Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Eviction Risk: Low
67 incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. The county Eviction Risk Score is held aloft by the city of Norristown (4.3) and a small number of dense urban cores. Rent-control coverage varies by city.
Ranked #50 of 67 PA counties
437k residents · 67 cities · 219 tracts
Montgomery County eviction risk score history
Key metrics
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Tenant beats landlord27.8%/ 100 outcomesIn court-decided eviction outcomes for Montgomery County, PA, tenants prevail in roughly 27.8% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses and longer calendars.
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Timeline70dfiling → judgmentFrom the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Montgomery County, PA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 70 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent for landlords.
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Cost range$3.1–7.5klegal + lost rentA typical eviction in Montgomery County, PA costs landlords $3,075 to $7,456 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent.
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Average rent$1,69430% stretched on rentAverage gross rent in Montgomery County, PA is $1,694 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey. 30% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent.
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Renters34.0%of households34.0% of occupied housing units in Montgomery County, PA are renter-occupied. A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings and a more active rental market.
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Poverty8.1%4.6% unemp.8.1% of Montgomery County, PA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.6%. Both feed the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model.
Scrub 50 years
Montgomery County averages 6.1/10 across 67 cities, with scores ranging from 3.5 at the low end to 7.3 in Norristown, the county's highest-risk city. Ranked 11th of 67 Pennsylvania counties by eviction risk, placing Montgomery County in the higher-risk third of the state.
How Montgomery County ranks in Pennsylvania
Landlord guides for Pennsylvania
| City↕ | Population↕ | Risk↕ | % income on rent↕ | Average rent↕ | Lean↕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Norristown | 35,893 | 4.1 | 33.5% | $1,422 | Dem |
| 002 | King of Prussia | 25,857 | 3.8 | 25.1% | $2,077 | Dem |
| 003 | Pottstown | 23,476 | 4.2 | 36.8% | $1,260 | Dem |
| 004 | Lansdale | 19,011 | 3.9 | 30.5% | $1,470 | Dem |
| 005 | Horsham | 16,005 | 3.6 | 28.6% | $1,446 | Dem |
| 006 | Willow Grove | 14,131 | 3.7 | 28.8% | $1,765 | Dem |
| 007 | Ardmore | 13,909 | 3.9 | 28.9% | $1,763 | Dem |
| 008 | Montgomeryville | 13,388 | 4.0 | 51.0% | $1,993 | Dem |
| 009 | Roslyn | 10,639 | 4.0 | 20.3% | $1,306 | Dem |
| 010 | Bala Cynwyd | 10,227 | 3.9 | 29.2% | $1,886 | Dem |
| 011 | Conshohocken | 9,282 | 3.6 | 22.1% | $2,147 | Dem |
| 012 | Audubon | 9,229 | 3.9 | 30.5% | $1,890 | Dem |
| 013 | Harleysville | 9,090 | 3.7 | 30.2% | $1,772 | Dem |
| 014 | Sanatoga | 8,949 | 4.2 | 37.1% | $1,607 | Dem |
