What percentage of people rent in Swarthmore, PA?

Name: Renters and owners in Swarthmore, PA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

24.0% (±6.5 points) of the occupied homes in Swarthmore, PA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 496 renting households against 1,571 that own their home.

In Swarthmore, the share of households that rent went from 23.4% in 2015–2019 to 24.0% in 2020–2024 (+0.6 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 24.0% (±6.5 points)
Renting households: 496 (±140)
Median renter income: $68,077 (±$29,730)

Who rents and who owns in Swarthmore

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Swarthmore	Delaware County	Pennsylvania	United States
Renter-occupied share	24.0% (±6.5 points)	30.4% (±0.8 points)	30.7% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	496 (±140)	65,930 (±1,885)	1,617,882 (±10,181)	45,017,354
Owning households	1,571 (±180)	151,016 (±1,820)	3,656,971 (±15,249)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	1.6 (±0.4)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.6 (±0.2)	2.8 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$68,077 (±$29,730)	$49,812 (±$1,326)	$47,506 (±$425)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$214,505 (±$30,144)	$116,085 (±$2,110)	$95,990 (±$362)	$100,009

In Swarthmore, the renter share is not measurably different from Delaware County (30.4%).

It is also lower than in Pennsylvania (30.7%).

It is lower than the national figure (34.8%).

In Delaware County, Swarthmore ranks 34 of 49 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 904 of 2,557.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Swarthmore has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	23.4% (±7.6 points)	24.0% (±6.5 points)	+0.6 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,021 (±$288)	$1,532 (±$175)	+50.0%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$107,778 (±$21,284)	$152,361 (±$53,472)	+41.4%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Swarthmore

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Swarthmore
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Swarthmore	—	24.0% (±6.5 points)	—
Nether Providence Township	0.9 mi	11.6% (±3.5 points)	Lower
Rutledge	1.1 mi	12.5% (±7.9 points)	Lower
Folsom	1.3 mi	15.6% (±4.2 points)	Lower
Morton	1.3 mi	40.7% (±6.8 points)	Higher
Ridley Township	1.6 mi	26.3% (±3.7 points)	Not measurably different
Woodlyn	1.7 mi	32.1% (±6.9 points)	Not measurably different
Springfield Township (Delaware County)	1.9 mi	6.2% (±2.1 points)	Lower
Rose Valley	2.0 mi	2.0% (±1.9 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Nether Providence Township, PA (11.6%), Rutledge, PA (12.5%), Folsom, PA (15.6%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Morton, PA (40.7%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Delaware County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
28	Upper Providence Township (Delaware County)	26.2% (±4.5 points)
29	Clifton Heights	26.1% (±8.7 points)
30	Darby Township	26.0% (±5.7 points)
31	Middletown Township (Delaware County)	25.5% (±3.1 points)
32	Norwood	24.3% (±6.2 points)
33	Chester Heights	24.1% (±7.5 points)
34	Swarthmore	24.0% (±6.5 points)
35	Glenolden	23.5% (±5.2 points)
36 (tie)	Parkside	22.5% (±9.4 points)
36 (tie)	Newtown Township (Delaware County)	22.5% (±4.6 points)
38	Edgmont Township	21.7% (±5.1 points)
39	Marple Township	16.1% (±2.7 points)
40	Brookhaven	15.1% (±4.7 points)

Showing 13 of 49 places in Delaware County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Swarthmore

How many renters are there in Swarthmore?

Swarthmore has an estimated 496 (±140) renting households, 24.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Swarthmore?

In Swarthmore, the share of households that rent went from 23.4% in 2015–2019 to 24.0% in 2020–2024 (+0.6 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Swarthmore?

A renting household in Swarthmore has 1.6 people on average, against 2.6 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Swarthmore?

The median renting household in Swarthmore, PA has an income of $68,077 (±$29,730) a year, against $214,505 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Swarthmore borough, Pennsylvania (place:75648, in state:42).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.