Philadelphia/Compare
Chestnut Hill vs Spruce Hill
Chestnut Hill and Spruce Hill are two official neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Chestnut Hill is the calmer Part I map (95 vs 37). Spruce Hill wins the errand count. Spruce Hill has the lower ACS median ($1,443).
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · PPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Scores
Fit axes among official Philadelphia neighborhoods.
| Axis | Chestnut Hill | Spruce Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 95 | 37 |
| Schools | 100 | 39 |
| Walk | 10 | 41 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 8 | 45 |
| Median rent | $1,837 | $1,443 |
| Median home | $752,413 | $574,761 |
| Population | 10,672 | 7,673 |
| Commute to Center City | 32 min | 18 min |
| Commute to University City | 28 min | 8 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 44 min | 24 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Chestnut Hill | Spruce Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 46% | 92% |
| Median age | 46.8 | 29 |
| Median income | $120K | $57K |
| Part I per 1k | 29.8 | 57.3 |
| Groceries / 800m | 3 | 16 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 24 | 30 |
| Parks / 800m | 23 | 32 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Philadelphia city. Up 53% since 2014. Chestnut is 31% above the 2024 city median. Spruce H is 3% above the 2024 city median.
Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.
Which to pick
The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.
Pick Chestnut Hill if the school rating nearby is the point and the quieter map matters more than the scene. Schools score 100 vs 39. Safety is 95 vs 37. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Spruce Hill if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 45 vs 8. Walk is 41 vs 10. ACS median rent is $1,443 vs $1,837. Read both pages before you decide.
Chestnut Hill
The northwest village. Germantown Avenue is the errand. More house than brick, more Regional Rail than subway. Downtown is a trip, not a walk.
$1,837 median rent · safety 95 · walk 10
Spruce Hill
Clark Park, Baltimore Avenue, porches. Next to University City without being the campus. Cedar Park is a search just west of this line.
$1,443 median rent · safety 37 · walk 41
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Chestnut Hill or Spruce Hill?
Spruce Hill is the lower ACS median: $1,837 vs $1,443. About 92% rent in Spruce Hill vs 46% in Chestnut Hill. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Chestnut Hill more walkable than Spruce Hill?
Spruce Hill wins the errand count (walk 10 vs 41). Groceries inside 800 meters: 3 vs 16. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Chestnut Hill or Spruce Hill?
Chestnut Hill is the calmer Part I read (95 vs 37). Combined rate 29.8 vs 57.3 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Chestnut Hill or Spruce Hill?
Chestnut Hill leads the school axis (100 vs 39). Nearby rating is 8.4 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 46.8 vs 29. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Center City?
32 minutes from Chestnut Hill to Center City, 18 from Spruce Hill. Spruce Hill is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Chestnut Hill or Spruce Hill: Brewerytown. Old brewery walls, new rentals, Girard as the spine. Fairmount is the park neighbor; this is the cheaper, still-in-progress version of the same river side.
Scores are relative among official Philadelphia neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.