Should I Move To
Roughly 1,593,208 people live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Living here costs moderate relative to the rest of the country, 6% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,250/mo; the typical household pulls in $57,537. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 42/100 — a D, putting it at #760 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Philadelphia sits at 106 — moderate when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,250/mo against $57,537 median household income), housing eats roughly 26% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $215,500.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is four-season: roughly 86°F in summer, 28°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 44 inches. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. Crime runs notably high by national standards. As always, neighborhood-level data tells a more nuanced story than the citywide figure. AQI runs about 45 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Philadelphia isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 45/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is walkability (69/100); the soft spot is job market (8/100).
For retirees, Philadelphia isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 50/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is walkability (69/100); the soft spot is job market (8/100).
For remote workers, Philadelphia isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 51/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is walkability (69/100); the soft spot is job market (8/100).
For young professionals, Philadelphia isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 42/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is walkability (69/100); the soft spot is job market (8/100).
Our overall score for Philadelphia is 42/100 — a D, sitting at #760 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Philadelphia sits at 106 — moderate, 6% above the national average. Median renter pays around $1,250 a month.
Philadelphia runs four-season on the weather. Summer's near 86°F, winter's near 28°F; 44 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 69/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 1,593,208 people live here, with 34% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 35.
Drop Philadelphia into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Philadelphia with other Pennsylvania cities scored on UrbRank.
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