Regional Direction
June 16th 2021
Philadelphia’s Economic Competitiveness – PART 1: City and Suburban Employment and Wages
Author’s Note: With ongoing debates about altering the city’s tax structure, the dominant narrative is that the City of Philadelphia is less economically competitive than other areas. Using updated numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and other administrative data resources, we begin... Read More
Regional Direction
June 2nd 2021
Living Wage Employment in Greater Philadelphia
With debates raging about labor shortages and quality jobs, both in our region and across the country, we turn our sights on this issue by examining the growth of jobs above and below Great Philadelphia’s living wage. In 2020, this figure—which is based on the minimum level of income an individual... Read More
Regional Direction
May 19th 2021
The Impact of the Pandemic on Greater Philadelphia's Tech Workforce
Last week, Greater Philadelphia celebrated Philly Tech Week – an annual showcase of the region’s growing technology organizations, innovations, and advances. Events for this year were largely focused on the build-back from the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of work. A year ago, we hypothesized... Read More
Regional Direction
May 5th 2021
Stop-And-Frisk in Philadelphia's Changing Neighborhoods
This Leading Indicator is derived from a capstone paper written by Christion Smith, an intern at the Economy League and a candidate for a Master’s Degree in Geographic Information Systems at Temple University. Philadelphia has not been immune to gentrification, which is defined as an influx... Read More
Regional Direction
April 21st 2021
Philadelphia’s Looming Housing Affordability Crisis – Part 4
In the final piece of our housing affordability series of 2021, we detail home values and rent burden within and across Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. Key Takeaways Areas in proximity to the city’s colleges, universities, specialized schools, and hospitals fared worst on housing... Read More
Regional Direction
April 7th 2021
Philadelphia’s Looming Housing Affordability Crisis – Part 3
In our last Leading Indicator, we compared Philadelphia’s housing affordability with other similarly sized U.S. cities and the nation. For this issue, we take a closer look at how Philadelphia’s housing affordability differs among different racial and ethnic residential populations. Key... Read More
Regional Direction
March 24th 2021
Philadelphia’s Looming Housing Affordability Crisis – Part 2
In our last Leading Indicator, we detailed the growing gap between household incomes, home values, and rent in Philadelphia. For this issue, we take a closer look at how Philadelphia’s housing affordability compares with other similarly sized U.S. cities and the nation as a whole. Key... Read More
Regional Direction
March 10th 2021
Philadelphia’s Looming Housing Affordability Crisis – Part 1
As Diana Lind argues in her recent book Brave New Home, traditional housing in the United States is becoming increasingly inaccessible and unaffordable. Young people—such as Millennials—and historically excluded populations—such as communities of color and recent immigrants—are finding it more... Read More
Regional Direction
February 24th 2021
Philadelphia’s Persistent Income Inequality: A 2019 Data Update
Aligned with the Economy League’s mission to promote equity and shared prosperity in Greater Philadelphia, we continue our coverage of income inequality in Philadelphia using updated estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Key Takeaways: Black households made up 55.8 percent of all... Read More
Regional Direction
February 10th 2021