Philadelphia/Compare
Fairmount vs Rittenhouse
Fairmount and Rittenhouse are two official neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Fairmount is the calmer Part I map (58 vs 5). Rittenhouse wins the errand count. Fairmount has the lower ACS median ($1,924).
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 | Fairmount | Rittenhouse |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 58 | 5 |
| Schools | 39 | 43 |
| Walk | 23 | 86 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 26 | 100 |
| Median rent | $1,924 | $2,093 |
| Median home | $465,054 | $741,558 |
| Population | 6,315 | 19,546 |
| Commute to Center City | 12 min | 8 min |
| Commute to University City | 16 min | 16 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 26 min | 22 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Fairmount | Rittenhouse |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 41% | 71% |
| Median age | 35.7 | 33.9 |
| Median income | $119K | $99K |
| Part I per 1k | 42.8 | 113.3 |
| Groceries / 800m | 7 | 16 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 25 | 71 |
| Parks / 800m | 29 | 42 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Philadelphia city. Up 53% since 2014. Fairmount is 38% above the 2024 city median. Rittenhouse is 50% 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 Fairmount if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the quieter, family-leaning read. Safety is 58 vs 5. Fairmount is tagged family on this map; Rittenhouse is not. ACS median rent is $1,924 vs $2,093. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Rittenhouse if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 100 vs 26. Walk is 86 vs 23. Read both pages before you decide.
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
Rittenhouse
The Square is the lawn. Walnut is the shop. Fitler Square is a search that sits next door, not a second official polygon here. You pay for the postcard and for the visitors who use it.
$2,093 median rent · safety 5 · walk 86
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Fairmount or Rittenhouse?
Fairmount is the lower ACS median: $1,924 vs $2,093. About 41% rent in Fairmount vs 71% in Rittenhouse. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Fairmount more walkable than Rittenhouse?
Rittenhouse wins the errand count (walk 23 vs 86). Groceries inside 800 meters: 7 vs 16. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Fairmount or Rittenhouse?
Fairmount is the calmer Part I read (58 vs 5). Combined rate 42.8 vs 113.3 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Fairmount or Rittenhouse?
Rittenhouse leads the school axis (43 vs 39). Nearby rating is 7.1 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 33.9 vs 35.7. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Center City?
12 minutes from Fairmount to Center City, 8 from Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Fairmount or Rittenhouse: University City. Penn, Drexel, the hospitals. Median income looks low because of students; home values do not. Powelton is a search on the north edge of this official line.
Scores are relative among official Philadelphia neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.