| 015 | Kulpsville | 8,799 | 3.8 | 29.2% | $1,933 | Dem |
| 016 | Hatboro | 8,283 | 3.8 | 25.4% | $1,911 | Dem |
| 017 | Glenside | 7,659 | 3.9 | 38.8% | $1,431 | Dem |
| 018 | Plymouth Meeting | 7,502 | 3.7 | 29.4% | $1,952 | Dem |
| 019 | Elkins Park | 7,213 | 4.2 | 40.0% | $1,606 | Dem |
| 020 | Souderton | 7,181 | 3.9 | 32.5% | $1,297 | Dem |
| 021 | Ambler | 6,847 | 3.9 | 30.2% | $1,447 | Dem |
| 022 | Maple Glen | 6,643 | 3.7 | 21.7% | $2,201 | Dem |
| 023 | Blue Bell | 6,424 | 3.8 | 22.0% | $3,348 | Dem |
| 024 | Fort Washington | 6,271 | 4.0 | 36.5% | $1,996 | Dem |
| 025 | Gilbertsville | 6,165 | 3.7 | 21.2% | $1,171 | Dem |
| 026 | Penn Wynne | 6,070 | 3.9 | 22.4% | $1,905 | Dem |
| 027 | Oreland | 5,953 | 3.9 | 27.5% | $1,261 | Dem |
| 028 | Bryn Mawr | 5,880 | 4.3 | 34.9% | $2,173 | Dem |
| 029 | Merion Station | 5,788 | 3.6 | 17.6% | $2,461 | Dem |
| 030 | Wyndmoor | 5,633 | 3.8 | 19.8% | $1,464 | Dem |
| 031 | Collegeville | 5,247 | 4.2 | 38.0% | $1,437 | Dem |
| 032 | Bridgeport | 5,174 | 3.8 | 30.9% | $1,242 | Dem |
| 033 | Spring House | 5,137 | 3.8 | 51.0% | $3,304 | Dem |
| 034 | Flourtown | 4,992 | 4.0 | 35.6% | $1,734 | Dem |
| 035 | Royersford | 4,945 | 3.8 | 27.7% | $1,516 | Dem |
| 036 | Trooper | 4,907 | 3.9 | 33.5% | $1,298 | Dem |
| 037 | Telford | 4,829 | 3.9 | 28.4% | $1,312 | Dem |
| 038 | Jenkintown | 4,727 | 4.1 | 28.9% | $1,418 | Dem |
| 039 | Narberth | 4,511 | 3.8 | 28.8% | $1,823 | Dem |
| 040 | Trappe | 4,025 | 3.7 | 31.7% | $1,865 | Dem |
| 041 | Pennsburg | 3,994 | 3.6 | 21.0% | $1,361 | Dem |
| 042 | Skippack | 3,937 | 3.5 | 43.8% | $1,505 | Dem |
| 043 | Stowe | 3,698 | 3.8 | 24.0% | $1,430 | Dem |
| 044 | Halfway House | 3,688 | 4.2 | 22.2% | $2,248 | Dem |
| 045 | Hatfield | 3,502 | 3.9 | 27.0% | $1,244 | Dem |
| 046 | North Wales | 3,440 | 3.7 | 21.0% | $1,506 | Dem |
| 047 | Pottsgrove | 3,409 | 3.7 | 24.2% | $1,698 | Dem |
| 048 | Wyncote | 3,389 | 3.6 | 31.5% | $1,434 | Dem |
| 049 | East Greenville | 3,169 | 3.7 | 26.3% | $1,338 | Dem |
| 050 | Evansburg | 2,976 | 4.0 | 51.0% | $1,402 | Dem |
| 051 | McKinley | 2,662 | 4.2 | 28.2% | $2,096 | Dem |
| 052 | Rockledge | 2,634 | 4.2 | 27.0% | $1,111 | Dem |
| 053 | Red Hill | 2,513 | 3.4 | 29.9% | $983 | Dem |
| 054 | Mont Clare | 2,313 | 4.3 | 29.7% | $2,297 | Dem |
| 055 | Spring Mount | 2,288 | 4.3 | 26.2% | $1,770 | Dem |
| 056 | Cheltenham Village | 2,112 | 3.9 | 36.1% | $1,503 | Dem |
| 057 | Swedeland | 1,630 | 4.0 | 18.1% | $2,132 | Dem |
| 058 | West Conshohocken | 1,536 | 3.7 | 23.9% | $2,270 | Dem |
| 059 | Schwenksville | 1,385 | 4.0 | 30.6% | $1,173 | Dem |
| 060 | Woxall | 1,347 | 3.3 | 14.9% | $1,148 | Dem |
| 061 | Bryn Athyn | 1,143 | 4.0 | 26.8% | $1,571 | Dem |
| 062 | Oaks | 943 | 3.6 | 41.8% | $1,738 | Dem |
| 063 | Swedesburg | 806 | 4.0 | 22.7% | $1,589 | Dem |
| 064 | Arcadia University | 792 | 4.1 | 43.1% | $1,894 | Dem |
| 065 | Trumbauersville | 772 | 3.9 | 28.1% | $1,423 | Dem |
| 066 | Green Lane | 511 | 3.8 | 31.0% | $1,183 | Dem |
| 067 | Eagleville | 351 | 3.9 | 30.6% | $1,686 | Dem |
County heatmap
Neighborhoods in Montgomery County
Top 11 neighborhoods by population. Click for a pop-weighted risk score and the constituent census tracts.
