The Pew Charitable Trusts just came out with its 2013 State of the City report for Philadelphia. We ran through the full 60 pages and pulled out a few of the most notable statistics for our busy readers. We're leaving a lot out, so go ahead and read the full document for yourself next time you have a free hour or two.
Keep in mind that this report places Philadelphia within a group of 10 comparable cities, which include Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC. The majority of the findings occur between 2006 and 2012.
A few facts:
Residential
• Philadelphia's population grew by 3.8% (58,897) between 2006-2012
• Median home sales prices were up 18% over the last two years
• More residential building permits were issued in 2012 than any year since 2005
Income
• Median household income - $34,207 (up 2.9% since 2006)
• 28% of households live below the poverty line
• Neighborhood with lowest household income - North Philadelphia (East) at $14,586
• Neighborhood with highest household income - Society Hill at $93,222
Age & Race
• Residents age 20-34 increased by 5.9% between 2006 and 2011
• Most diverse neighborhood - University City: 41% black, 36% white, 16% Asian, 4%
Hispanic
Jobs
• Philadelphia had 1,900 fewer jobs in 2-12 than in 2008
• Unemployment rate has risen from 6.2% in 2006 to 10.7% in 2012 (second only to Detroit's 18.2%)
• Largest increase in jobs came from Education & Health Services industry (up 32,700 or 18% since 2002)
• Largest decrease in jobs came from Manufacturing industry (down 14,400 or 38% since 2002)
• Top 5 largest private employers in Philadelphia:
1. Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
2. The Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania
3. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
4. Temple University
5. US Airways
Crime
• 406 homicides in 2006 versus 331 homicides in 2012
• Philadelphia has the fourth-highest homicide rate behind Detroit, Baltimore and
Cleveland
• Homicide victims and how they died:
• 88% were male
• 82% died via gunshot
• 81% had prior arrests
• 80% were African American
• 74% were killed outdoors
• 62% were age 18-34
Transportation & Environment
• People biking to work has increased from 4,908 in 2000 to 10,320 in 2011
• The number of LEED (Leadership Energy and Environmental Design) certified
buildings in Philadelphia have risen from 3 in 2006 to 84 in 2012
· Pew Charitable Trusts: Philadelphia 2013 (Full Report) [pewtrusts.org]