3 Philly Burbs Top Niche’s 2025 “Best Places to Live” List
Perennial Niche darling Chesterbrook came in third, and two other Main Line area communities also placed in the top 20.
This early 1980s starter condo in Chesterbrook sold for $259,900 in 2020. It changed hands again four years later for $391,200, almost 12 percent above its asking price. Some Chesterbrook residents worry about this trend in Niche’s perennial best place to live in Pennsylvania and one of the best in the country. / Bright MLS image via BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors
Another year, another top honor for Chesterbrook in the annual Niche.com “Best Places to Live in America” rankings.
But this year, two other communities elsewhere beat it for the top spot on Niche’s annual list
Chesterbrook, a perennial top finisher in the Niche rankings, came in third behind the Colonial Village neighborhood in Arlington, Va., and the Atlantic Station neighborhood in Atlanta.
It did top the list of “Best Suburbs to Live in America,” however.
The master-planned community near King of Prussia received an overall grade of A+ on Niche, which assigns letter grades like those students receive for courses in 12 different categories. It received A+ grades for public schools, health and fitness and family friendliness. Its housing stock, diversity and outdoor activities received A grades, and it got A- grades for jobs and nightlife. It got B- grades for cost of living and commuting, however, and its weather merited only a C+. It got no grade for crime and safety, because Niche received no crime data.
Chesterbrook residents are both affluent and well-educated, according to statistics compiled by Niche. Both the median household income of $140,972 and the median individual income of $69,449 were nearly double the national figures. And a full 42 percent of Chesterbrook’s 5,439 residents hold master’s or higher degrees, and another 37 percent graduated with bachelor’s degrees.
According to Niche statistics, 64 percent of Chesterbrook residents own their homes while the remaining 36 percent rent. The median house value is $432,200, 42 percent above the national median, and the median monthly rent of $2,618 is nearly double the national median of $1,348.
Several current and past residents who posted reviews of the community on Niche praised its convenient location, accessibility and friendliness, but complained about high and rising housing costs, an issue many attributed to its location in the highly rated Tredyffrin-Easttown School District. One reviewer complained about recent denser development in the community, which Niche describes as “dense suburban.”
Two other Philly suburbs, both on or near the Main Line, also placed in the nationwide top 20 on this year’s Niche list.
Ardmore came in at number 11, and next-door Penn Wynne ranked 13th. Both also received overall A+ grades from Niche.
Within the Philadelphia area, Niche’s top ten places to live also include:
4. Swarthmore
5. Devon
6. Paoli
7. Conshohocken
8. Haddonfield
9. Jenkintown
10. Blue Bell
Pittsburgh-based Niche publishes online guides to help individuals and families find places to live, work, and learn. The company explains how it arrives at its rankings and the data sources it uses here.
