The wealthiest Philadelphia suburbs by home value are Gladwyne and Villanova, and the richest neighborhoods in Philadelphia that appear in Zillow's data here don't come close to them. The catch is the drop after those two, about $444,000 down to Haverford, so if your budget starts near $1.1M, compare Haverford and Merion Station. For a fuller decision on land, train and tax, use the Main Line town comparison.
You want to know which Philadelphia suburbs have the highest home values, where the price steps are, and what those steps mean for a $1M+ budget. This ranking uses home values only, not incomes or residents.
The wealthiest Philadelphia suburbs ranked by home value
Gladwyne ranks first and Villanova second, and they're effectively one tier. The scoring rule is simple and checkable: every suburban ZIP in this site's data, ordered by Zillow's typical home value for September 2026, highest first. It uses no income or resident data, covers these 16 ZIPs only, and shows the middle of each market, not its top.
| Rank | ZIP | Zillow typical value | Below the rank above | One year | Five years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gladwyne 19035 | $1,625,035 | n/a | 8.54% | 44.35% |
| 2 | Villanova 19085 | $1,611,051 | $13,984 | 9.01% | 46.86% |
| 3 | Haverford 19041 | $1,167,168 | $443,883 | 7.41% | 34.29% |
| 4 | Merion Station 19066 | $1,111,342 | $55,826 | 7.03% | 43.90% |
| 5 | Berwyn 19312 | $1,000,034 | $111,308 | 6.32% | 39.52% |
| 6 | Bryn Mawr 19010 | $923,610 | $76,424 | 6.91% | 39.53% |
| 7 | Devon 19333 | $866,627 | $56,983 | 7.78% | 44.72% |
| 8 | Narberth 19072 | $842,614 | $24,013 | 6.16% | 37.78% |
| 9 | Wayne 19087 | $833,507 | $9,107 | 6.07% | 41.80% |
| 10 | Wynnewood 19096 | $819,197 | $14,310 | 5.73% | 37.69% |
| 11 | Malvern 19355 | $785,542 | $33,655 | 2.41% | 31.13% |
| 12 | Newtown Square 19073 | $769,452 | $16,090 | 5.21% | 33.63% |
| 13 | Bala Cynwyd 19004 | $681,530 | $87,922 | 5.13% | 37.26% |
| 14 | Paoli 19301 | $638,587 | $42,943 | 2.96% | 33.34% |
| 15 | Havertown 19083 | $533,928 | $104,659 | 4.60% | 35.91% |
| 16 | Ardmore 19003 | $525,655 | $8,273 | 2.34% | 26.55% |
The table covers ZIPs in and around the Main Line, so it can't rank suburbs elsewhere in the region. A wider list belongs to the guide to the best Philadelphia suburbs.
The top two wealthiest suburbs stand alone
Gladwyne and Villanova form a market of their own: they're about 1.4 times Haverford's typical value, and no other ZIP comes close. The two also rose fastest, with Villanova up 9.01% and Gladwyne up 8.54% in a year, more than three times the 2.59% in Montgomery County and 2.57% in Delaware County. If your budget is under about $1.5M, you're usually shopping the upper part of a lower tier.
1. Gladwyne, 19035
Gladwyne leads at $1,625,035, and it's the only ZIP of the top six wholly in one township by land, so the bill is one calculation: about $22,900 estimated at Lower Merion's 2026 rates. The trade-off is no station on the Paoli/Thorndale Line. The Gladwyne town guide covers what's behind the number.
2. Villanova, 19085
Villanova is $13,984 behind, a gap small enough that the order could flip between months. It's the higher riser over five years, at 46.86% against Gladwyne's 44.35%. The ZIP splits 57% Radnor and 43% Lower Merion by land, so the same typical price carries an estimated $20,800 or $22,700 in yearly tax. Start with the guide to Villanova, PA.
The $1M tier of wealthiest suburbs on the Main Line
Three more ZIPs reach seven figures, so five of 16 in all, and all three sit about $444,000 or more below Villanova. One has a mixed housing stock, one is nearly all one township, and one is far out on the line.
3. Haverford, 19041
Haverford's $1,167,168 comes from a mixed stock: only 43% of units are detached, and 41% are in buildings of ten or more. So the ZIP figure isn't what a detached house costs there, which makes a straight comparison with Villanova's 93% detached stock misleading. On the typical value, the estimated tax is about $18,900 on the Haverford Township side and $16,400 on the Lower Merion side.
