Most of Princeton is in Mercer County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $55.08 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 4 ZIP codes in Princeton with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,560 to $2,340 a month. At the middle rent, $2,085, a full-time job would need to pay $73.29 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08540 | Mercer County | $2,050/mo | $71.87/hr |
| 08542 | Mercer County | $2,340/mo | $83.64/hr |
| 08543 | Mercer County | $1,560/mo | $52.33/hr |
| 08544 | Mercer County | $2,120/mo | $74.71/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Princeton needs to pay at least $55.08 an hour before taxes, about $114,571 a year. That is the figure for Mercer County, where the typical studio rent is $1,630 a month.
Yes. Across the 4 ZIP codes in Princeton with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,560 to $2,340 a month. At the middle rent of $2,085, the pay needed would be $73.29 an hour.
The minimum wage in Mercer County is $15.92 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 3.5 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads