Housing in Central at a glance
- Population
- about 140,361
- Housing units
- about 92,424
- Median value, owner-occupied homes
- $570,000Philadelphia: $243,100 (+135%)
- Median gross rent
- $1,940 a monthPhiladelphia: $1,397 (+39%)
- Owner-occupied homes
- 36.5%Philadelphia: 51.8%
- Homes built before 1980
- 67.3%
- Median year built
- 1960
Central stands apart from the rest of Philadelphia on cost. Homes here are estimated at $570,000, the highest of the ten districts and 135% above the city's $243,100, and rent of $1,940 also tops the ranking, 39% over Philadelphia's $1,397. Renters clearly outnumber owners: 52,101 renting households against 29,975 owning ones puts the owner share at 36.5%, ninth of ten, and 15.3 points under the city's 51.8%. South of the population centre, the district has a steep drop-off to its neighbours. South comes to $326,000 in value, and Lower North's figure is $227,000, while West trails at $156,000. Rents fall from $1,550 in South to $1,180 in West. Housing is newer than in South or West, since 67.3% of homes are pre-1980 and the midpoint year is 1960. Population totals 140,361 across 92,424 homes. Lower North is the closest match on tenure, with 36.4% owners, while South has 59.4%.
Questions about Central
What is the median home value in Central, Philadelphia?
$570,000 for owner-occupied homes, against $243,100 for Philadelphia as a whole (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary). It is the owners' own estimate of their home's value, not a sale price.
What is the median rent in Central?
$1,940 a month in gross rent (rent plus utilities paid by the renter), against $1,397 in Philadelphia (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary).
Do most people in Central own or rent?
Most rent: 36.5% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, against 51.8% in Philadelphia (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary).
Data and method
Data as of: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (retrieved 2026-11-02).
Estimate from the 47 census tracts whose internal point lies within the official boundary: counts are summed, and each median is recomputed from the summed value, rent and year-built brackets (grouped median, linear interpolation). The gap with the city is measured with the same method on the whole city.
Central is one of the 10 most populous of 18 planning districts of Philadelphia: estimated population about 140,361 (Payotte estimate: Census ACS 2020-2024 populations of the census tracts whose internal point lies inside the boundary; boundaries from City of Philadelphia, Planning Districts (OpenDataPhilly), consulted 2026-11-02).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B01003, B25001, B25003, B25034, B25063, B25064, B25075, B25077; U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer files (census tract internal points). City figures: the same survey, published for Philadelphia as a whole. Home values are owners' estimates, not sale prices.
Near Central
The closest sectors of Philadelphia, by distance between population centres.
Other sectors of Philadelphia
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Five trades, one spot each
Payotte lists one professional per trade in Central. No one is listed yet: every spot is open.
- Real estate agentOpen spot
- Mortgage loan officerOpen spot
- Home inspectorOpen spot
- Real estate attorneyOpen spot
- AppraiserOpen spot
Work in one of these trades in Central? Ask for your spot.