4. Merion Station, 19066
Merion Station is the seven-figure ZIP with the shortest train: $1,111,342, up 43.90% in five years, and 25 minutes from Suburban Station on a typical train. It's 99.9% Lower Merion by land, so a typical home carries about $15,600 in estimated tax. If you want a $1M+ house close in, it's the one to compare first.
5. Berwyn, 19312
Berwyn crosses $1M by only $34, so call it the edge of the tier. It's also the only seven-figure ZIP west of Villanova, about 54 minutes out on a typical train. By land it's 55% Easttown and 30% Tredyffrin, plus parts of Willistown and Newtown Township. Your estimate in the Easttown part is about $12,600, and that's before Easttown's 0.5% earned income tax, on the state's DCED register.
Wealthiest suburbs where the typical home is under $1M
Below rank five, a $1M budget is above the middle of the ZIP, and the ranking can mislead you in both directions. Ask for sold prices by street here, because the ZIP's middle says little about the top.
6. Bryn Mawr, 19010
Bryn Mawr sits at $923,610 and is split across Radnor, Lower Merion and Haverford Township by land. It's the highest-ranked ZIP under $1M, so a $1M budget buys close to its middle. The Bryn Mawr page covers what the upper part of that market looks like.
7. Devon, 19333
Devon shows the weakness of any ZIP ranking. Its ZIP is $866,627 and ranks seventh, while Zillow's figure for Devon the city is $1,021,350, which would place it above the ZIPs ranked fifth and sixth. Neither is wrong, since they cover different areas, so check which one a comparison uses.
8. Narberth, 19072
Narberth's ZIP is $842,614, with only 15.6% of its land in the borough. The rest is Lower Merion, so a Narberth address may not pay borough rates. Check the parcel before you budget.
9. Wayne, 19087
Wayne's ZIP is $833,507, while Zillow's city figure is $951,696. The ZIP covers 15.62 square miles across three counties, far beyond the historic core. The guide to Wayne, PA sorts the parts.
10. Wynnewood, 19096
Wynnewood is $819,197, with the slowest one-year rise of the six main towns at 5.73%. A wide range sits inside it: Zillow's Penn Wynne figure is $563,666. Treat the ZIP number as a blend of different markets, and read the Wynnewood guide before you rule it in or out.
11. Malvern, 19355
Malvern's $785,542 comes with the slow growth of this lower group: up 2.41% in a year, below Chester County's 2.87%. It's the first stop past Paoli, and sources split on whether it counts as Main Line. A $1M home here is well above the middle, so ask for the sales that support the price.
12. Newtown Square among the wealthiest suburbs
Newtown Square is $769,452, with a stronger year than Malvern at 5.21%. It has no stop on the Paoli/Thorndale Line, and Zillow's city figure is a little higher at $790,705. Compare it on the drive, since the train isn't part of the deal.
13. Bala Cynwyd, 19004
Bala Cynwyd's $681,530 is all Lower Merion by land, up 37.26% in five years. At Lower Merion's rates, a typical home carries about $9,600 in estimated yearly tax. Like Gladwyne, it's one tax calculation, though a $1M house is far above the middle here.
14. Paoli, 19301
Paoli sits at $638,587, the only stop in fare zone 4 among these towns, and rose 2.96% in a year. Its typical train takes about 59 minutes. The ride is what you trade for the lower price.
15. Havertown among the wealthiest suburbs
Havertown is $533,928, and it's the ZIP most easily confused with Haverford. The two are $633,240 apart, about 2.2 times, so check the ZIP on any comparison that quotes either name.
16. Ardmore, 19003
Ardmore ranks last at $525,655 and had the slowest year at 2.34%, and it's one stop from Wynnewood, which is $293,542 higher. A $1M purchase here would be nearly double the middle of the market.
Richest neighborhoods in Philadelphia vs the wealthiest suburbs
Philadelphia's highest-value neighborhood in this data is Chestnut Hill at $885,051, which would rank just above Devon's ZIP on the suburban list. This data holds only a few city areas, so it can't produce a full list of the richest neighborhoods in Philadelphia, and no city-wide ranking is stated here. It does show how wide the gap is.
| Area | Zillow typical value, Sept 2026 | Gladwyne's value is about |
|---|---|---|
| Chestnut Hill neighborhood | $885,051 | 1.8 times |
| Society Hill neighborhood | $488,092 | 3.3 times |
| Rittenhouse ZIP 19103 | $473,549 | 3.4 times |
| Philadelphia, whole city | $231,584 | 7.0 times |
Don't read this as the top of Center City. Zillow's index covers all home types, so a ZIP dominated by apartments reads low even if its best houses sell far above that middle. Direction is the better comparison: over five years, 19103 fell 7.38% while Villanova rose 46.86%. The split is covered on the Main Line housing market page.
