Best PlacesFishtown, Philadelphia, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Fishtown, Philadelphia, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Fishtown, Philadelphia ranks 498th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Fishtown, Philadelphia
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Fishtown, Philadelphia's strengths and weaknesses
Where Fishtown, Philadelphia ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
Where Fishtown, Philadelphia ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 66 pleasant days a year, better than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Fishtown, Philadelphia
A household needs to earn about $129,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Fishtown, Philadelphia home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $129,936, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Fishtown, Philadelphia's effective rate of 0.70%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Fishtown, Philadelphia
Fishtown, Philadelphia runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Fishtown, Philadelphia.
Who works in Fishtown, Philadelphia, and how
Work in Fishtown, Philadelphia centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 39%
- Work from home 32%
- Transit, walk, or bike 29%
Life in Fishtown, Philadelphia
Fishtown, Philadelphia has more restaurants and bars per resident than 86% of neighborhoods and more late-night spots per resident than 74% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Fishtown, Philadelphia and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Fishtown, Philadelphia, month by month
Fishtown, Philadelphia sees roughly 66 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 36° | 27° |
| April | 68° | 56° | 44° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 72° | 61° | 51° |
Flying in and out of Fishtown, Philadelphia
Philadelphia International sits about 9 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 14.8 million passengers in 2025, with 179 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Fishtown, Philadelphia
Schools across Fishtown, Philadelphia average a C, better than 53% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Adaire Alexander SchA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Amy At MartinD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Arts Academy At Benjamin RushA− · 65% proficient
- Bodine William W HsB · 50% proficient
- Penn Treaty SchF · 11% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Fishtown, Philadelphia school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Fishtown, Philadelphia measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Fishtown, Philadelphia against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Fishtown, Philadelphia suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of neighborhoods and 32% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Fishtown, Philadelphia
Is Fishtown, Philadelphia a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Fishtown, Philadelphia ranks 498th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on population health, walkability, and health care access, and lowest on taxes and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Fishtown, Philadelphia expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $499,569. The overall cost of living runs about 3% above the national average. Set against a $129,936 median income, cost of living beats 92% of neighborhoods.
Is Fishtown, Philadelphia safe?
Fishtown, Philadelphia is safer than 27% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $542 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Fishtown, Philadelphia?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 45 with lows near 27. That works out to about 66 pleasant days a year, more than 18% of neighborhoods.
Is Fishtown, Philadelphia good for families?
Schools beat 53% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 27%, and childcare runs $1,021 a month.
Compare Fishtown, Philadelphia with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Fishtown, Philadelphia. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Fishtown, Philadelphia represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Fishtown, Philadelphia detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Fishtown, Philadelphia: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Fishtown, Philadelphia: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Fishtown, Philadelphia: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Fishtown, Philadelphia: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Fishtown, Philadelphia detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.