These Are The 10 Best Neighborhoods In Philadelphia, PA For 2018


We used science and data to determine which neighborhoods in Philadelphia are the best of the best.

Chris Kolmar, About HomeSnacks
December 20, 2017 - 281 views
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Do you like your neighborhood? Is it friendly, and where everyone knows their neighbors? No matter if you live in the sticks or in an apartment building in downtown Philadelphia, you have a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood is different.

Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Philadelphia neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?

Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Philadelphia are the best. If you’re in one of the places we’re about to highlight, odds are you know you’ve got it made.

Here are the best neighborhoods in Philadelphia for 2018:

  1. Riverfront (Homes)
  2. City Center West (Homes)
  3. City Center East (Homes)
  4. Chestnut Hill (Homes)
  5. Bustleton (Homes)
  6. Fairmount-Spring Garden (Homes)
  7. Roxborough (Homes)
  8. Somerton (Homes)
  9. Manayunk (Homes)
  10. Mount Airy (Homes)

Read on to see how we determined the places around Philadelphia that deserve a little bragging rights or maybe you’re interested in the worst neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

If you’re thinking of moving to elsewhere in Pennsylvania check out:

How do you determine the top neighborhoods in Philadelphia for 2018?

In order to rank the best neighborhoods in Philadelphia, we had to determine what criteria defines a ‘best’.

Using 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)
10 Most Dangerous Cities In Pennsylvania

We limited the analysis to neighborhoods with over 1,000 people.

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, Riverfront.

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

1. Riverfront

Population: 2,051
Median Income: $104,493
Median Home Value: $368,800

More on Riverfront: Real Estate | Data

2. City Center West

Population: 31,629
Median Income: $70,269
Median Home Value: $391,600

More on City Center West: Real Estate | Data

3. City Center East

Population: 24,923
Median Income: $71,200
Median Home Value: $414,900

More on City Center East: Real Estate | Data

4. Chestnut Hill

Population: 10,620
Median Income: $91,838
Median Home Value: $412,617

More on Chestnut Hill: Real Estate | Data

5. Bustleton

Population: 32,066
Median Income: $63,135
Median Home Value: $238,158

More on Bustleton: Real Estate | Data

6. Fairmount-Spring Garden

Population: 23,649
Median Income: $72,173
Median Home Value: $329,441

More on Fairmount-Spring Garden: Real Estate | Data

7. Roxborough

Population: 31,398
Median Income: $64,652
Median Home Value: $232,491

More on Roxborough: Real Estate | Data

8. Somerton

Population: 30,261
Median Income: $53,236
Median Home Value: $239,807

More on Somerton: Real Estate | Data

9. Manayunk

Population: 11,654
Median Income: $64,142
Median Home Value: $232,893

More on Manayunk: Real Estate | Data

10. Mount Airy

Population: 33,188
Median Income: $53,800
Median Home Value: $225,813

More on Mount Airy: Real Estate | Data

Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of Philadelphia

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

If you’re curious, here are the worst places in Philadelphia:

  1. Hartranft
  2. North Central
  3. Belmont

For more reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Neighborhoods In Philadelphia

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Prices Crimes Per 100k Unemployment Rate
1 Riverfront 2,051 $368,800 1,652 5.1%
2 City Center West 31,629 $391,600 1,652 3.4%
3 City Center East 24,923 $414,900 1,652 3.7%
4 Chestnut Hill 10,620 $412,617 1,652 3.8%
5 Bustleton 32,066 $238,158 2,657 5.1%
6 Fairmount-Spring Garden 23,649 $329,441 1,652 5.5%
7 Roxborough 31,398 $232,491 2,085 5.3%
8 Somerton 30,261 $239,807 2,724 5.6%
9 Manayunk 11,654 $232,893 2,153 3.5%
10 Mount Airy 33,188 $225,813 2,362 6.8%
11 Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista 28,382 $250,145 2,222 5.7%
12 East Falls 10,050 $211,000 1,918 5.9%
13 Byberry 16,222 $224,538 2,973 6.7%
14 Torresdale 31,158 $197,736 3,277 6.5%
15 Academy Gardens 27,635 $203,561 3,209 7.3%
16 Schuylkill Southwest 12,698 $282,928 1,652 7.1%
17 Fox Chase 23,242 $212,867 3,246 7.7%
18 Rhawnhurst 29,568 $197,713 3,656 6.9%
19 Pennsport-Whitman-Queen 29,563 $206,369 2,931 9.3%
20 Marconi Plaza-Packer Park 5,354 $104,790 3,961 5.8%
21 Kensington 22,965 $117,376 5,148 10.5%
22 Oak Lane 42,724 $134,179 4,589 10.2%
23 Holmesburry-Torresdale 26,272 $140,370 4,468 6.8%
24 Fishtown 16,734 $215,794 2,405 6.5%
25 Richmond 42,683 $94,333 5,438 12.0%
26 Mayfield 31,441 $143,552 4,549 8.5%
27 South Philadelphia 24,648 $161,419 4,088 8.4%
28 Girard Estates 21,603 $165,891 3,826 7.5%
29 Wynnefield 30,183 $131,336 4,829 6.6%
30 Strawberry Mansion 19,989 $71,428 5,698 10.6%
31 Olney 37,855 $92,566 5,735 11.8%
32 Wissanoning 27,295 $113,090 5,144 9.6%
33 Eastwick 9,951 $109,310 5,048 11.1%
34 Summerdale 40,498 $121,532 5,243 11.2%
35 Alleghany West 19,321 $46,204 6,422 10.6%
36 Oxford Circle 61,539 $131,371 5,062 9.1%
37 Cedar Brook 26,983 $150,293 4,279 9.5%
38 Cobbs Creek 81,648 $142,408 4,804 7.6%
39 Hunting Park 23,038 $58,558 6,560 12.7%
40 Tioga-Nicetown 18,230 $59,538 6,237 13.7%
41 Germantown 69,018 $106,217 5,385 11.0%
42 Point Breeze 23,183 $124,309 4,847 8.1%
43 Poplar-Ludlow-Yorktowne 17,981 $201,221 3,922 8.9%
44 Juniata Park-Feltonville 33,697 $87,754 5,993 12.3%
45 Logan-Fern Rock 23,201 $87,432 5,699 14.7%
46 Grays Ferry 16,469 $90,238 5,831 15.5%
47 Frankford 38,061 $85,968 5,748 11.8%
48 Brewerytown 10,324 $119,611 4,770 9.4%
49 Morris Park 26,421 $114,903 5,018 7.9%
50 Elmwood 24,576 $96,341 5,601 9.6%
51 Haddington-Carroll Park 33,687 $75,415 5,979 12.2%
52 Harrowgate 18,485 $53,158 6,607 15.6%
53 Fairhill 27,912 $52,850 6,457 12.2%
54 Belmont 31,044 $96,149 5,830 7.5%
55 North Central 22,214 $92,841 5,933 9.3%
56 Hartranft 13,133 $66,569 6,087 9.5%

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