Philadelphia/Compare
East Falls vs Fairmount
East Falls and Fairmount are two official neighborhoods in Philadelphia. East Falls is the calmer Part I map (89 vs 58). Fairmount wins the errand count. East Falls has the lower ACS median ($1,694).
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 | East Falls | Fairmount |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 89 | 58 |
| Schools | 52 | 39 |
| Walk | 0 | 23 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 8 | 26 |
| Median rent | $1,694 | $1,924 |
| Median home | $368,170 | $465,054 |
| Population | 11,223 | 6,315 |
| Commute to Center City | 22 min | 12 min |
| Commute to University City | 16 min | 16 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 36 min | 26 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | East Falls | Fairmount |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 56% | 41% |
| Median age | 32.8 | 35.7 |
| Median income | $102K | $119K |
| Part I per 1k | 30.5 | 42.8 |
| Groceries / 800m | 3 | 7 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 3 | 25 |
| Parks / 800m | 21 | 29 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Philadelphia city. Up 53% since 2014. E Falls is 21% above the 2024 city median. Fairmount is 38% 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 East Falls if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the school rating nearby is the point. Safety is 89 vs 58. Schools score 52 vs 39. ACS median rent is $1,694 vs $1,924. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Fairmount if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 23 vs 0. Vibe is 26 vs 8. 12 vs 22 minutes to Center City. Read both pages before you decide.
East Falls
Kelly Drive, the river path, and a hill that actually is a hill. Closer in than Chestnut Hill, quieter than Fairmount’s museum strip. The Schuylkill is the commute and the weekend.
$1,694 median rent · safety 89 · walk 0
Fairmount
The Art Museum steps, the park, and streets that still feel like a neighborhood. Girard and Fairmount Avenue are the errands. The Parkway is the tourist tax.
$1,924 median rent · safety 58 · walk 23
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, East Falls or Fairmount?
East Falls is the lower ACS median: $1,694 vs $1,924. About 56% rent in East Falls vs 41% in Fairmount. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is East Falls more walkable than Fairmount?
Fairmount wins the errand count (walk 0 vs 23). Groceries inside 800 meters: 3 vs 7. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, East Falls or Fairmount?
East Falls is the calmer Part I read (89 vs 58). Combined rate 30.5 vs 42.8 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, East Falls or Fairmount?
East Falls leads the school axis (52 vs 39). Nearby rating is 7.3 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 32.8 vs 35.7. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Center City?
22 minutes from East Falls to Center City, 12 from Fairmount. Fairmount is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not East Falls or Fairmount: 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.