Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Darby grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of health and safety. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. Its crime rate is higher than 94% of U.S. towns, with 87 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 1 place on the National Register. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Darby, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (7.6%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 165 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score lower on incomes. Darby's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 95% of U.S. towns.
Where Darby beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Darby Meeting| Widest gap | Darby | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 30% | 14.5% |
Its founding year, 1682, comes before those of 97% of the Pennsylvania towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 780 in 1860, 10,715 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Darby is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Darby. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw7 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw6 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw6 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
4 mi Park & preserveSchuylkill RiverLincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0 · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain · Schuylkill River: Emy111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Darby, 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 Darby.
Darby has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the Pennsylvania rate and has poverty well above the Pennsylvania rate.
33% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Darby. Among 1,035 Pennsylvania towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Darby. 18% of adults report frequent physical distress in Darby.
| Darby | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Darby | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5% | 8.8% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13% | 18.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 30% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by William Penn SD. One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Wood MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 667 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 8.1 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Pennsylvania rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Reported crimes fell from 440 to 288 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Darby’s violent crime rate is 8.1 per 1,000 residents. Darby reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 94% report less. Darby’s property crime rate is 18.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Darby | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.7 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Jobs based here fell from 3,056 in 2013 to 2,178. The average commute for its 4,291 working residents takes 36.6 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Darby for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Darby is 37 minutes. Jobs based in Darby fell to 2,178 in 2023, 878 fewer than in 2013.
| Darby | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $40,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Darby has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 23 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.0 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Delaware County Park, at 30 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Delaware County Park | — | 30 |
| 2. Bartram Park | — | 20 |
| 3. Powell Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
338 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 38 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 338 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Darby.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 1.3 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 97% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living. 61.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.2% across Pennsylvania.
50% of Darby households own their home.
| Darby | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,308 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
40 within 15 miles of the center of Darby
About 3 of every 100 Darby residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Darby’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
34 notable people were born in Darby.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Darby is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Darby had a population of 10,715. The borough is located along Darby Creek, 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Center City Philadelphia. The borough of Darby is distinct from the nearby municipality of Darby Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Darby.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Philadelphia (D) is closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darby | #1032 | D− | B− | D | C− | D− |
| Yeadon | #979 | C− | C+ | — | C− | C− |
| Philadelphia | #1011 | D | B− | D− | D | C |
| Collingdale | #1000 | D | B | C− | D | D |
| Colwyn | — | — | C+ | — | C− | D− |
| Upper Darby Township | #953 | C− | C | C− | C | B |
Colwyn has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Yeadon and Colwyn report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Darby with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Darby grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D− for health, D for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
The typical home is worth about $118,000, 59% below the Pennsylvania typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
34 notable people were born here, including W. C. Fields and John Patrick Foley.
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