Best PlacesPhiladelphia, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in the Philadelphia metro, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Photo by R'lyeh Imaging, CC BY 2.0, via commons
Philadelphia ranks 106th of 387 U.S. metro areas on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $104,966, everyday costs sit below the national average, and an educated workforce ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are noise, long commutes, and state finances.
The best neighborhoods in the Philadelphia metro
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.
The best areas in Philadelphia
The towns and districts of the Philadelphia metro, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood in each, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the metro.
West Chester, Coatesville & Downingtown
Schools score higher, tree cover is thicker, and incomes run higher.
Pottstown, Norristown & Phoenixville
Local pay stretches further, though streets are more car-dependent.
Lansdale, Ambler & Glenside
More adults hold degrees and health care is easier to reach.
Levittown, Bensalem & Morrisville
Fewer homes sit empty.
Sicklerville, Blackwood & Clementon
Crime runs lower and it is quieter.
Wilmington, Newark & New Castle
Transit reaches fewer jobs.
Woodbury, Mullica Hill & Glassboro
Homes cost less, though prices have run up more.
Downtown Philadelphia
Biking is better.
Camden, Mount Laurel & Willingboro
More households have young kids, though fewer residents vote.
Philadelphia shows why a single number is not enough. Some neighborhoods score in the bottom 2% of the country and others in the top 1%. Pick the area first, then the home.
Philadelphia's strengths and weaknesses
Philadelphia lands in the middle because its strengths and weaknesses roughly balance. Big-city access is the standout, in the top 1% of metro areas. Walkability and transit follow.
The one real hole is noise, near the bottom of the country. Long commutes and state finances also cost it ground. That varies block to block rather than evenly, and the map below shows where.
Where Philadelphia ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 99% of metro areas
- WalkabilityBetter than 98% of metro areas
- TransitBetter than 95% of metro areas
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 91% of metro areas
- Household income$104,966 median, better than 91% of metro areas
Where Philadelphia ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 4% of metro areas
- Short commute28.7 minutes each way, better than only 8% of metro areas
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 11% of metro areas
- Nice weatherabout 66 pleasant days a year, better than only 14% of metro areas
- Low property taxBetter than only 17% of metro areas
What it costs to buy a home in Philadelphia
A household needs to earn about $106,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Philadelphia home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $104,966; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Philadelphia's effective rate of 1.39%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Philadelphia
Philadelphia's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Philadelphia.
Who works in Philadelphia, and how
Work in Philadelphia centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 69%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 13%
Life in Philadelphia
Philadelphia has more restaurants and bars per resident than 88% of metro areas and more parkland per resident than 72% of metro areas. The coast is about 51 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Philadelphia and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Philadelphia growing, and who is moving in?
Philadelphia has grown about 5% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from New York, NY.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Philadelphia go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Philadelphia, month by month
Philadelphia sees roughly 66 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 36° | 26° |
| April | 68° | 55° | 43° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 69° |
| October | 72° | 60° | 49° |
Flying in and out of Philadelphia
Philadelphia International sits about 10 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 Philadelphia
Schools across Philadelphia average a B−, better than 68% of metro areas.
Top elementary schools
- Radnor El SchA+ · 98% proficient
- Wallingford El SchA+ · 98% proficient
- Fort Washington El SchA+ · 98% proficient
Top middle schools
- Valley Forge MsA+ · 90% proficient
- Tredyffrin-easttown MsA+ · 85% proficient
- Charles F Patton MsA+ · 84% proficient
Top high schools
- Central HsA+ · 98% proficient
- Downingtown Stem AcademyA+ · 98% proficient
- Spring-ford Shs 9-12 CtrA+ · 98% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Philadelphia school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
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 Philadelphia against the other 386 metro areas.
Who Philadelphia suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 91% of metro areas and 19% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Philadelphia
Is Philadelphia a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Philadelphia ranks 106th of 387 metro areas. It scores highest on big-city access, walkability, and transit, and lowest on noise and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Philadelphia expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $376,985. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $104,966 median income, cost of living beats 91% of metro areas.
Is Philadelphia safe?
Philadelphia is safer than 21% of metro areas. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $360 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Philadelphia?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 45 with lows near 26. That works out to about 66 pleasant days a year, more than 14% of metro areas.
What are the best neighborhoods in Philadelphia?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are West Chester, Coatesville & Downingtown, Pottstown, Norristown & Phoenixville, and Lansdale, Ambler & Glenside. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Philadelphia good for families?
Schools beat 68% of metro areas, crime safety beats 21%, and childcare runs $1,193 a month.
Is Philadelphia good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 91% of metro areas, though advertised internet speeds beat only 24% of metro areas. About 19% of workers already work from home.
Compare Philadelphia with other metro areas
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Philadelphia. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 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.
Philadelphia detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Philadelphia: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Philadelphia: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Philadelphia: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Philadelphia: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.