Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Media grades A overall, ranked 177th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Natural-hazard risk is low. Its public schools beat 96% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation and it is healthier than 94% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $631K, 6.9 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register. 62% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Media, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. Few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. On civic life, just 145 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns do better.
Where Media beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1681, comes before those of 98% of the Pennsylvania towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 285 in 1850, a low of 285 in 1850, 5,901 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1859 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Media is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Media. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw13 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw12 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
Big draw17 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 · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain · Lynnewood Hall: Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Media, 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 Media.
Media has schools in the top 5% of Pennsylvania, draws workers from Philadelphia and beyond and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
At 6.9 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home (about $631K) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $5,846, against $3,311 across Pennsylvania, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
42% of households own their home in Media. The typical Media home is worth about $631,000, up 2.9% in a year, about twice the Pennsylvania typical home. Media’s median rent is $1,411 a month.
| Media | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,411 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #42 of the 1,037 Pennsylvania towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $631K.
Its public schools are run by Rose Tree Media SD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 488 | A− |
| Lifeworks School, at Media PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 4–12 | Grades 4–12 | 243 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
10,578 jobs are based in Media, 3.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 6,816 in 2013 to 10,578.
Most working residents leave Media for work: only 9% work in town. 21% of Media workers work from home. Jobs based in Media grew to 10,578 in 2023, 3,762 more than in 2013.
| Media | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $89,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.9% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is COPD: 5% of its 5,072 adults have COPD, against 7.7% statewide.
Media beats the Pennsylvania average on 14 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Media | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 24% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Media | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5% | 7.7% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 12.4% | 18.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The FEMA risk score in Media is 1 of 100. Since 1999, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Media.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Media has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 23 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 20.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 76% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 116 to 69 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
0.5 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Media | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Glen Providence Park | 0.4 mi | 7 |
| 2. John K. Barrall Community Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Scott-Lowrie Playground | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
36 within 15 miles of the center of Media
About 8 of every 100 Media residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Media’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Media on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Media.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Media is a borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located about 13 miles (21 km) west of Philadelphia. It is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Media was incorporated in 1850 at the same time that it was named the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,991.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Media.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media | #177 | A | C− | B− | A+ | A |
| Upper Providence Township | #6 | A+ | C− | A+ | A+ | A |
| Nether Providence Township | #15 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Media grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #177 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health, B− for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Media sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
19 notable people were born here, including John Billingsley and Auston Trusty.
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