Philadelphia/Compare
Old City vs Society Hill
Old City and Society Hill are two official neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Society Hill is the calmer Part I map (84 vs 11). Old City wins the errand count. Society Hill has the lower ACS median ($2,044).
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 | Society Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 11 | 84 |
| Schools | 13 | 57 |
| Walk | 78 | 68 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 92 | 84 |
| Median rent | $2,191 | $2,044 |
| Median home | $491,745 | $510,250 |
| Population | 5,135 | 6,485 |
| Commute to Center City | 10 min | 10 min |
| Commute to University City | 22 min | 20 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 20 min | 18 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Old City | Society Hill |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 70% | 40% |
| Median age | 34.6 | 56.3 |
| Median income | $105K | $113K |
| Part I per 1k | 101.8 | 36.2 |
| Groceries / 800m | 15 | 13 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 61 | 49 |
| Parks / 800m | 41 | 48 |
| 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. Society is 46% 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 68. Vibe is 92 vs 84. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Society Hill if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the school rating nearby is the point. Safety is 84 vs 11. Schools score 57 vs 13. Society Hill is tagged family on this map; Old City is not. 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
Society Hill
Gardens, brick, Headhouse. Quieter than Old City’s Mall, tighter than Queen Village. The Square is the lawn you share with Washington Square West.
$2,044 median rent · safety 84 · walk 68
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Old City or Society Hill?
Society Hill is the lower ACS median: $2,191 vs $2,044. About 40% rent in Society Hill vs 70% in Old City. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Old City more walkable than Society Hill?
Old City wins the errand count (walk 78 vs 68). Groceries inside 800 meters: 15 vs 13. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Old City or Society Hill?
Society Hill is the calmer Part I read (84 vs 11). Combined rate 36.2 vs 101.8 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Old City or Society Hill?
Society Hill leads the school axis (57 vs 13). Nearby rating is 7.4 / 10 vs 6.4 / 10. Median age 56.3 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, 10 from Society Hill. A wash on this estimate. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Old City or Society Hill: 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 LibertiesSociety Hill vs Northern Liberties
Scores are relative among official Philadelphia neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.