Moving to
Norristown.

All Norristown data Compare Norristown

35,893people live here $66,701median household income▼ 17% below US $1,422median rent per monthNear US average $213,900median home value▼ 36% below US

What it's like to live in Norristown

Norristown is a small city in Pennsylvania with home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, hospitals with strong quality ratings, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Norristown deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.

The good

Affordable home prices
Low unemployment
Strong hospital ratings
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Below-average household incomes
Crime above national average
High poverty rate
High rent burden for renters
Cold winters
Above-average rainfall

How Norristown compares

Median household income

Norristown$66,701

Pennsylvania avg$77,971

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Norristown$1,422

Pennsylvania avg$1,209

US$1,413

Median home value

Norristown$213,900

Pennsylvania avg$254,500

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Norristown

Based on Norristown's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,844

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $56,880 a year
54% of Norristown renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$42,780

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $21,390
Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,422/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,422 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $213,900. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.

Median home value $213,900 · 54% of renters cost-burdened

Job market▼ 14% below US

3.7% unemployment

Unemployment here is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▲ 48% above US

487 violent crimes per 100k

Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.

Property crime 1811/100k · Norristown Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

27 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 26.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% take public transit; 12% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

61%

Carpool

13%

Work from home

12%

Public transit

6.1%

Walk

4.0%

Other

3.9%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 86°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

4 hospitals

There are 4 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 4.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▼ 35% below US

24% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 24%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

6 public schools inside the boundary

There are 6 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Valley Forge National Historical Park (6 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Norristown's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,422/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. Whether it fits comes down to the specifics: the neighborhood, the job, and what matters most in the move.

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