Willow Grove is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, PA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Willow Grove

Willow Grove is an unincorporated community in Pennsylvania with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, 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. Willow Grove deals with rent well above the national average and a population that has been shrinking.

The good

  • Low unemployment in the county
  • Higher-than-average incomes
  • Highly educated workforce
  • Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • Shrinking population

How Willow Grove compares

Median household income

Willow Grove$98,064
Pennsylvania avg$77,971
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Willow Grove$1,765
Pennsylvania avg$1,209
US$1,413

Median home value

Willow Grove$357,300
Pennsylvania avg$254,500
US$332,700

What it takes to move to Willow Grove

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

To rent

$3,530

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

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $70,600 a year
  • 46% of Willow Grove renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$71,460

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $35,730
  • Homes cost 3.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 25% above US

$1,765/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,765 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $357,300. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $357,300 · 46% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.5% county unemployment

Unemployment in Montgomery County is 3.5%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Montgomery County (county-wide)

Safety

133 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Willow Grove doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Upper Moreland Township Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 1510/100k · Policed by Upper Moreland Township Police Department (township-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

26 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 26.2 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; 22% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
66%
Work from home
22%
Carpool
7.1%
Public transit
2.2%
Walk
2.1%
Other
1.0%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 86°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 29°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
10°30°50°70°90°5"Jan: 3.34" precipitationFeb: 2.57" precipitationMar: 3.96" precipitationApr: 3.77" precipitationMay: 3.61" precipitationJun: 3.87" precipitationJul: 4.32" precipitationAug: 4.22" precipitationSep: 4.52" precipitationOct: 3.63" precipitationNov: 3.19" precipitationDec: 4.00" precipitation27°JJan: high 42°F, low 27°FFFeb: high 45°F, low 28°FMMar: high 53°F, low 35°FAApr: high 65°F, low 44°FMMay: high 75°F, low 54°FJJun: high 83°F, low 64°F88°JJul: high 88°F, low 69°FAAug: high 86°F, low 68°FSSep: high 79°F, low 60°FOOct: high 68°F, low 48°FNNov: high 57°F, low 38°FDDec: high 47°F, low 31°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 19% above US

43% bachelor's degree or higher

The population is well-educated, with 43% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.

Schools

2 public schools inside the boundary

There are 2 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. 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 Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site (13 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Willow Grove's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and a population that has been shrinking. A year of median rent ($1,765/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (22% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals.

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