Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Swarthmore’s standout strength is health (A+). Taken together, its subjects give Swarthmore an A+ overall, better than almost every U.S. town. In the ranking it comes 32nd of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The trade-off is cost of living — the typical home is worth about $468K, 5.1 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income. Only 33 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score higher on civic life. Just over four in five adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in the town, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). This Pennsylvania town is among the most walkable places in the country. Swarthmore's public schools beat 95% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results.
Where Swarthmore beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Swarthmore | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.3% | 14.5% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Swarthmore-Rutledge Sch | K–5 | 560 |
| Geoge Crothers Memorial School | K–12 | 130 |
3.5% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Swarthmore is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 9%), so the A+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Benjamin West Birthplace is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 903 in 1900, 6,543 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Swarthmore. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw11 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw10 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
Big draw16 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 Swarthmore, 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 Swarthmore.
Swarthmore is shaped by its college students, has less tooth loss than most of Pennsylvania and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
Trails total 4.2 miles in 5 parks and preserves. The trail density for Swarthmore comes to 3.0 miles per square mile.
| Swarthmore | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 3.0 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Little Crum Creek Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Parrish Beach | 0.2 mi | 4 |
| 3. Henderson Sports Complex | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
That grade comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $468K.
Its two schools are below. Wallingford-Swarthmore SD runs its public schools. The town’s only public school teaches 560 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swarthmore-Rutledge SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 560 | A+ |
| Geoge Crothers Memorial School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 130 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 4.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
The share of adults in Swarthmore who have been diagnosed with depression: 22%. Among 1,035 Pennsylvania towns, just 10 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Swarthmore. Against the Pennsylvania average, Swarthmore comes out ahead on 18 CDC measures out of 26, and behind on 1.
| Swarthmore | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 17% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Swarthmore | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.3% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.8% | 7.7% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 75.3% | 79.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Zillow values the typical Swarthmore home at about $468,000, up 3.7% in a year, 63% above the Pennsylvania typical home. Its median rent stands at $1,532 a month. 76% of households live in a home they own here.
| Swarthmore | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,532 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 69% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 37 to 22 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Swarthmore’s rate of thefts and burglaries comes in at 3.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Swarthmore | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.3 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
In Swarthmore, the FEMA hazard score is 17 of 100. FEMA puts 57% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 10% to heat waves. This Pennsylvania town has had 13 paid flood insurance claims since 1978.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 2,226 in 2013 to 2,992.
The top destinations are Philadelphia (33%), Springfield Township (2%) and Radnor Township (2%). In Swarthmore, the median household income is $152,000. For most workers, Swarthmore is a place to come home to: only 10% work in town. Jobs in Swarthmore grew by 766 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 2,992.
| Swarthmore | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $152,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
36 within 15 miles of the center of Swarthmore
College town 28 of every 100 Swarthmore residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
3 places in Swarthmore on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Swarthmore.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Swarthmore ( SWORTH-mor, locally SWAHTH-mor) is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Swarthmore was originally named Westdale in honor of painter Benjamin West, who was one of the early residents of the town. The name was changed to Swarthmore after the establishment of Swarthmore College. As of the 2020 census, Swarthmore had a population of 6,543.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Swarthmore.
Ridley Township next door grades lower for schools (C+ to Swarthmore’s A+) and higher for cost of living (C to D).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swarthmore | #32 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Nether Providence Township | #15 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Springfield Township | #228 | A | C− | C | A+ | A |
| Ridley Township | #480 | B+ | C | B | C+ | B+ |
| Folsom | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Woodlyn | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Folsom and Woodlyn aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Swarthmore with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Swarthmore grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #32 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. 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 Margot Mifflin and Sarah Field Splint.
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