Using the wealthiest suburbs ranking to set a budget
Use the ranking to pick which tier your budget belongs in, then leave it behind. It tells you where the middle of each market sits, and nothing about a specific road.
- $1.5M and up as a typical purchase: Gladwyne and Villanova. Compare them on the train, since only Villanova has a station.
- $1M to $1.5M at the middle of the ZIP: Haverford, Merion Station and Berwyn. Compare ride times, because they run from 25 to about 54 minutes.
- $1M to $1.5M above the middle: Bryn Mawr, Devon, Narberth, Wayne and Wynnewood. These need road-level sold data more than any others on the list.
Yearly running costs are in the cost of living guide for the Main Line, and ZIP land shares are in the Main Line ZIP code table. Reid can pull recent sales for a road through a private Main Line search, and owners thinking about a sale can start with how a $1M+ sale works here.
Wealthiest Philadelphia suburbs FAQs
What is the wealthiest suburb of Philadelphia?
By home value in the 16 ZIPs this site tracks, it's Gladwyne, with a Zillow typical value of $1,625,035 in September 2026. Villanova follows at $1,611,051, close enough that the order could change month to month. This ranking uses home values only and covers the Main Line and nearby ZIPs, so it can't settle the question for every suburb in the region.
What is the most expensive ZIP code on the Main Line?
The highest in this site's data is 19035, Gladwyne, at a Zillow typical value of $1,625,035 for September 2026. Next are 19085, Villanova, at $1,611,051 and 19041, Haverford, at $1,167,168. A typical value is the middle of a ZIP's market, not its top, so the most expensive individual sale could be somewhere else.
What are the most expensive neighborhoods in Philadelphia?
The data here covers only a few city areas, so it can't give a full ranking. Of those, Chestnut Hill is highest at $885,051 in September 2026, followed by Society Hill at $488,092 and the Rittenhouse ZIP at $473,549. Those figures cover all home types, so a ZIP with many apartments reads low even if its best houses sell far higher.
Is the Main Line more expensive than Center City?
By Zillow's typical value, yes. Rittenhouse's ZIP is $473,549 and Society Hill's neighborhood is $488,092, while Gladwyne is $1,625,035 and even Wynnewood is $819,197. The index covers all home types, so part of that gap may reflect the mix of housing. The trend differs too: 19103 is down 7.38% in five years.
What is the richest ZIP code in PA?
This table can't settle that. It holds 18 ZIPs in the Philadelphia area, so it can't support a statewide claim. What it can say is that 19035, Gladwyne, is highest among those, at about 5.7 times Pennsylvania's $287,078 typical value.
Which Philadelphia suburbs have a typical home value over $1 million?
Of the 16 suburban ZIPs ranked here, five do: Gladwyne, Villanova, Haverford, Merion Station and Berwyn, on Zillow's September 2026 data. Berwyn clears $1M by only $34. Zillow's city figure also puts Devon above the line at $1,021,350, though its ZIP reads $866,627, so check which geography a list is using.
Sources
- Zillow Research: Home Value Index, September 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 ZCTA to County Subdivision Relationship File
- U.S. Census Bureau: ACS 2020-2024 housing tables via Census Reporter
- SEPTA: Paoli/Thorndale Line timetable, effective Oct 18, 2026
- Montgomery County: County and Municipality Millage Rates
- Delaware County: 2026 Tax Rates
- Chester County: 2026 Millage
- PA Department of Revenue: Common Level Ratio Factors
- PA DCED Municipal Statistics: Find Local Withholding Rates by Address (Easttown result, November 5, 2026)
Reviewed by Reid Rosenthal
Reid reviewed this page for accuracy on November 5, 2026. Figures come from the sources listed above. Our research process.
Reid Rosenthal is a luxury real estate agent on the Philadelphia Main Line and an Associate Broker who leads The Rosenthal Group at BHHS Fox & Roach, Realtors. RealTrends Verified ranks the team #4 in Philadelphia by sales volume, with $131.59 million across 179 sales in 2025.
- $131.59MTeam sales in 2025, RealTrends Verified
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The Rosenthal Group, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, Realtors, 112 S 19th St, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Office (215) 546-0550. Pennsylvania license AB068320. General information, not legal, tax or lending advice.
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