Philadelphia income disparity in 1990 (left) and 2010 (right). The blue areas are among the top 10 percent of census tracts in the region by socioeconomic status. The most distressed neighborhoods are shown in black. Immediately apparent is the dramatic shift along the Camden waterfront as a result of revitalization efforts such as the construction of the aquarium in 1992.
The Urban Institute just published a nationwide map that shows that Philadelphia stands alongside Baltimore, Columbus, Dallas, and Houston as one of the most unequal areas in the country.
Via Philly Mag: "the study looked at income and educational inequality in the largest "commuting zones" — which are similar to metropolitan areas. Per the study, Philadelphia had the second-highest degree of disparity in 2010."
The study's scoring for an area's level of inequality was based on four factors:
· Its average household income
· Homeownership rate
· Median housing value
· Percentage of residents who have a college degree
And Philly's even more disparate than it was in 1990: "In 166 other [Commuting Zones]—the largest of which included Boston, Los Angeles,Newark,and Philadelphia—incomes fell in the bottom tracts but rose in top ones.
You can read the study in full here, and access the interactive maps here.
· Camden's Waterfront Development: Has it Worked? [Rutgers University]
· These maps show the vastly separate worlds of the rich and poor [WP]
· Worlds Apart: Inequality between America's Most and Least Affluent Neighborhoods (PDF!) [Urban Institute]
· MAP: Where Income Inequality Is the Worst in Philly [Philly Mag]
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