CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

40.00° N · 75.25° W · GEOID 4248768

Merion Station

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

PennsylvaniaMerion Station, PAMerion StationMerion Station

The short answer

Merion Station is home to 5,788 people. Median household income is $250,001 a year and median rent is $2,461 a month, 11.8% 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 $886,600, about 3.5x annual median household income.

What sets Merion Station apart is how far household money goes. After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $219,600 a year, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 236 Pennsylvania places we track. Also notable: Rent rose 9.1% a year while household income rose 2.8% between the 2020 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by more than in 92% of places its size.

89OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Strong

Merion Station scores better than 89% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 32nd of 271 in Pennsylvania.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%78
Economy 20%80
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%27
Education 10%100
Commute 10%39
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$2,461
80% above the median place
Median household income
$250,001
211% above the median place
Median home value
$886,600
178% above the median place
Unemployment
4.5%
9% below 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 Merion Station

  • Value for moneyRent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 97 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.
  • HousingOwning with a mortgage costs about $1,364 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 93% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • HousingHalf the homes were built before 1938, older housing than in 98% of the 2,479 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 271 Pennsylvania places we track.
01

Moving to Merion Station

Montgomery County gains about 0.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in35,647
Moved out35,121
Net+526

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Philadelphia County, PA10,2835,450+4,833
Bucks County, PA4,4664,196+270
Chester County, PA3,0203,529−509
Delaware County, PA2,0991,905+194
Berks County, PA1,1891,723−534
New York County, NY497

Within Pennsylvania, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within PennsylvaniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$98K
Leavers$105K

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

Who moves here
3.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.7% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Montgomery County report $97,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $104,700, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$98,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,461 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,825 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $886,600.
Getting to work
27 minutes each way on average; 44.3% work from home; 5.8% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Winnetka, IL matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
3.6%
38% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$104,712
49% above the median place
Income of households moving in7
$97,688
38% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureMerion StationAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year13.6%38% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.7%14% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure0.7above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$97,68838% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$104,71249% above
02

What it costs to live here

The median rent takes 11.8% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 96% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-lowest of 271 Pennsylvania places we track.

Merion Station11.8%
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
$98,440
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
11.8%
42% below the median place
Home price to income
3.5x
7% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
12%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$219,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Merion Station, $2,461 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 Merion Station, but easier on the budget

Places that match Merion Station on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Winnetka, IL748.8% vs 11.8%$4,100Compare
Hinsdale, IL429.2% vs 11.8%$3,100Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Merion Station.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Merion Station? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
0.0%
below the median place (median 7.1%)
Median year built1
1938
2% below the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$3,825
104% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureMerion StationAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,46180% above
Rent to income111.8%42% below
Home price to income13.5x7% 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$886,600178% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.6%45% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure51.7%0% above
Homeownership189.3%34% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure49.0%3% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,825104% above
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built119382% below
03

Work and pay

Works from home is 44.3%, 256% above the median place.

Works from home1
44.3%
256% above the median place
Median household income1
$250,001
211% above the median place
Income per person1
$115,864
189% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Poverty rate4.2% −61%
Commutes by transit5.8% 6.8×
Mean commute27 min +8%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureMerion StationAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$250,001211% above
Income per person1$115,864189% above
Unemployment1County figure4.5%9% below
Average annual pay6County figure$90,91538% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.8%24% below
Jobs6County figure504,216235% above
Poverty rate14.2%61% below
Mean commute127 min8% above
Works from home144.3%256% above
Commutes by transit15.8%above (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Bachelor's or higher is 84.5%, 164% above the median place.

Bachelor's or higher1
84.5%
164% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
98.9%
7% above the median place
High school or higher1
96.5%
5% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.9 +17%
Median age44.1 +13%
Born abroad13.5% +53%
All 8 people measures
MeasureMerion StationAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15,7886090th largest
Median age144.113% above
Bachelor's or higher184.5%164% above
High school or higher196.5%5% above
Household size12.917% above
Born abroad113.5%53% above
No health insurance1County figure3.9%39% below
Homes with broadband198.9%7% above
05

Life in Merion Station

The nearest National Park Service site is Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, about 5 miles away.

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Merion Friends Meeting House listed 1998Landmark

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents10.4 +2%
Playgrounds per 10k19.0 2.0×
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k6.9 −38%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi5.3 25.1×

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.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Benjamin Franklin National Memorial 5 miles
  • Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site 6 miles
  • Independence National Historical Park 7 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.8 +10%
Shops34.0 +12%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.6 +37%
Doctors' offices and clinics28.3 +40%
Child care centers2.6 +13%

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

Public schools12
1
89% below the median place
Public school students12
438
91% below the median place
Nearest National Park Service site10
5.1
83% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureMerion StationAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12189% below
Public school students1243891% below
Students per teacher1211.525% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure22.810% above
Shops per 10k8County figure34.012% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.637% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure28.340% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.613% above
Parks per 10k910.42% above
Playgrounds per 10k919.0102% above
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k96.938% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi95.3above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site105.183% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1010400% above
National Register listings11192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 98.3, 9% 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 Merion Station. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk14
98.3
9% above the median place
Tornado risk14
95.6
17% above the median place
Wildfire risk14
37.3
39% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureMerion StationAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure87°F0% above
January average low13County figure23°F10% below
Average temperature13County figure54°F2% below
Annual precipitation13County figure47.9 in9% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure96.85% above
Hurricane risk14County figure89.927% above
Tornado risk14County figure95.617% above
Wildfire risk14County figure37.339% below
Heat wave risk14County figure98.39% above
Median air quality index15County figure415% below
Good air days15County figure73.4%7% above
08

Merion Station in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 12% of the median income in 2030, up from 12% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Merion Station does better than 76% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 39%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$2,461/mo (2024)$3,230/mo$2,650 to $3,930/mo+4.6%
Median household income$250,001 (2024)$313,500$265,000 to $371,000+3.9%
Median home value$886,600 (2024)$1,262,000$916,000 to $1,738,000+6.1%

The median home would be worth 4.0 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Merion Station

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

PlaceRentIncome
Upper Montclair, NJ$2,237$250,001Compare
Rye Brook, NY$2,593$246,944Compare
New Albany, OH$2,355$238,250Compare
Bellaire, TX$2,672$244,015Compare
Bellaire, TXNew Albany, OHRye Brook, NYUpper Montclair, NJMerion Station, PARye BrookNew AlbanyBellaireRye BrookNew AlbanyBellaire

Places built like Merion Station

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Merion Station performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Merion Station, PA11.8%2.8%/yrn/a
Upper Montclair, NJ10.7%3.4%/yrn/aCompare
Piedmont, CA16.8%2.2%/yr-5.5%Compare
Glen Ridge, NJ13.1%4.3%/yr6.2%Compare
Irvington, NY18.0%4.4%/yr-1.8%Compare
Oradell, NJ12.5%10.8%/yr0.6%Compare
Larchmont, NY15.0%-4.9%/yr1.8%Compare

Common questions

Is Merion Station a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 89 out of 100, better than 89% of the places we rate and 32nd of 271 in Pennsylvania. Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 97 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings. Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,364 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 93% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 99 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Merion Station expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 11.8% 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 $886,600.

What salary do you need to live in Merion Station?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $98,440 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Merion Station?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Upper Montclair, NJ, Rye Brook, NY, New Albany, OH and Bellaire, TX.

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 Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 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
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. 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 Merion Station with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Merion Station itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/merion-station-pennsylvania

Citytistics. “Merion Station, Pennsylvania.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/merion-station-pennsylvania/

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