Philadelphia/Compare
Fairmount vs Spruce Hill
Fairmount and Spruce Hill are two official neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Fairmount is the calmer Part I map (58 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 | Fairmount | Spruce Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 58 | 37 |
| Schools | 39 | 39 |
| Walk | 23 | 41 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 26 | 45 |
| Median rent | $1,924 | $1,443 |
| Median home | $465,054 | $574,761 |
| Population | 6,315 | 7,673 |
| Commute to Center City | 12 min | 18 min |
| Commute to University City | 16 min | 8 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 26 min | 24 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Fairmount | Spruce Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 41% | 92% |
| Median age | 35.7 | 29 |
| Median income | $119K | $57K |
| Part I per 1k | 42.8 | 57.3 |
| Groceries / 800m | 7 | 16 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 25 | 30 |
| Parks / 800m | 29 | 32 |
| 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. 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 Fairmount if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the shorter ride to Center City is the point. Safety is 58 vs 37. 12 vs 18 minutes to Center City. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Spruce Hill if the rent gap is the point and you want the cafes and the night. ACS median rent is $1,443 vs $1,924. Vibe is 45 vs 26. Walk is 41 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
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, Fairmount or Spruce Hill?
Spruce Hill is the lower ACS median: $1,924 vs $1,443. About 92% rent in Spruce Hill vs 41% in Fairmount. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Fairmount more walkable than Spruce Hill?
Spruce Hill wins the errand count (walk 23 vs 41). Groceries inside 800 meters: 7 vs 16. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Fairmount or Spruce Hill?
Fairmount is the calmer Part I read (58 vs 37). Combined rate 42.8 vs 57.3 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Fairmount or Spruce Hill?
Fairmount leads the school axis (39 vs 39). Nearby rating is 7.0 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 35.7 vs 29. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Center City?
12 minutes from Fairmount to Center City, 18 from Spruce Hill. Fairmount is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Fairmount 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.