Housing in South at a glance
- Population
- about 132,439
- Housing units
- about 64,910
- Median value, owner-occupied homes
- $326,000Philadelphia: $243,100 (+34%)
- Median gross rent
- $1,550 a monthPhiladelphia: $1,397 (+11%)
- Owner-occupied homes
- 59.4%Philadelphia: 51.8%
- Homes built before 1980
- 85.9%
- Median year built
- 1939 or earlier
South ranks second on both value and rent in Philadelphia, behind only Central. Homes are valued at $326,000, 34% over Philadelphia's $243,100, and rent of $1,550 runs 11% over $1,397. Owners hold 59.4% of households, third-highest of ten, and number 35,013 against 23,929 renters. The housing is old too, with 85.9% of it pre-1980 stock and the typical house dating to 1939 or earlier. Next to Central, whose homes reach $570,000, South forms a clear middle step. Lower North stops at $227,000, and West falls to $156,000. On rent the ladder is the same: West charges $1,180 and Lower North $1,260, both well under South's $1,550, and Central $1,940, well above it. The district itself lies south of the city's population centre. Residents number 132,439, in 64,910 homes. Central has a lower owner share, 36.5%, as does Lower North, 36.4%, and West 47.7%. Its pre-1980 share ranks eighth.
Questions about South
What is the median home value in South, Philadelphia?
$326,000 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 South?
$1,550 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 South own or rent?
Most own: 59.4% 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 31 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.
South is one of the 10 most populous of 18 planning districts of Philadelphia: estimated population about 132,439 (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 South
The closest sectors of Philadelphia, by distance between population centres.
Other sectors of Philadelphia
All of Philadelphia · Professionals in Pennsylvania · All states
Five trades, one spot each
Payotte lists one professional per trade in South. 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 South? Ask for your spot.