Camden vs Coatesville

Which is the better fit for you?

Camden, NJ
51
Area Score
Bottom 24% nationally
Coatesville, PA
60
Area Score
Top 46% nationally

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Coatesville receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Camden to Coatesville

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 102.4 against 102.4 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$314 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,860 in Coatesville against $1,546 in Camden.
The median home
73% more
$194,000 in Coatesville against $112,000 in Camden.
The weather you would swap
Winters 3°F colder
Normal January lows are 23°F in Coatesville against 26°F in Camden; July highs are 84°F against 88°F (summers 4°F cooler).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Camden
Coatesville
Opportunity: Coatesville is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
36 · Bottom 11%
vs
73 · Top 19%
Growth: Camden is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
39 · Bottom 27%
vs
29 · Bottom 14%
Climate: Camden is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
71 · Top 46%
vs
65 · Bottom 35%
Physical resilience: Coatesville is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
77 · Top 28%
vs
85 · Top 16%
Housing affordability: Coatesville is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
60 · Bottom 35%
vs
62 · Bottom 39%
Schools: Coatesville is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
20 · Bottom 13%
vs
26 · Bottom 19%
Access: Camden is the more favorable of the two.
Access
100 · Top 4%
vs
86 · Bottom 29%
Economic stability: Coatesville is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
21 · Bottom 3%
vs
38 · Bottom 18%

Measured values

MetricCamdenCoatesvilleSource period
Population71,49613,3532024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$40,546$59,256 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$20,566$30,057 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density8,016/sq mi7,386/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$112,000$194,0002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,226 — more favorable$1,4712024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,546 — more favorable$1,860FY2026
Cost of living index102.4102.42023
Homeownership rate34.4%40.0%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate8.8%3.0% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)+2.1%+2.8% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher10.1%19.8% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate29.6%17.3% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)759012 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents1.4 — more favorable0.012 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−27.3%−21.2%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high88°F84°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low26°F23°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation44.1"47.1"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport8 mi — more favorable32 miNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate25.4 min ±1.2 min27.3 min ±2.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age33.335.72024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools2782024-25 school year
Students per teacher12.1 — more favorable13.62024-25 school year
Math proficiency19.3%33.3%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency28.6%43.0%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility78.5%93.3%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

One row above shows both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

New Jersey and Pennsylvania do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Camden

No hazard reaches elevated exposure.

Coatesville

Elevated or high exposure: drought.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Camden
—
Camden: Your Score
51
Area Score
Coatesville
—
Coatesville: Your Score
60
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Camden, NJ · Coatesville, PA · How this is calculated: methodology