Best PlacesSouth Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Philadelphia, Philadelphia, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
South Philadelphia, Philadelphia ranks 2,911th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on walkability by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in South Philadelphia, 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.
South Philadelphia, Philadelphia's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Philadelphia, Philadelphia ranks high
- WalkabilityBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
Where South Philadelphia, 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
- Internet speedBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia
A household needs to earn about $74,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Philadelphia, Philadelphia home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $76,794, 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 South Philadelphia, Philadelphia's effective rate of 0.81%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, Philadelphia runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Philadelphia, Philadelphia.
Who works in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia, and how
Work in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia centers on health care & social and hospitality & food. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 37%
- Work from home 25%
- Transit, walk, or bike 38%
Life in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across South Philadelphia, Philadelphia.
What the weather is like in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia, month by month
South Philadelphia, 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 South Philadelphia, Philadelphia
Philadelphia International sits about 5 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 South Philadelphia, Philadelphia
Schools across South Philadelphia, Philadelphia average a C, better than 53% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Jenks Abram SchA+ · 75% proficient
- Fell D Newlin SchB− · 40% proficient
- Key Francis Scott SchD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Amy At MartinD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Arts Academy At Benjamin RushA− · 65% proficient
- South Philadelphia HsD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Philadelphia, Philadelphia school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Philadelphia, 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 South Philadelphia, Philadelphia against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who South Philadelphia, Philadelphia suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia
Is South Philadelphia, Philadelphia a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Philadelphia, Philadelphia ranks 2,911th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on walkability, a stable housing market, and transit, 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 South Philadelphia, Philadelphia expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $281,682. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $76,794 median income, cost of living beats 48% of neighborhoods.
Is South Philadelphia, Philadelphia safe?
South Philadelphia, Philadelphia is safer than 21% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $578 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in South Philadelphia, 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 South Philadelphia, Philadelphia good for families?
Schools beat 53% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 21%, and childcare runs $1,021 a month.
Compare South Philadelphia, Philadelphia with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Philadelphia, Philadelphia. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Philadelphia, 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.
South Philadelphia, Philadelphia detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Philadelphia, Philadelphia: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Philadelphia, Philadelphia: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Philadelphia, 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.