Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Clifton Heights's standout: few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Overall it grades C−, ranked 960th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Natural-hazard risk is low. Its weakest subject is health: residents are less healthy than 83% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Only 50 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score lower on civic life. Clifton Heights’ average trip to work is 32 minutes, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 26 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
Where Clifton Heights beats most towns.
Where Clifton Heights’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Clifton Heights is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,820 in 1890, a peak of 10,268 in 1960, 6,863 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Clifton Heights. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw7 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
Big draw8 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw13 mi MuseumLynnewood HallUSS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Lincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lynnewood Hall: Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clifton Heights, 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 Clifton Heights.
Clifton Heights has added a third more jobs in ten years and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s; it also scores below Aldan and its other neighbors on health.
All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its C−, from Aldan (C+) to Upper Darby Township (B).
The share of adults in Clifton Heights who have obesity: 37%. Against the Pennsylvania average, Clifton Heights comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 26, and behind on 14. 22% of adults in Clifton Heights smoke cigarettes; 20% report frequent mental distress.
| Clifton Heights | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 38% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Clifton Heights | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.3% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mark's Christian School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–K | Grades PK–K | 81 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Clifton Heights’ risk rating from FEMA is 17 of 100. FEMA puts 47% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 15% to earthquakes. The national flood insurance program has paid 7 claims in the town since 1994.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 1,082 in 2013 to 1,517.
In Clifton Heights, 3.6% of working residents work locally. Employers in Clifton Heights added 435 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,517. The top destinations are Philadelphia (26%), Upper Darby Township (5%) and Lower Merion Township (3%). The median commute is under 7 miles.
| Clifton Heights | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.6% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expect July afternoons of 87° and January nights of 25°, with about 23 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
One park or preserve covers 13 acres in Clifton Heights.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clifton Heights Fields | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 21.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 79% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Reported crimes rose from 59 to 119 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Clifton Heights’ violent offense rate stands at 3.4 per 1,000 residents. In Clifton Heights, the rate of thefts and burglaries is 10.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Clifton Heights | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 3.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 10.9 per 1,000 residents | 6.7 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Clifton Heights’ going rate for rent comes in at $1,430 a month. Homes sold in Clifton Heights spent a median 28 days on the market. In Clifton Heights, 43% of sales closed above the list price.
| Clifton Heights | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,430 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
41 within 15 miles of the center of Clifton Heights
About 6 of every 100 Clifton Heights residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
3 notable people were born in Clifton Heights.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Clifton Heights is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, located on Darby Creek 5 miles (8 km) west of downtown Philadelphia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,863.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Clifton Heights.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Upper Darby Township (C−) is closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton Heights | #960 | C− | C | C+ | C | C− |
| Upper Darby Township | #953 | C− | C | C− | C | B |
| Drexel Hill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lansdowne | #885 | C | C+ | C+ | C− | B− |
| Aldan | #764 | C+ | C+ | B | C− | C+ |
Drexel Hill isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Clifton Heights with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Clifton Heights grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #960 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Clifton Heights sits nearer the middle.
That is 2.9 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 C.
3 notable people were born here, including Lena Blackburne and John Kelly.
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