Best PlacesUniversity City, Philadelphia, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University City, 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.
University City, Philadelphia ranks 2,215th 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 University City, 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.
University City, Philadelphia's strengths and weaknesses
Where University City, Philadelphia ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Short commute17.0 minutes each way, better than 93% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
Where University City, Philadelphia ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in University City, Philadelphia
A household needs to earn about $223,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University City, Philadelphia home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $69,816, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 University City, Philadelphia's effective rate of 0.85%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in University City, Philadelphia
University City, 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 University City, Philadelphia.
Who works in University City, Philadelphia, and how
Work in University City, Philadelphia centers on education and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 17%
- Work from home 28%
- Transit, walk, or bike 55%
Life in University City, Philadelphia
University City, Philadelphia has more restaurants and bars per resident than 89% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of University City, Philadelphia and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in University City, Philadelphia, month by month
University City, 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 University City, Philadelphia
Philadelphia International sits about 6 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 University City, Philadelphia
Schools across University City, Philadelphia average a C, better than 53% of neighborhoods.
Top middle schools
- Amy At MartinD+ · 25% proficient
- Middle Years AlternativeD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Arts Academy At Benjamin RushA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every University City, Philadelphia school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
University City, 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 University City, Philadelphia against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in University City, Philadelphia
Is University City, Philadelphia a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University City, Philadelphia ranks 2,215th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on population health, transit, and walkability, 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 University City, Philadelphia expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $849,000. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $69,816 median income, cost of living beats 47% of neighborhoods.
Is University City, Philadelphia safe?
University City, Philadelphia is safer than 17% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $614 per resident a year.
Compare University City, Philadelphia with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University City, Philadelphia. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University City, 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.
University City, Philadelphia detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University City, Philadelphia: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University City, Philadelphia: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University City, Philadelphia: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University City, Philadelphia: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University City, 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.