What counties are included in the Greater Philadelphia Region?

Eleven counties in three states comprise Greater Philadelphia and include New Castle County in Delaware; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Mercer and Salem Counties in New Jersey; Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania.

What is the total population, income, employment in Greater Philadelphia?

• Total population in 2008 of 6.103 million people (official Census estimate for July 1, 2008).
• Total income within a 200-mile radius of downtown Philadelphia in 2009: $1,461 billion, ranked 2nd among the 12 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).
• Total employment in 2008 was 2.9 million.
• Philadelphia's total non-farm or payroll employment in 2009 was 2,931,007 jobs. The table below presents the distribution by major economic sector:

Who are the largest employers?

Visit our "Leading Employers" page to find the largest employers in Greater Philadelphia.

What is the distribution of employment by major economic growth?

See the table above. The table below presents employment distribution by occupation.  

How has the structure of our economy changed over time? What sectors have declined and which ones have become more important?

The table below shows the change in the structure of the Greater Philadelphia economy, as indicated by employment shares by major economic sector, between 1990 and 2009. 

• Timing in the table below shows two recessions and two recoveries in the U.S. economy (or two business cycles, so it captures the economic changes that occurred since 1990).
• The most dramatic change was the large loss of of 162,922 jobs in the manufacturing sector, and a loss of 9,508 jobs in the Information sector following the "dot.com" collapse in 2001 and 2002.   
• Almost all of the increase in employment occurred in the private, services providing sectors (Trade, Transportation & Utilities; Information; Financial Activities; Professional & Business Services; Education & Health Services; Leisure & Hospitality Services; and Other Services), where 400,404 jobs were added during this period.
• By contrast, employment in the goods producing sectors (Natural Resources and Mining; Construction; and Manufacturing) fell by 170,912 jobs. Adding in the increase of 23,795 jobs in the Government sectors yields the net change in employment of 253,286  jobs. The average annual growth rate in total employment over the 19-year period was 0.5%,  but was 1.1% in the private, services-providing sectors and -2.3% in the goods producing sectors.

How does the costs of living in the GRP compare with those in other metro areas?

Visit our Cost of Living page.

How does the cost of housing in the GRP compare with those in other metro areas?

Visit our Residential Real Estate page.

What are the most important economic sectors in the region (based on 2006 employment shares)?

•  Trade, Transportation and & Utilities – 18.1%.
• Education and Health Services – 19.9%.
• Professional and Business Services – 15.2%.
• When the Government sector is included, with a 14.0% share, these four sectors account for 67.2% of the region's total employment.
• When compared to the structure of the U.S. economy, Greater Philadelphia has above-average employment shares in Education and Health Services; Financial Activities; and Professional & Business Services.
• By contrast, the Region's share of employment in Manufacturing of 6.9 % is well below the U.S. share.   

What are the average levels of per capita income and per household income and how do they compare to those in other metros?

How different are housing prices at the municipal level across the region?

Housing prices vary widely across the region; please see the table of current housing prices by municipality on our web site.

How different are local property tax levels across the region?

• Local real property tax rates by municipality and school district vary widely across the region.
• The total local real property tax rate in the region has three components: county tax rate, the municipal tax rate, and the school district tax rate, with the school rate usually accounting for about 2/3rd of the total local, real property tax rate.
• Municipalities and school districts in Pennsylvania can impose local earned income taxes (EITs), such as the City of Philadelphia's wage tax. The table on our web site presenting the real property tax rates by municipality also presents the EIT rates on non-resident workers.

What local school districts have the highest SAT scores and highest scores on state assessments?

Visit our Top SAT Scores page for the highest SAT scores, by district and county.

What are the differences in state-level tax structures across the 3 states located in the GPR?

Visit our section on Taxes to compare the tax structures across Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.