Philadelphia 2015: The State of the City

Report March 28, 2015 Read time:

Projects: Philadelphia Research and Policy

In a previous version of this report, an error appeared in the legend of Figure 2.4. The bars were mislabeled, so that those meant to represent 2014 were labeled 2004 and vice versa. This error was corrected on Nov. 23, 2015.

This report is a comprehensive look at Philadelphia by the numbers. It examines key indicators of the city’s condition—including jobs, public safety, education, housing, government, and transportation—and features select results from Pew’s most recent citywide poll. Although many of the statistics show that Philadelphia is moving in a positive direction, the analysis reveals that significant issues remain.

To read more about the state of Philadelphia, including topics such as government, transportation, and arts and culture, view or download the full PDF report.

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Key Findings

Overall population

8 The number of consecutive years that Philadelphia’s population has continued to grow.

According to the Census Bureau, Philadelphia’s population rose to 1,560,297 in 2014. Since 2006, the city has added 71,587 residents.

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Jobs

8,800 The number of jobs added in Philadelphia in 2014, the biggest single-year increase since 1999.

Though Philadelphia gained jobs, and the city’s unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent, the rate of job growth, 1.3 percent, did not keep up with the national rate, which was 1.9 percent.

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Education

25% The share of Philadelphia residents age 25 and older with bachelor’s degrees in 2013.

Though the percentage of Philadelphians with college degrees was up in 2013, the last year available, the city’s rate remains below the national average of 29.6 percent.

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Housing

$879M The estimated construction value of the residential building permits issued in Philadelphia in 2014.

Residential building permits were issued for 3,973 units in 2014—the most in several decades. Meanwhile, the percentage of housing units occupied by owners in Philadelphia continued to drop and could fall below 50 percent in the next few years.

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Crime

248 The number of homicides in Philadelphia in 2014, up by just one from 2013.

Major crimes in the city declined in 2014, dropping below 70,000 for the first time in three decades.

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