Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The everyday basics are strong; the price of a home is the catch. On schools it is strong — its public schools beat 93% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. Taken together, its subjects give Jenkintown an A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns. Its place in the ranking is 181st of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Add health to its strengths: it is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $513K, 5.6 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income. 66% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more locally, against 29% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24.
Where Jenkintown beats most towns.
Jenkins' Town Lyceum Building
Census counts: 810 in 1880, 4,719 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1872 and a map from 1893 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Jenkintown is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 13%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Jenkintown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw2 mi MuseumLynnewood Hall
Big draw11 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw9 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
Big draw10 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile ArenaLynnewood Hall: Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Lincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jenkintown, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Jenkintown.
Jenkintown draws workers from Philadelphia and beyond, has less tooth loss than most of Pennsylvania and costs more than Wyncote or any other town next door.
Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Wyncote is next at $464K. The median property tax bill is $8,656, against $3,311 across Pennsylvania, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
A home in Jenkintown typically sold within 36 days of listing. Typical home values rose 2.7% in the year to September 2026. Also worth knowing: in Jenkintown, the rent at the middle of the market is $1,418 a month.
| Jenkintown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,418 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
That grade comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $513K.
Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Jenkintown Middle/High School, with 329 students. The public schools here belong to Jenkintown SD.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jenkintown El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 401 | A− |
| Jenkintown Middle/High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 329 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
7,749 jobs are based in Jenkintown, 3.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 4,719 in 2013 to 7,749.
Most working residents leave Jenkintown for work: only 6% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 3,030, to 7,749. The town’s average commute is 33 minutes. Half of commuters travel less than 10 miles.
| Jenkintown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $111,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.7% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 6.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
31% of Jenkintown adults have high blood pressure. In Jenkintown, 18% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 14% say their health is fair or poor.
| Jenkintown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 24% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Jenkintown | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.6% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.6% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Of the losses FEMA expects in Jenkintown, 43% come from inland flooding and 15% from cold waves. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage here than in 93% of U.S. communities. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2021.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The range runs from 24° on a January night to 86° on a July afternoon, with about 8 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
The violent offense rate for Jenkintown comes to 0.4 per 1,000 residents. Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Jenkintown sits closer to the middle.
| Jenkintown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.1 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
43 within 15 miles of the center of Jenkintown
About 1 of every 100 Jenkintown residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Jenkintown’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Jenkintown on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Jenkintown.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Jenkintown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Jenkintown had a population of 4,719. It is approximately 10 mi (16 km) north of Center City Philadelphia.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Jenkintown.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jenkintown | #181 | A | D | B+ | A | A |
| Abington Township | #388 | A− | C− | C+ | A− | A |
| Glenside | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wyncote | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cheltenham Township | #755 | C+ | D | D− | B+ | A |
Glenside and Wyncote aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Jenkintown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Jenkintown grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #181 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Jenkintown sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
4 notable people were born here, including Jennifer Su and Carl J. Seiberlich.
.JPG){kind=link}
