The 10 Best Neighborhoods In Philadelphia, PA For 2024


The best Philadelphia neighborhoods are Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista and Fairmount-Spring Garden for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Best Neighborhoods In Philadelphia
Source: Wikipedia User en:User:Jleon (Transfered by MSClaudiu/Original uploaded by Jleon) | CC BY-SA 3.0

Do you want to know where it’s always sunny in Philadelphia? Homesnacks knows that answer and we’ve published the list here.

That’s right, The City of Brotherly Love is known for the Liberty Bell, the Philadelphia Eagles, and, yes, some pretty cool neighborhoods. And because HomeSnacks does not want you to waste any time with Philly’s worst neighborhoods, we’ve created a list of the best neighborhoods in Philadelphia for 2024 and listed them below.

But before you hit your down arrow, you should probably know a little bit about how we ranked these Philadelphia gems. In order to determine the best, we had to give each neighborhood an actual concrete score: We call this a neighborhood’s overall ‘SnackAbility’. To get this score, we looked at the latest census data on income levels, unemployment rates, crime, and home prices for 56 Philadelphia neighborhoods with over 2,000 residents. Incidentally, this is our tenth time ranking Philadelphia’s best neighborhoods, so trust us when we say that these are the best of the best.

And, surprisingly, you won’t have to blow your entire bank account if you choose one of Philly’s best neighborhoods because not one of these neighborhoods comes with a $100,000 median income price tag. More importantly, if you’re into living in one of Philadelphia’s quintessential old row houses, Chesnut Hill is your best bet, if safety is your number one priority, you won’t go wrong with Bustleton, and if you’re not worried about a budget, definitely give City Center East a look.

So, want to know what Philadelphia neighborhoods have the wealthiest neighbors, the best jobs, and the least amount of crime? Keep reading.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Best Neighborhoods In Philadelphia For 2024

  1. Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista
  2. Fairmount-Spring Garden
  3. Chestnut Hill
  4. Roxborough
  5. City Center West
  6. Girard Estates
  7. Schuylkill Southwest
  8. Fishtown
  9. Fox Chase
  10. City Center East

If you choose to live in one of Philadelphia’s best neighborhoods, you could be strolling the classical pieces at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the Fairmount neighborhood and/or rubbing elbows with a Philadelphia Eagles player at Roxborough’s next Roxtoberfest. And if you play your cards right, you could just become a permanent resident of Philly’s number one, best neighborhood.

So, what’s the best neighborhood in Philadelphia for 2024? The best neighborhood in Philadelphia would be Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista according to the most recent data.

To see how your favorite Philadelphia neighborhoods compared, take a look at the list below; and if you don’t see it there, head to the bottom.

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

The 10 Best Neighborhoods To Live In Philadelphia

Population: 29,357
Median Home Value: $268,021 (Ninth best)
Median Income: $56,818 (22nd best)
More on Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista: Data | Real Estate

Want to be part of the exclusive club that gets to call Philadelphia’s best neighborhood, Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista home? Well, you’re going to have to have a job that pays close to $56,818 and be able to drop some cash on a home that will cost you close to $268,021.

Also, don’t come here thinking that you’re going to cause trouble. Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista is ranked eighth for both violent and property crime.

And word on the street, you can rub elbows with Bella Vista’s finest at the Independence National Historical Park.

Fairmount-Spring Garden Philadelphia, PA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 2.0

Population: 23,809
Median Home Value: $320,109 (Sixth best)
Median Income: $72,884 (Tenth best)
More on Fairmount-Spring Garden: Data | Real Estate

Philly’s second best neighborhood, Fairmount-Spring Garden, is the second neighborhood on our list to take up real estate along the Schuylkill River.

But what sets Fairmount-Spring Garden apart from the rest is that it shares a property line with
the famous Fairmount Park. This is probably why the homes here cost close to $320,109 and that the population is close to 23,809.

So, if you’re looking for a piece of Philadelphia with tree lined streets and down-to-earth neighbors, look no further than Fairmount-Spring Garden.

