Philadelphia/Compare
Old City vs Queen Village
Old City and Queen Village are two official neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Queen Village is the calmer Part I map (100 vs 11). Old City wins the errand count. Queen Village has the lower ACS median ($1,602).
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 | Old City | Queen Village |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 11 | 100 |
| Schools | 13 | 48 |
| Walk | 78 | 28 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 92 | 46 |
| Median rent | $2,191 | $1,602 |
| Median home | $491,745 | $660,489 |
| Population | 5,135 | 9,790 |
| Commute to Center City | 10 min | 14 min |
| Commute to University City | 22 min | 20 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 20 min | 16 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Old City | Queen Village |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 70% | 42% |
| Median age | 34.6 | 35.6 |
| Median income | $105K | $124K |
| Part I per 1k | 101.8 | 20.0 |
| Groceries / 800m | 15 | 7 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 61 | 13 |
| Parks / 800m | 41 | 39 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Philadelphia city. Up 53% since 2014. Old City is 57% above the 2024 city median. Queen V is 15% 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 Old City if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 78 vs 28. Vibe is 92 vs 46. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Queen Village if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the school rating nearby is the point. Safety is 100 vs 11. Schools score 48 vs 13. ACS median rent is $1,602 vs $2,191. Read both pages before you decide.
Old City
Cobblestones, the Mall, First Friday. You live next to a national park. Walk maxes out. Part I is padded by people who do not sleep here.
$2,191 median rent · safety 11 · walk 78
Queen Village
Fabric Row, the river, and a grid that still feels like a neighborhood. South Street is the tax. Society Hill is the garden north.
$1,602 median rent · safety 100 · walk 28
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Old City or Queen Village?
Queen Village is the lower ACS median: $2,191 vs $1,602. About 42% rent in Queen Village vs 70% in Old City. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Old City more walkable than Queen Village?
Old City wins the errand count (walk 78 vs 28). Groceries inside 800 meters: 15 vs 7. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Old City or Queen Village?
Queen Village is the calmer Part I read (100 vs 11). Combined rate 20.0 vs 101.8 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Old City or Queen Village?
Queen Village leads the school axis (48 vs 13). Nearby rating is 7.2 / 10 vs 6.4 / 10. Median age 35.6 vs 34.6. Old City has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Center City?
10 minutes from Old City to Center City, 14 from Queen Village. Old City is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Old City or Queen Village: Northern Liberties. Second Street, Piazza-era leftovers, and a walk to the El that is not quite Fishtown. Newer than Old City, louder than Fairmount. NoLibs is the search.
Old City vs Northern LibertiesQueen Village vs Northern Liberties
Scores are relative among official Philadelphia neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.