Darby, Pennsylvania
Area Profile
10,687 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Darby, in Delaware County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 16 sourcesUnemployment is 3.8% and median household income $39,863, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured. The unemployment rate is published for Delaware County, PA, which contains Darby, rather than for Darby alone.
In the public schools here, 49% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 13.5 students for every teacher. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Delaware County, PA, which contains Darby, rather than for Darby alone.
No residential units were authorized over the past twelve months, against a nonzero total the year before. The change in permitting is published for Delaware County, PA, which contains Darby, rather than for Darby alone.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Delaware County, PA, which contains Darby, is 3.8%, lower than in 69% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment across Delaware County, PA, which contains Darby, grew 2.7% over the past year, to 298,236 employed residents.
Median household income of $39,863 is lower than in 90% of measured US cities.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsDelaware County, PA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $97,349 | 78th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftDelaware County, PA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $91,048 | 76th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$9,9782024 ACS 5-Year | $39,863 | Bottom 10%of 29,326 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$2,7802024 ACS 5-Year | $21,888 | Bottom 12%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 29.8% | Bottom 10%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±3.3 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 40.1 min | Bottom 8%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 15.5% | Bottom 36%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±9%2024 ACS 5-Year | 52.0% | 7th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentDelaware County, PA’s figureJuly 2026 | 298,236 | Top 26%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Delaware County, PA’s figureJuly 2026 | +2.2% | Top 18%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Delaware County, PA’s figureJuly 2026 | +2.7% | Top 4%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceDelaware County, PA’s figureJuly 2026 | 310,092 | 74th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 71.1% | Bottom 29%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wagePhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $71,730 | Top 41%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wagePhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $54,310 | Top 41%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 24.9% | 99th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Delaware County, PA’s figureJuly 2026 | −1.1% | Top 9%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateDelaware County, PA’s figureJuly 2026 | 3.8% | Top 31%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 10.5% | 62nd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 158,280 | $29,800 |
| Registered Nurses | 73,790 | $101,180 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 69,080 | $32,220 |
| General and Operations Managers | 68,730 | $121,630 |
| Retail Salespersons | 63,990 | $34,810 |
| Cashiers | 54,100 | $33,050 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Delaware County, PA, which contains this city.
49% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 64% in reading, across the schools here that reported results. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Delaware County, PA, which contains Darby, rather than for Darby alone.
There are 13.5 students for every full-time teacher, fewer than in most measured places. The student-teacher ratio is published for Delaware County, PA, which contains Darby, rather than for Darby alone.
The proficiency and staffing figures above are for Delaware County, PA: too few schools in Darby reported a usable figure on their own to weight one honestly.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Pennsylvania’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 2% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 102.4, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division is up 34% over five years, and up 4.3% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $3,560 a year in real estate taxes, about 3.02% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,480, some 13% above the $1,308 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,480 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $59,200 a year, about 149% of the median household income here of $39,863.
The typical renter household here spends 42% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,308 a month.
A median home at $117,900 costs 2.3 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $50,781, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
Prices here run about 2% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against Darby’s median household income of $39,863, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area’s figure2023 | 102.4 | Top 49%of 3,700 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +4.3% | 70th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +33.5% | 24th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +82.3% | 35th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±12024 ACS 5-Year | 2.3 | Top 45%of 26,901 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 49.9% | 9th percentileof 31,840 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±4362024 ACS 5-Year | 4,545 | 88th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,240 | Top 40%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,770 | Top 33%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,480 | Top 39%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$1612024 ACS 5-Year | $1,308 | Bottom 27%of 23,217 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$32,2252024 ACS 5-Year | $117,900 | 27th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$5612024 ACS 5-Year | $3,560 | 79th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$24,1442024 ACS 5-Year | $50,781 | Bottom 13%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.95%2024 ACS 5-Year | 3.02% | 99th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±11%2024 ACS 5-Year | 41.5% | Bottom 10%of 23,052 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±192024 ACS 5-Year | 0 | 1st percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.0% | 1st percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 12.2% | 71st percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±1382024 ACS 5-Year | 553 | 91st percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has been broadly flat since 2020, at 10,749 in 2024.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 0 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes. The multifamily share is published for Delaware County, PA, which contains Darby, rather than for Darby alone.
Federal tax returns show Delaware County, which contains Darby, lost about 0.4% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $97,349, above the $91,048 of households that moved out.
At 0.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Philadelphia County, PA 8,248 people · 40% of arrivals
- Montgomery County, PA 1,905 people · 9.2% of arrivals
- Chester County, PA 1,895 people · 9.1% of arrivals
- New Castle County, DE 1,243 people · 6.0% of arrivals
- Bucks County, PA 337 people · 1.6% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Philadelphia County, PA 4,819 people · 21% of departures
- Chester County, PA 3,183 people · 14% of departures
- Montgomery County, PA 2,099 people · 9.3% of departures
- New Castle County, DE 1,997 people · 8.8% of departures
- Bucks County, PA 400 people · 1.8% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Delaware County, PA. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 26°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 44.1 inches, including 23.1 inches of snow.
Air quality measures a median index of 43, in the Good band, and about 2 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 64 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 44.1" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 23.1" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 26°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 88°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 6 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 2 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 43 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 45°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, earthquake and heat wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 55% of it. inland flooding and heat wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.
Overall hazard risk is lower than 90% of measured US cities.
Low or minimal exposure: strong wind, heat wave, lightning, inland flooding, tornado, cold wave, ice storm, coastal flooding, landslide, wildfire, hail, avalanche, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.
Darby's police department reported 808 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, higher than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,886.
Delaware County records 5.2 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 9.2 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 21.3 per 100,000 residents in Delaware County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Offenses are reported to the FBI by Darby’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Darby (Delaware County) rather than Darby itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
7 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Philadelphia Intl at 4 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 84.6% | Bottom 30%of 31,711 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 4 mi | Top 4%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 7 | Top 13%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.4% | Bottom 40%of 31,711 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Intl | PHL | 4 mi | 12,000 ft |
| Atlantic City Intl | ACY | 48 mi | 10,001 ft |
| Dover AFB | DOV | 56 mi | 9,602 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Other cities in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Same metropolitan area, measured the same way| City | County | Population | Area Score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | Philadelphia County | 1,579,706 | 60 | Philadelphia vs Darby |
| Wilmington | New Castle County | 71,727 | 53 | Wilmington vs Darby |
| Camden | Camden County | 71,496 | 51 | Camden vs Darby |
| Levittown | Bucks County | 50,926 | 68 | |
| Sicklerville | Camden County | 44,998 | 62 | |
| Norristown | Montgomery County | 35,893 | 62 | |
| Chester | Delaware County | 33,619 | 53 | |
| Drexel Hill | Delaware County | 30,451 | 69 | |
| Newark | New Castle County | 30,330 | 47 | |
| King of Prussia | Montgomery County | 25,857 | 79 | |
| Middletown | New Castle County | 24,661 | 64 | |
| Glassboro | Gloucester County | 23,717 | 70 |
Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.
Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyCompare
Put Darby side by side with a similar place.
Moving to Darby from somewhere else?
You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.
Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated September 26, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.