Why look at Philadelphia?
- Affordable housing. Median home is $234k — well below the national median.
- Stable market. Home values +1.5% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
- Higher tax state. Top marginal income tax rate around 3.1% — factor into salary comparisons.
Where Philadelphia stands
At or near all-time high.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 10.8 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Philadelphia on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 10.8 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →About Philadelphia (Wikipedia)
Philadelphia, colloquially referred to as Philly, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, and the sixth-most populous city in the United States, with a Census-estimated population of 1,574,281 in July 2025. The Philadelphia metropolitan area has 6.33 million residents and is the nation's ninth-largest metropolitan area. Philadelphia is known for its culture, cuisine, and history, maintaining contemporary influence in business and technology, sports, and music.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
City facts
Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.
Things to see in Philadelphia(Tourism)
- Independence National Historical Park
- Liberty Bell
- Independence Hall
- Visit Philadelphia
- Naked Bike Ride
Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Philadelphia County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Philadelphia County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of Philadelphia
138 tracked · ranked by median home valueSee the full neighborhood ranking →
Run the numbers for Philadelphia
Pennsylvania context
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Philadelphia listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news in Philadelphia
4 from local press- 76 Cool Things to Do in Philly This WeekLOCALVisit Philadelphia3d ago
- Shapiro Administration Breaks Ground on New TerraPower Isotopes Manufacturing Facility in PhiladelphiaLOCALPA Department of Community & Economic Development (.gov)1w ago
- Who is Chris Rabb?LOCALThe Philadelphia Citizen1w ago
- Democrat Chris Rabb defeats party machine in PA primaryLOCALSpotlight PA2d ago
- Licensable picture: People vote during the Pennsylvania primary election in PhiladelphiaReuters Connect1w ago
- Philadelphia Electricity RatesElectricChoice.com18h ago
What locals are saying
- Chat Around and Find Out: Tuesday Casual Chat Thread r/philadelphia
- Moving Mondays – New Resident Questions r/philadelphia
- Upper Merion Data Center r/philadelphia
- Why are some of the panels from the president's house gone? r/philadelphia
- Ernest Owens posting some alleged shady city business regarding the “free” 4th of July concert r/philadelphia
Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Philadelphia-specific coverage. Headlines link to original sources.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Find more cities like Philadelphia
Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Philadelphia’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.
Find more like Philadelphia →Cities similar to Philadelphia
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.
Cost-of-ownership at the median
Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.
Schools & crime context
School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.
Pennsylvania: 379 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.
Compare to where you live now
Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.
Getting here by train
Philadelphia is served by an Amtrak train station — William H Gray III 30th St. Sta.. Use the map to find it, and open its Google profile for photos, hours, and reviews.
Jobs & hiring
In Philadelphia, unemployment runs higher at 8.2%, and hiring momentum has been modest. The strongest local sectors are tech, healthcare and hospitality & tourism.
Search current openings:
See it on video
Get a feel for Philadelphia before you visit — recent video tours and neighborhood walk-throughs from YouTube.