princeton stands
Princeton is now larger than Anna (35,245) and Melissa (29,969), and within about 2,100 people of Prosper (45,605), which grew 2.5% over the same year. In 2020, Prosper had nearly twice Princeton's population.
Four of the five fastest-growing U.S. cities of 20,000-plus are North Texas suburbs: Celina, Princeton, Melissa and Anna. The 21 North Texas cities and towns this newsroom covers added 64,204 residents in the year, with most of the fastest growth north of the older suburbs.
How it compares
Texas as a whole grew 1.2% over the same year, adding 391,243 residents, and Collin County grew 3.4% to about 1.3 million, adding 42,966. Princeton's 6,668 new residents were about 15% of that county total, from a city with roughly 3% of the county's population.
These are Census Bureau estimates, not counts, and the bureau revises earlier years with each new release. They follow city limits, so annexed land counts as growth, and the city's own planning figures may differ.
Sources
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates, released May 14, 2026: census.gov U.S. Census Bureau, Texas city and town population estimates, 2020-2025: www2.census.gov Regional analysis of all 21 North Texas cities and towns: North Texas growth has moved north: Census estimates put Celina, Princeton, Melissa and Anna among the nation's fastest-growing cities (frisco.city)