Chestnut Hill Philadelphia, PA

Source: Public domain

Population: 10,783
Median Home Value: $485,075 (best)
Median Income: $105,999 (Third best)
More on Chestnut Hill: Data | Real Estate

If you’re looking for that quintessential Philadelphia neighborhood that looks like it jumped out of a Norman Rockwell painting, look no further than Philly’s third best neighborhood, Chestnut Hill.

So we were not shocked to discover that Chestnut Hill is Philadelphia’s second safest neighborhood only recording 258.0 violent crimes per 100k and 1305.0 property crimes per 100k at the time of this report.

There’s a ton of stuff to do in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood, too. And if you don’t want to take our word for it, read what other people are saying about Chestnut Hill here.

Roxborough Philadelphia, PA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 14,698
Median Home Value: $249,267 (12th best)
Median Income: $89,950 (Fifth best)
More on Roxborough: Data | Real Estate

If Philadelphia’s fourth best neighborhood, Roxborough, is a good enough nest for many of the Philadelphia Eagles players, then it should be good enough for you.

And because the Eagles players know that they can’t defend their field, they put that energy into making sure that Roxborough is the tenth safest on our list. At least they’re doing something right.

But that’s not all that Roxborough’s doing right. This neighborhood is the fifth best for average income and the 12th best for affordable homes.

Population: 32,463
Median Home Value: $446,456 (Third best)
Median Income: $74,773 (Eighth best)
More on City Center West: Data | Real Estate

So what makes 32,463 residents to want to live in Philadelphia’s fifth best neighborhood, City Center West? We’ll tell you.

It’s cheaper to buy a home than rent in this neighborhood. City Center West recorded the highest rent on list coming in at $1,469.

This neighborhood is also ranked eighth for median income, third for home value, and first for the best philly cheesesteak. We hear Sonny’s Famous Steaks is outstanding. But the best thing about the City Center West neighborhood, you get to live close to the Liberty Bell.

Population: 11,869
Median Home Value: $240,820 (13th best)
Median Income: $74,177 (Ninth best)
More on Girard Estates: Data | Real Estate

Population: 13,322
Median Home Value: $305,539 (Seventh best)
Median Income: $71,943 (11th best)
More on Schuylkill Southwest: Data | Real Estate

If you are thinking about moving to Philadelphia seventh best neighborhood for 2024, you better have a job because Schuylkill Southwest’s unemployment rate is currently at 5.4 percent.

You might also want to think about making sure that job pays close to $71,943 if you want to keep up with the locals in this Southwest Philly neighborhood.

And, folks, Schuylkill Southwest recorded only 3,385 crimes this year, making it the 15th safest neighborhood on our list. So, yes, it’s pretty safe too.

Population: 19,203
Median Home Value: $321,841 (Fifth best)
Median Income: $88,516 (Sixth best)
More on Fishtown: Data | Real Estate

Population: 20,117
Median Home Value: $227,400 (18th best)
Median Income: $68,297 (14th best)
More on Fox Chase: Data | Real Estate

Population: 26,784
Median Home Value: $481,058 (Second best)
Median Income: $76,360 (Seventh best)
More on City Center East: Data | Real Estate

Not only is City Center East the tenth best neighborhood in Philadelphia, it is the largest neighborhood on our list.

The City Center East neighborhood has a lot to be proud of: they moved up three spots to clinch the tenth place rank and the average home price is $481,058. If you know anything about Philadelphia real estate, this is quite the victory.

Unfortunately, however, they are the 50th worst neighborhood on our list in terms of crime, so make sure that you do your research before making any life changing decisions.

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Philadelphia, PA Neighborhoods In 2024

To rank the best neighborhoods in Philadelphia, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.

Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:

  • High incomes
  • Low unemployment rates
  • Low crime
  • High home prices
  • High population densities (A proxy for things to do)

We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 56 in each category, where 1 was the best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.

And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Philadelphia.” We’re lookin’ at you, Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.

We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Philadelphia.