One county, multiple regulatory regimes.
Montgomery County carries an average eviction risk score of 3.9/10 (Elevated), placing it among the higher-risk third of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, ranked 11th in the state where rank 1 is the least landlord-friendly. That means 10 counties in Pennsylvania eviction laws are riskier to operate in, but 56 are more landlord-friendly, so investors entering this market should go in with clear eyes. Across a total population of 436,480, renters make up 34% of households and pay an average rent of $1,694 per month, with an average rent burden of 30.5% of income. Those numbers describe a market with real demand but meaningful financial stress among tenants.
The more important figure for underwriting is the spread: city-level scores inside the county range from 3.5 to 7.3, a gap wide enough that two properties a few miles apart can sit in fundamentally different risk tiers. Broad county averages inform the entry decision; granular city data is what drives due diligence.
The cities inside Montgomery County
At the high end, Norristown scores 7.3/10 with a population of 35,893, making it both the county's most populous city and its highest-risk one. Pottstown follows at 7.2/10 (population 23,476), and King of Prussia, with 25,857 residents, scores 7/10. Bridgeport (6.9), Mont Clare (6.8), and Trumbauersville (6.7) round out the upper tier. Landlords concentrating portfolios in these communities should budget for higher eviction frequency and longer resolution timelines.
The lower end of the county looks substantially different. Ardmore and Montgomeryville each score 5.6/10, and Willow Grove comes in at 6.0/10. The spread confirms that risk in Montgomery County is hyper-local: a county-average score cannot substitute for city-level analysis when evaluating a specific acquisition.
State-level laws that apply here
Every landlord in the county operates under the Pennsylvania eviction laws Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 (68 P.S. § 250.101 et seq.). Notice requirements depend on the reason for eviction: nonpayment of rent triggers a 10-day notice under 68 P.S. § 250.501(b); a material breach in a tenancy under one year requires 15 days, and a breach in a tenancy of one year or more requires 30 days. There is no mandatory notice for end of lease term. The Pennsylvania eviction laws eviction process, once filed, takes 30 to 60 days for uncontested cases and 60 to 150 days when contested. Pennsylvania eviction costs range from $130 to $250 in court filing fees, $50 to $150 for sheriff lockout fees, and $500 to $3,000 in attorney fees. Pennsylvania eviction laws does not impose just-cause eviction requirements and, notably, preempts local rent-control ordinances statewide, so no municipality within the county can impose a rent cap independent of state law.
With an average poverty rate of 8.1% across the county, the financial vulnerability of the renter base varies sharply by city; the city-level grid above breaks down individual scores across all 67 communities so you can pinpoint exactly where that risk concentrates.
Eviction filings in Pennsylvania
The Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System covers Pennsylvania statewide (no county-level tracker available for Montgomery County). In the past month, 8,054 statewide filings were recorded, 0.94× the historical baseline (below baseline).
- 8,054Past month (state)
- 108,576Past 12 months
- 0.95×vs baseline (12 mo)
Eviction filings in Montgomery County
In September 2025, 637 eviction filings were recorded in Montgomery County, 121.9% of the historical average (above average).2
- 637Sep 2025
- 121.9%of historical avg
- 94,268Renter households
- 6.5%Poverty rate
Historical eviction filings in Montgomery County
From 2000 to 2018, eviction filings in Montgomery County increased 48%. The peak was 6,471 filings in 2011.3
- 4,0402000
- 6,471Peak (2011)
- 5,9652018
Data covers 2000–2018, the full span of the Princeton Eviction Lab's national county court-records dataset.
How Montgomery County compares
Montgomery County's average eviction-risk score of 6.1/10 exceeds three of its five peer counties: Bucks County (5.89/10), Lancaster County (5.95/10), and Lackawanna County (6.01/10), while sitting below Berks County (6.28/10) and near Erie County (6.19/10). Within Pennsylvania, the county ranks 11th of 67 counties by eviction risk (rank 1 = highest risk), placing it in the higher-risk third of the state, with only 10 counties carrying a heavier risk profile.