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Cost of living, pay and housing

40.06° N · 75.13° W · GEOID 4248600

Melrose Park

Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania · part of the Philadelphia, PA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

PennsylvaniaMelrose Park, PAMelrose ParkMelrose Park

The short answer

Melrose Park is home to 2,266 people. Median household income is $168,750 a year and median rent is $1,772 a month, 12.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $465,200, about 2.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,772
30% above the median place
Median household income
$168,750
110% above the median place
Median home value
$465,200
46% above the median place
Unemployment
5.6%
15% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Melrose Park

  • Half the homes were built before 1938, older housing than in 97% of the 2,479 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 271 Pennsylvania places.
  • After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $146,900 a year left, more than in 93% of places its size.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,436 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 94% of places its size.
  • 73% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a larger share than in 96% of places its size.
  • The median rent takes only 12.6% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 94% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 100 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Melrose Park

Philadelphia County loses about 17.1 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in51,303
Moved out69,239
Net−17,936

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Montgomery County, PA5,45010,283−4,833
Delaware County, PA4,8198,248−3,429
Bucks County, PA3,0806,267−3,187
Camden County, NJ1,6553,502−1,847
New Castle County, DE1,2992,129−830
Chester County, PA1,2181,718−500
Kings County, NY2,026

Within Pennsylvania, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within PennsylvaniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$68K
Leavers$85K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Philadelphia County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.9% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Philadelphia County report $68,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $85,200, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$70,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,772 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,208 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $465,200.
Getting to work
35 minutes each way on average; 16.9% work from home; 16.7% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Wildwood, MO matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-17.1
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$85,188
21% above the median place
Moved from another state1
2.9%
44% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureMelrose ParkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.5%5% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.9%44% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-17.1below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$68,2633% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$85,18821% above
02

What it costs to live here

Median year built is 1938, 2% below the median place.

Melrose Park12.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$70,880
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
12.6%
38% below the median place
Home price to income
2.8x
27% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
13%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$147,200
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Melrose Park, $1,772 a month, and local prices for everything else (100.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Melrose Park, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Highland Lakes, AL8.5% vs 12.6%$15,000Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Melrose Park.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Melrose Park? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median year built1
1938
2% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$10,001
206% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$3,208
71% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureMelrose ParkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,77230% above
Rent to income112.6%38% below
Home price to income12.8x27% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure102.52% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,86015% above
HUD area median income4County figure$122,70014% above
Property tax paid (median)1$10,001206% above
Median home value1$465,20046% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.8%19% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure28.2%45% below
Homeownership182.5%24% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure52.3%3% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,20871% above
Vacant homes1County figure9.2%30% above
Median year built119382% below
03

Work and pay

Median household income is $168,750, 110% above the median place.

Median household income1
$168,750
110% above the median place
Mean commute1
35 min
40% above the median place
Income per person1
$68,607
71% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureMelrose ParkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$168,750110% above
Income per person1$68,60771% above
Unemployment15.6%15% above
Average annual pay6County figure$85,84630% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.2%14% below
Jobs6County figure725,357381% above
Poverty rate1County figure21.4%98% above
Mean commute135 min40% above
Works from home116.9%36% above
Commutes by transit1County figure16.7%above (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 99.2%, 7% above the median place.

High school or higher1
99.2%
7% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
73.4%
129% above the median place
Median age1
48.4
24% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband96.3% +4%
Household size2.8 +12%
Born abroad13.1% +48%
All 8 people measures
MeasureMelrose ParkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,2666646th largest
Median age148.424% above
Bachelor's or higher173.4%129% above
High school or higher199.2%7% above
Household size12.812% above
Born abroad113.1%48% above
No health insurance1County figure7.1%11% above
Homes with broadband196.3%4% above
05

Life in Melrose Park

633 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 68 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents8.8 −13%
Playgrounds per 10k70.6 7.5×
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi7.0 33.4×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars24.7 +19%
Shops26.9 −11%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.7 −10%
Doctors' offices and clinics13.7 −32%
Child care centers4.7 2.0×

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Child care centers per 10k8
4.7
104% above the median place
Public schools11
303
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students11
182,005
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureMelrose ParkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure303above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure182,005above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure15.03% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure24.719% above
Shops per 10k8County figure26.911% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.710% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure13.732% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure4.7104% above
Parks per 10k98.813% below
Playgrounds per 10k970.6above (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi97.0above (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure633above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 100.0, 11% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Melrose Park. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk13
100.0
11% above the median place
Natural hazard risk13
99.6
8% above the median place
Tornado risk13
98.7
21% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureMelrose ParkAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure87°F1% above
January average low12County figure25°F0% above
Average temperature12County figure55°F1% above
Annual precipitation12County figure46.9 in7% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure99.68% above
Hurricane risk13County figure94.333% above
Tornado risk13County figure98.721% above
Wildfire risk13County figure28.753% below
Heat wave risk13County figure100.011% above
Median air quality index14County figure5016% above
Good air days14County figure50.4%26% below
08

Places like Melrose Park

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Wildwood, MO$1,661$161,060Compare
Elm Grove, WI$1,900$158,016Compare
Beverly Hills, MI$2,077$177,412Compare
Northville, MI$1,623$145,530Compare
Northville, MIBeverly Hills, MIElm Grove, WIWildwood, MOMelrose Park, PAMelrose ParkWildwoodElm GroveBeverly HillsMelrose ParkWildwoodElm GroveBeverly Hills

Common questions

Is Melrose Park a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Half the homes were built before 1938, older housing than in 97% of the 2,479 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 271 Pennsylvania places. After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $146,900 a year left, more than in 93% of places its size. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Melrose Park expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 12.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $465,200.

What salary do you need to live in Melrose Park?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $70,880 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Melrose Park?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Wildwood, MO, Elm Grove, WI, Beverly Hills, MI and Northville, MI.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Melrose Park with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Melrose Park itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/melrose-park-pennsylvania

Citytistics. “Melrose Park, Pennsylvania.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/melrose-park-pennsylvania/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.