Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 38,498, settled in 1855. Home to Arcadia University.
Trash day: look up yoursCheltenham Township's standout: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C+, ranked 755th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Residents are healthier than 85% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $109K. Its weakest subject is safety: it reports more crime per resident than 97% of U.S. towns, including 136 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Cheltenham Township’s property crime rate is 88.9 per 1,000 residents, against 5.7 in Pennsylvania’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. Only 57 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score lower on cost of living. Cheltenham Township has 14 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Grey Towers and Beth Sholom Synagogue.
Where Cheltenham Township beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Arcadia University | 2,647 |
| Salus University | 1,137 |
| Westminster Theological Seminary | 414 |
Grey Towers is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 14 National Register listings are more than in 97% of Pennsylvania towns with a listing.
The archive holds 6 maps from 1893 on.
Cheltenham Township takes its name from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, England, 3,450 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionCheltenham Township, settled in 1855, takes its name from Cheltenham, a city in Gloucestershire, England.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Cheltenham Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 3%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cheltenham Township. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town MuseumLynnewood Hall
Big draw10 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw8 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw9 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile ArenaLynnewood Hall: Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain · Lincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cheltenham Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Cheltenham Township.
Cheltenham Township has less tooth loss than most of Pennsylvania, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half and has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Reported crimes rose from 1,911 to 3,622 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Property crime runs at 88.9 per 1,000 residents, 7 times the Pennsylvania rate, most of it theft.
The violent crime rate in Cheltenham Township is 3.5 per 1,000 residents. Cheltenham Township reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by Cheltenham SD. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedarbrook MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 672 | C+ |
| Cheltenham HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,450 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 8.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
19% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Cheltenham Township. Cheltenham Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 12 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 33% of adults have obesity in Cheltenham Township.
| Cheltenham Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 24% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Cheltenham Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.6% | 14.5% |
| Fewer smokers | 11.2% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median property tax bill is $8,739, against $3,311 across Pennsylvania, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Cheltenham Township home is worth about $398,000, up 1.7% in a year, 39% above the Pennsylvania typical home. Cheltenham Township’s median rent is $1,608 a month.
| Cheltenham Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,608 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Cheltenham Township for work: only 5% work in town. 22% of Cheltenham Township workers work from home. Since 2013, Cheltenham Township has added 611 jobs, to 11,218 in 2023.
| Cheltenham Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3.9 miles of trail in 22 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Curtis Arboretum, at 43 acres.
| Cheltenham Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tookany Creek Park | 0.9 mi | 36 |
| 2. Ralph Morgan Park | 0.5 mi | 5 |
| 3. Curtis Arboretum | 0.1 mi | 43 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
291 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 47 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 291 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cheltenham Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Cheltenham Township has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
43 within 15 miles of the center of Cheltenham Township
About 11 of every 100 Cheltenham Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
5 colleges in town.
14 places in Cheltenham Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Cheltenham Township.
Unincorporated community in Pennsylvania, US
Cheltenham is an unincorporated community in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, United States, with a ZIP code of 19012. It is located directly over the city line (Cheltenham Avenue) of Philadelphia. It also borders Northeast Philadelphia over the Fox Chase Line on the east and over Cottman Avenue (PA 73) on the north side. The community is listed for statistical purposes as the Cheltenham Village census-designated place. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 1,993. By the mid-1980s, many Korean Americans moved out of Logan, Philadelphia and moved into Cheltenham and other communities. Cheltenham is represented by Madeleine Dean in the 4th Congressional District. As of 2016, Taiwanes…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Cheltenham Township.
Philadelphia next door grades lower for schools (D to Cheltenham Township’s B+) and higher for cost of living (B− to D).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham Township | #755 | C+ | D | D− | B+ | A |
| Philadelphia | #1011 | D | B− | D− | D | C |
| Abington Township | #388 | A− | C− | C+ | A− | A |
| Springfield Township | #65 | A+ | C− | A− | A | A |
| Wyncote | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jenkintown | #181 | A | D | B+ | A | A |
| Glenside | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cheltenham Village | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wyncote, Glenside and Cheltenham Village aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cheltenham Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cheltenham Township grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #755 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health, D− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($91,289 across the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
7 notable people were born here, including Randy Brecker and Pat Meehan.
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