Summary: Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of The Best Neighborhoods In Philadelphia

If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Philadelphia where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

The best neighborhoods in Philadelphia are Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista, Fairmount-Spring Garden, Chestnut Hill, Roxborough, City Center West, Girard Estates, Schuylkill Southwest, Fishtown, Fox Chase, and City Center East.

As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Philadelphia aren’t all good. Tioga-Nicetown takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Philadelphia.

The worst neighborhoods in Philadelphia are Tioga-Nicetown, Strawberry Mansion, Alleghany West, Fairhill, and Haddington-Carroll Park.

We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below.

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

Best Neighborhoods To Live In Philadelphia For 2024 Detailed Data

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista 29,357 $268,021 $56,818
2 Fairmount-Spring Garden 23,809 $320,109 $72,884
3 Chestnut Hill 10,783 $485,075 $105,999
4 Roxborough 14,698 $249,267 $89,950
5 City Center West 32,463 $446,456 $74,773
6 Girard Estates 11,869 $240,820 $74,177
7 Schuylkill Southwest 13,322 $305,539 $71,943
8 Fishtown 19,203 $321,841 $88,516
9 Fox Chase 20,117 $227,400 $68,297
10 City Center East 26,784 $481,058 $76,360
11 Manayunk 4,007 $253,750 $101,206
12 East Falls 9,937 $272,075 $107,507
13 Bustleton 34,562 $231,650 $61,570
14 Somerton 26,084 $235,033 $67,342
15 Academy Gardens 4,094 $193,067 $71,325
16 Rhawnhurst 28,304 $197,226 $56,166
17 Point Breeze 16,276 $233,615 $55,178
18 South Philadelphia 24,829 $171,795 $45,300
19 Riverfront 2,451 $382,120 $116,172
20 Oxford Circle 54,737 $144,852 $48,280
21 Torresdale 6,385 $169,583 $63,800
22 Byberry 16,442 $219,346 $63,343
23 Wynnefield 15,237 $168,340 $51,329
24 Mount Airy 32,467 $233,451 $58,968
25 Cedar Brook 26,401 $157,534 $46,862
26 Summerdale 6,756 $118,500 $50,710
27 Pennsport-Whitman-Queen 31,306 $218,266 $54,536
28 Oak Lane 42,412 $135,242 $42,352
29 Eastwick 6,841 $152,940 $62,198
30 Marconi Plaza-Packer Park 5,804 $105,150 $69,608
31 Brewerytown 9,470 $196,938 $53,106
32 Richmond 26,912 $135,789 $53,760
33 Holmesburry-Torresdale 25,247 $130,835 $46,772
34 Cobbs Creek 33,242 $106,654 $36,830
35 Olney 41,744 $101,396 $38,306
36 Morris Park 26,860 $118,371 $42,528
37 Wissanoning 27,190 $108,379 $44,320
38 Grays Ferry 15,927 $165,333 $58,692
39 Mayfield 32,474 $139,232 $48,968
40 Poplar-Ludlow-Yorktowne 18,907 $184,789 $35,486
41 North Central 14,299 $253,378 $33,376
42 Juniata Park-Feltonville 34,014 $78,023 $31,888
43 Belmont 3,931 $109,500 $33,473
44 Frankford 23,989 $93,217 $33,299
45 Elmwood 15,688 $103,192 $36,392
46 Hartranft 20,205 $90,838 $23,203
47 Harrowgate 16,098 $87,075 $29,043
48 Logan-Fern Rock 23,813 $80,772 $30,568
49 Kensington 24,869 $142,231 $42,035
50 Germantown 66,915 $99,031 $29,642
51 Hunting Park 17,642 $65,918 $28,438
52 Haddington-Carroll Park 35,068 $68,396 $28,706
53 Fairhill 4,405 $52,433 $17,992
54 Alleghany West 18,676 $48,477 $25,196
55 Strawberry Mansion 13,933 $68,238 $29,030
56 Tioga-Nicetown 17,382 $58,569 $24,935
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.