Philadelphia/Compare
Fairmount vs University City
Fairmount and University City are two official neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Fairmount is the calmer Part I map (58 vs 42). University City wins the errand count. University City has the lower ACS median ($1,856).
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 | University City |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 58 | 42 |
| Schools | 39 | 13 |
| Walk | 23 | 60 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 26 | 65 |
| Median rent | $1,924 | $1,856 |
| Median home | $465,054 | $860,800 |
| Population | 6,315 | 17,588 |
| Commute to Center City | 12 min | 16 min |
| Commute to University City | 16 min | 6 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 | University City |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 41% | 94% |
| Median age | 35.7 | 21.8 |
| Median income | $119K | $32K |
| Part I per 1k | 42.8 | 55.3 |
| Groceries / 800m | 7 | 17 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 25 | 49 |
| Parks / 800m | 29 | 40 |
| 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. UCity is 33% 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 school rating nearby is the point and the quieter map matters more than the scene. Schools score 39 vs 13. Safety is 58 vs 42. Fairmount is tagged family on this map; University City is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick University City if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 65 vs 26. Walk is 60 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
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.
$1,856 median rent · safety 42 · walk 60
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Fairmount or University City?
University City is the lower ACS median: $1,924 vs $1,856. About 94% rent in University City vs 41% in Fairmount. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Fairmount more walkable than University City?
University City wins the errand count (walk 23 vs 60). Groceries inside 800 meters: 7 vs 17. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Fairmount or University City?
Fairmount is the calmer Part I read (58 vs 42). Combined rate 42.8 vs 55.3 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Fairmount or University City?
Fairmount leads the school axis (39 vs 13). Nearby rating is 7.0 / 10 vs 6.4 / 10. Median age 35.7 vs 21.8. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Center City?
12 minutes from Fairmount to Center City, 16 from University City. Fairmount is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Fairmount or University City: 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.