Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 12,290.
Lower Gwynedd Township is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, 129th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. It is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns, its public schools beat 96% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation, and the median household earns $140K. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $655K for a typical one and 7.2 times the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income. 72% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Lower Gwynedd Township, above both the Pennsylvania town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Lower Gwynedd Township is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns. Only 70 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Lower Gwynedd Township beats most towns.
2 colleges in town.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Lower Gwynedd Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,847 in 1930, 12,076 in 2020. The archive holds 6 maps from 1893 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lower Gwynedd Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi MuseumLynnewood Hall
Big draw18 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw16 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
Big draw17 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw20 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 Lower Gwynedd Township, 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 Lower Gwynedd Township.
Lower Gwynedd Township has schools in the top 5% of Pennsylvania and draws workers from Philadelphia and beyond, but it reports more crime than Ambler and its other graded neighbors.
17 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The trail density in Lower Gwynedd Township is 1.8 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Penllyn Woods and Park, 133 acres with 2.9 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Penllyn Woods and Park | 2.9 mi | 133 |
| 2. Gwynedd Preserve | 1.5 mi | 65 |
| 3. Treweryn Farm Trail Park | 1.2 mi | 42 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A+ ranks #42 of the 1,037 Pennsylvania towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $655K.
Its public schools are run by Wissahickon SD. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Wissahickon SHS, with 1,480 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wissahickon MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,208 | A− |
| Wissahickon SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,480 | B+ |
| Lower Gwynedd El SchTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 630 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 6.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
9.7% of Lower Gwynedd Township adults report frequent physical distress. Lower Gwynedd Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 16 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 13% of Lower Gwynedd Township adults report frequent mental distress.
| Lower Gwynedd Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 17% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Lower Gwynedd Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.3% | 14.5% |
| Fewer smokers | 9.6% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
6,908 jobs are based in Lower Gwynedd Township, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 27.9% of workers work from home, against 15.6% across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Lower Gwynedd Township for work: only 6% work in town. 28% of workers work from home in Lower Gwynedd Township. The top destinations are Philadelphia (12%), Whitpain Township (5%) and Horsham Township (4%).
| Lower Gwynedd Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 28% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $140,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.3% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 38 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lower Gwynedd Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lower Gwynedd Township is safe by national standards, yet each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Ambler (A−) to Upper Gwynedd Township (A). Reported crimes fell from 141 to 61 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Lower Gwynedd Township’s violent crime rate is 0.2 per 1,000 residents. Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Lower Gwynedd Township sits closer to the middle.
| Lower Gwynedd Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Lower Gwynedd Township has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 23° and about 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
32 within 15 miles of the center of Lower Gwynedd Township
About 5 of every 100 Lower Gwynedd Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
Where Lower Gwynedd Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Lower Gwynedd Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Lower Gwynedd Township ( Welsh pronunciation: [ˈɡwɪnɛð]), founded in 1698, is a township and equestrian community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 11,405 at the 2010 census. The township comprises four villages: Gwynedd, Gwynedd Valley, Penllyn, and Spring House. The township is considered a haven for those seeking a country lifestyle and rural feel, while still offering close proximity to nearby towns as well as Center City Philadelphia and New York City. While its postal address is in Ambler, Pennsylvania (19002), it is adjacent to but technically not a part of the borough of Ambler.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Lower Gwynedd Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Gwynedd Township | #129 | A | D− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Upper Gwynedd Township | #162 | A | D | A | A− | A |
| Whitpain Township | #51 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Ambler | #100 | A+ | C− | A− | A+ | A− |
| Upper Dublin Township | #25 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Spring House | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Spring House isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lower Gwynedd Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Lower Gwynedd Township grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #129 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 Lower Gwynedd Township 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−.
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