Philadelphia/Compare
Fairmount vs West Mount Airy
Fairmount and West Mount Airy are two official neighborhoods in Philadelphia. West Mount Airy is the calmer Part I map (68 vs 58). Fairmount wins the errand count. 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 | Fairmount | West Mount Airy |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 58 | 68 |
| Schools | 39 | 74 |
| Walk | 23 | 2 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 26 | 0 |
| Median rent | $1,924 | $1,382 |
| Median home | $465,054 | $494,359 |
| Population | 6,315 | 12,903 |
| Commute to Center City | 12 min | 30 min |
| Commute to University City | 16 min | 26 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 26 min | 42 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Fairmount | West Mount Airy |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 41% | 48% |
| Median age | 35.7 | 41.5 |
| Median income | $119K | $102K |
| Part I per 1k | 42.8 | 39.7 |
| Groceries / 800m | 7 | 6 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 25 | 5 |
| Parks / 800m | 29 | 14 |
| 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. 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 Fairmount if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 26 vs 0. Walk is 23 vs 2. 12 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 39. ACS median rent is $1,382 vs $1,924. Safety is 68 vs 58. 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
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, Fairmount or West Mount Airy?
West Mount Airy is the lower ACS median: $1,924 vs $1,382. About 48% rent in West Mount Airy vs 41% in Fairmount. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Fairmount more walkable than West Mount Airy?
Fairmount wins the errand count (walk 23 vs 2). Groceries inside 800 meters: 7 vs 6. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Fairmount or West Mount Airy?
West Mount Airy is the calmer Part I read (68 vs 58). Combined rate 39.7 vs 42.8 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Fairmount or West Mount Airy?
West Mount Airy leads the school axis (74 vs 39). Nearby rating is 7.8 / 10 vs 7.0 / 10. Median age 41.5 vs 35.7. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Center City?
12 minutes from Fairmount to Center City, 30 from West Mount Airy. Fairmount is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Fairmount 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.