PHILADELPHIA—A new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts shows that since 2006, Philadelphia has experienced as large an increase in the population of 20- to 34-year-olds as any of the nation's 30 largest cities, as measured by the change in their percentage of each city’s overall population.
The rise in the population of Philadelphia’s millennials, as the generation is commonly known, may be fragile, however, according to surveys and focus groups conducted by Pew among young adults in the city. More than half of the millennials surveyed said they definitely or probably would leave Philadelphia within the next five to 10 years, citing job and career reasons, school and child-rearing concerns, and crime and public safety as the major barriers to long-term residency.
Specific findings about this population group from Pew’s report, Millennials in Philadelphia: A Promising but Fragile Boom, include:
“The strong growth in the population of young adults in Philadelphia offers promise for the future vitality of the city,” said Larry Eichel, director of Pew’s Philadelphia research initiative and the author of the report. “However, our research highlights that many millennials are poised to leave. A key question is how to keep young adults in the city as they get older in order to retain their energy and commitment to the city and the region.”
More information about the report and the data can be found here.
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The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew’s Philadelphia research initiative provides timely, impartial research and analysis on key issues facing Philadelphia for the benefit of the city’s citizens and leaders. www.pewtrusts.org/philaresearch