Philadelphia/Compare
East Falls vs West Mount Airy
East Falls and West Mount Airy are two official neighborhoods in Philadelphia. East Falls is the calmer Part I map (89 vs 68). Walk is a wash (0 vs 2). West Mount Airy has the lower ACS median ($1,382).
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 | West Mount Airy |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 89 | 68 |
| Schools | 52 | 74 |
| Walk | 0 | 2 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 8 | 0 |
| Median rent | $1,694 | $1,382 |
| Median home | $368,170 | $494,359 |
| Population | 11,223 | 12,903 |
| Commute to Center City | 22 min | 30 min |
| Commute to University City | 16 min | 26 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 36 min | 42 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | East Falls | West Mount Airy |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 56% | 48% |
| Median age | 32.8 | 41.5 |
| Median income | $102K | $102K |
| Part I per 1k | 30.5 | 39.7 |
| Groceries / 800m | 3 | 6 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 3 | 5 |
| Parks / 800m | 21 | 14 |
| 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. W Mt Airy is 1% below 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 you want the cafes and the night. Safety is 89 vs 68. Vibe is 8 vs 0. 22 vs 30 minutes to Center City. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick West Mount Airy if the school rating nearby is the point and the rent gap is the point. Schools score 74 vs 52. ACS median rent is $1,382 vs $1,694. 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
West Mount Airy
Porches, mixed blocks, Germantown Avenue as the seam. East Mount Airy is a different official line we do not fold in. More house than Manayunk, less village than Chestnut Hill.
$1,382 median rent · safety 68 · walk 2
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, East Falls or West Mount Airy?
West Mount Airy is the lower ACS median: $1,694 vs $1,382. About 48% rent in West Mount Airy vs 56% in East Falls. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is East Falls more walkable than West Mount Airy?
Walk is basically a tie (0 vs 2). Count groceries if you care: 3 in East Falls vs 6 in West Mount Airy, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, East Falls or West Mount Airy?
East Falls is the calmer Part I read (89 vs 68). Combined rate 30.5 vs 39.7 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, East Falls or West Mount Airy?
West Mount Airy leads the school axis (74 vs 52). Nearby rating is 7.8 / 10 vs 7.3 / 10. Median age 41.5 vs 32.8. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Center City?
22 minutes from East Falls to Center City, 30 from West Mount Airy. East Falls is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not East Falls or West Mount Airy: 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.