The 10 Best Suburbs In Pennsylvania For 2024


The best suburbs in Pennsylvania are Collegeville and Swarthmore for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Are you sick of being a city slicker?

Do you long for life in suburban Pennsylvania? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.

We do, too.

If you wanted to move out to the suburbs of Harrisburg, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Pennsylvania suburb was best?

No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.


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


Collegeville is the place to be when it comes to being a soccer mom in suburban Pennsylvania.

So if you’re thinking of packing up your mini van and making a move to a quiet place to live in Pennsylvania, we’ve got you covered.

Keep on reading for a detailed methodology. Or, check out the best places to live in Pennsylvania and the best places to raise a family in Pennsylvania.

Best Suburbs In Pennsylvania For 2024

Collegeville, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 5,172
Median Income: $99,271
Average Home Price: $512,844
More on Collegeville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Collegeville is located 21 miles west of Philadelphia.

Swarthmore, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 6,507
Median Income: $138,679
Average Home Price: $405,622
More on Swarthmore: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Swarthmore is located 13 miles west of Philadelphia.

Economy, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 9,063
Median Income: $86,983
Average Home Price: $265,781
More on Economy: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Economy is located 17 miles west of Pittsburgh.

Conshohocken, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,182
Median Income: $114,523
Average Home Price: $431,765
More on Conshohocken: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Conshohocken is located 10 miles west of Philadelphia.

Ridley Park, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,152
Median Income: $90,842
Average Home Price: $282,363
More on Ridley Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Ridley Park is located 13 miles west of Philadelphia.

Canonsburg, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,672
Median Income: $76,597
Average Home Price: $328,096
More on Canonsburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Canonsburg is located 16 miles west of Pittsburgh.

Fox Chapel, PA

Source: Wikipedia User Brastins | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,299
Median Income: $250,001
Average Home Price: $971,545
More on Fox Chapel: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Fox Chapel is located 7 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Phoenixville, PA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC-BY-SA-3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 18,723
Median Income: $91,593
Average Home Price: $466,022
More on Phoenixville: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Phoenixville is located 22 miles west of Philadelphia.

Hatboro, PA

Source: Wikipedia User Splat215 at en.wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 8,176
Median Income: $106,318
Average Home Price: $404,554
More on Hatboro: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Hatboro is located 11 miles north of Philadelphia.

Ambler, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 6,775
Median Income: $84,303
Average Home Price: $611,302
More on Ambler: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Ambler is located 11 miles north of Philadelphia.

Methodology:How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Keystone State

We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Pennsylvania. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”

First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Pennsylvania, we looked at every town with at least 5,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.

In other words, suburbs.

We paid particular attention to the following criteria:

  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Population Density (Higher is Better)
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Commute Time
  • Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates

We ranked each suburb in Pennsylvania across these criteria from one to 68, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Pennsylvania.”

The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Pennsylvania.

Read on to see why Collegeville is the ‘burb with the most, while Mckeesport is probably not the best place to live in Pennsylvania.

Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Pennsylvania

If you’re measuring the locations in Pennsylvania where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

The best suburbs in Pennsylvania are Collegeville, Swarthmore, Economy, Conshohocken, Ridley Park, Canonsburg, Fox Chapel, Phoenixville, Hatboro, and Ambler.

Here’s a look at the worst suburbs in Pennsylvania according to the data:

  1. Mckeesport
  2. Duquesne
  3. Turtle Creek

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

The Best Suburbs In Pennsylvania

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Price
1 Collegeville 5,172 $99,271 $512,844
2 Swarthmore 6,507 $138,679 $405,622
3 Economy 9,063 $86,983 $265,781
4 Conshohocken 9,182 $114,523 $431,765
5 Ridley Park 7,152 $90,842 $282,363
6 Canonsburg 9,672 $76,597 $328,096
7 Fox Chapel 5,299 $250,001 $971,545
8 Phoenixville 18,723 $91,593 $466,022
9 Hatboro 8,176 $106,318 $404,554
10 Ambler 6,775 $84,303 $611,302
11 Perkasie 9,130 $95,319 $464,524
12 West Chester 19,016 $71,875 $582,975
13 Media 5,860 $85,951 $558,498
14 Bellevue 8,236 $60,778 $184,640
15 Lower Burrell 11,701 $78,639 $189,351
16 Bridgeport 5,000 $79,887 $300,535
17 Oakmont 6,734 $82,012 $301,656
18 Carnegie 8,067 $61,875 $208,311
19 Forest Hills 6,397 $82,962 $194,399
20 Lansdale 18,727 $84,985 $455,524
21 Franklin Park 15,305 $158,052 $495,135
22 Dormont 8,199 $73,798 $211,309
23 Brentwood 9,982 $57,900 $165,365
24 Crafton 6,044 $72,099 $204,534
25 Plum 27,032 $91,931 $225,948
26 Coraopolis 5,510 $55,714 $274,445
27 Souderton 7,169 $77,342 $416,204
28 Pleasant Hills 8,456 $88,893 $246,154
29 Brookhaven 8,268 $90,264 $240,312
30 Bristol 9,862 $67,176 $292,040
31 Jefferson Hills 12,296 $108,245 $312,878
32 New Brighton 5,645 $45,880 $135,008
33 Lansdowne 11,051 $70,283 $252,844
34 West View 6,660 $75,054 $217,210
35 Greensburg 14,876 $58,001 $218,993
36 Castle Shannon 8,283 $65,700 $189,973
37 Swissvale 8,588 $56,594 $158,879
38 Monaca 5,587 $62,125 $176,838
39 Baldwin 21,266 $75,139 $199,620
40 Norwood 5,926 $83,104 $260,832
41 West Mifflin 19,506 $64,314 $148,759
42 Washington 13,358 $50,548 $208,813
43 Butler 13,387 $39,546 $229,441
44 Glenolden 7,190 $71,719 $224,149
45 White Oak 7,585 $57,054 $180,169
46 Whitehall 14,909 $77,752 $243,992
47 Clifton Heights 6,834 $61,155 $237,541
48 Vandergrift 5,051 $47,530 $92,656
49 Wilkinsburg 14,340 $46,013 $144,579
50 New Kensington 12,163 $47,015 $157,212
51 Munhall 10,738 $47,879 $133,350
52 Beaver Falls 8,934 $39,194 $158,502
53 Ambridge 6,937 $46,059 $119,539
54 California 5,328 $46,471 $112,750
55 Monessen 6,876 $51,364 $76,947
56 Yeadon 12,017 $55,667 $211,262
57 Aliquippa 9,198 $42,601 $171,120
58 Jeannette 8,790 $47,801 $147,052
59 Folcroft 6,758 $56,650 $198,500
60 Chester 33,048 $39,193 $91,695
61 Sharon Hill 5,976 $66,378 $179,059
62 Collingdale 8,865 $49,819 $186,243
63 Mckees Rocks 5,893 $33,958 $170,773
64 Clairton 6,182 $41,301 $135,357
65 Darby 10,682 $45,511 $109,626
66 Turtle Creek 5,087 $42,344 $83,897
67 Duquesne 5,241 $40,969 $46,621
68 Mckeesport 17,749 $31,635 $82,277
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.