Census-designated place · Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Merion Station, Pennsylvania

Merion Station is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area. It has 5,788 residents. Merion Station, Pennsylvania has a quality-of-life score of 96 out of 100 (very high), ranking #595 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Pennsylvania it ranks #16 of 997 cities and towns. It ranks best on median household income (high), bachelor's degree or higher (high) and flu vaccinations (high). It ranks worst on time spent in the emergency room (high), child care cost burden (high) and comfortable days (low).

96Very high

Quality-of-life score: #595 of 15,651 cities and towns
Pennsylvania: #16 of 997 in PA
Population: 5,788 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 4,354.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 4248768

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety86#2,194/15,637
Economy95#838/15,631
Housing59#6,118/14,977
Health95#785/15,609
Healthcare99#161/15,650
Environment37#9,752/15,453
Education99#127/15,649
Infrastructure69#4,879/15,650
Community98#276/15,651
Leisure & amenities77#3,642/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Merion Station, Pennsylvania ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Montgomery County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Median household income · high$250,001
100/100Pennsylvania $77,532United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended
Bachelor's degree or higher · high84.5%
100/100Pennsylvania 35.2%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Flu vaccinations · high61.0%
99/100Pennsylvania 52.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMontgomery County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low0.3%
99/100Pennsylvania 7.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty
Poor or fair health · low9.5%
99/100Pennsylvania 17.0%United States 19.9%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Physical inactivity · low13.1%
98/100Pennsylvania 20.8%United States 26.5%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Time spent in the emergency room · high238 min
6/100Pennsylvania 191 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMontgomery County value
Child care cost burden · high37.9%
14/100Pennsylvania 34.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMontgomery County value
Comfortable days · low23.8%
20/100Pennsylvania 23.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMontgomery County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.5 µg/m³
28/100Pennsylvania 8.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMontgomery County value
Average commute time · high26.9 min
34/100Pennsylvania 26.3 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Drinking water violations · high1
36/100Pennsylvania 1United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMontgomery County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
5,014 (2016-2020) → 5,788 (2020-2024)
+15%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
49.6% (2016-2020) → 35.1% (2020-2024)
−14 pts4 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.1% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
29.9% (2016-2020) → 17.6% (2020-2024)
−12 pts4 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.6% → 30.6%
Public transit commutersWorsening
14.9% (2016-2020) → 5.8% (2020-2024)
−9.1 pts4 yearsCensus table B08301US 4.6% → 3.2%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
95.0% (2016-2020) → 98.9% (2020-2024)
+3.9 pts4 yearsCensus table B28002US 85.2% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.0× (2016-2020) → 3.5× (2020-2024)
+17%4 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

There is not enough history to compare Merion Station, Pennsylvania over five years.

Cities and towns like Merion Station, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Merion Station, Pennsylvania in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Merion Station, Pennsylvania five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

5,788 residents (±520)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

5,788 residents (±520)

Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

White80%4,648
Black2.1%†124
Hispanic or Latino3.7%†217

Education

3,886 residents (±350)

Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

No high school diploma3.4%†134
High school or GED4.9%†191
Some college4.6%†180

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,939 households (±183)

Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $25k4.2%†82
$25k–50k3.2%†63
$50k–75k4.0%†78
$75k–100k5.3%†102
$100k–150k8.5%†165
$150k–200k8.9%†172
$200k or more66%1,277

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,939 households (±183)

Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Own89%1,731
Rent11%†208

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

208 households (±84)

Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $7505.8%†12
$750–1,0005.3%†11
$1,000–1,5000.0%0

Home values

1,731 homes (±184)

Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $150k2.2%†38
$150k–250k0.6%†10
$250k–400k2.8%†48

Age of homes

1,939 homes (±183)

Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

2010 or later1.5%†30
2000–20090.0%0
1980–19991.8%†35

Size of homes

1,939 homes (±183)

Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Studio0.6%†12
1 bedroom1.1%†21
2 bedrooms7.8%†151

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,020 workers (±432)

Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Drive alone42%1,278
Carpool3.1%†95
Public transit5.8%†175
Walk3.5%†107
Bike0.4%†11
Work from home44%1,339
Other0.5%†15

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,681 workers (±339)

Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under 15 min25%†420
15–29 min30%511
30–44 min33%562

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Montgomery County, the county holding most of Merion Station's residents.

Montgomery County has 26,711 employer establishments, 307 for every 10,000 residents (1.24× the US rate of 248; 1.30× Pennsylvania's), with 559,196 paid employees at an average annual pay of $82,456. The Census Bureau also counts 81,134 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 26,711; 81,134 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 307; US 248 · Pennsylvania 236
Paid employees: 559,196
Average annual pay: $82,456; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Montgomery County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	2,452	28.2	1.35×More than typical	36,718	$69,957	5,842
Restaurants and other eating places	1,653	19	1.03×About typical	27,857	$23,424	291
Specialty trade contractors	1,559	17.9	1.16×About typical	15,959	$87,794	4,209
Lessors of real estate	1,079	12.4	1.01×About typical	6,494	$88,760	11,704
Services to buildings and dwellings	866	10	1.48×More than typical	14,022	$39,321	2,649
Management, scientific and technical consulting	815	9.4	1.40×More than typical	9,944	$107,520	4,788
Construction of buildings	805	9.3	1.22×About typical	6,554	$106,557	1,783
Personal care services	792	9.1	1.91×More than typical	4,707	$28,118	1,653
Offices of other health practitioners	736	8.5	1.39×More than typical	4,339	$52,436	3,148
Offices of physicians	730	8.4	1.30×More than typical	10,129	$112,591	1,353
Full-service restaurants	699	8	1.05×About typical	15,609	$25,850	97
Limited-service restaurants	688	7.9	0.99×About typical	9,093	$21,345	144

Rank places for an industry Open Montgomery County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 870,108 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated -$1,936 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Merion Station, Pennsylvania: -$0.33 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$1,936; −105% vs FY2025
Per resident: -$0.33; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Offices, Boards and Divisions$1,1190.0%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

67.8KFY2017
92.6KFY2018
54.6KFY2019
68.1KFY2020
98.9KFY2021
124.3KFY2022
-2.7KFY2023
82.1KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Legal services · 5411$1,1190.0%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Merion Station, Pennsylvania

MEDICAL EXPERT SERVICES VICP.$21.8K
ROMBERG, NEIL· Montgomery County, PA· Professional services· Jun 18, 2024 – Jun 17, 2026· 75R60224F34026
MEDICAL EXPERT SERVICES VICP, CASE # 20-0834$1,875
ROMBERG, NEIL· Montgomery County, PA· Professional services· Dec 27, 2022 – Jun 9, 2026· 75R60223F34022
MEDICAL EXPERT VICP CASE 17-0501$750
ROMBERG, NEIL· Montgomery County, PA· Professional services· May 20, 2022 – Jun 12, 2026· 75R60222F34013
MEDICAL EXPERT VICP CASE 18-1371

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Merion Station, Pennsylvania, so they do not add up across cities.

Merion Station, Pennsylvania's figures are part of those of Montgomery County, PA ($6.3B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Merion Station is mostly in Montgomery County.

See federal money in Montgomery County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Merion Station, Pennsylvania is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Montgomery County92100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD73

Other cities and towns in Montgomery County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4248768

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Cities and towns like Merion Station, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved