AreaProfile

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Metro Area Profile

6,272,014 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan area.

75
Area Score
Top 16% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 16% of 99 published metros80
Growth70th of 99 published metros39
Housing affordabilityTop 45% of 99 published metros87
ClimateTop 46% of 99 published metros71
Physical resilienceTop 24% of 99 published metros77
AccessTop 8% of 99 published metros99
Economic stabilityTop 32% of 99 published metros81
The quick read

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington ranks in the top 16% of published metro profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 4.1% and median household income of $91,289.

Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published metro profiles, placing Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington in the top 24% for physical resilience.

A major airport is 4 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.

At a glance

Population
6,272,014
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$91,289
Top 7% nationally
Density
1,363/sq mi
4603.2 sq mi of land
Median age
39.3
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Nearest major airport
PHL
4 mi · Philadelphia Intl
Median home value
$351,900
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.1% is lower than 58% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment grew 2.1% over the past year, to 3,213,768 employed residents.

42% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 93% of measured US metros.

Household income is higher than at least 93% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$666$91,289Top 7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$254$50,461Top 6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate11.5%Bottom 29%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute30.9 minTop 6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher42.2%Top 7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment3,213,768Top 7%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)1.7%Top 33%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)2.1%Top 3%June 2026
Labor force3,350,143Top 7%June 2026
Labor force participation65.7%Top 16%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$71,730Top 21%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$54,310Top 22%2025 OEWS
Metro employment2,897,830Top 6%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-0.6%Bottom 5%June 2026
Unemployment rate4.1%Bottom 42%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/066.83.3
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.1% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Home Health and Personal Care Aides158,280$29,800
Registered Nurses73,790$101,180
Fast Food and Counter Workers69,080$32,220
General and Operations Managers68,730$121,630
Retail Salespersons63,990$34,810
Cashiers54,100$33,050

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,480 takes 19% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.9 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
19.5%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.9×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,480
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$351,900
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.85Top 30%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate66.8%Bottom 32%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±6002,624,257Top 1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$8$1,480Top 9%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$1,315$351,900Top 17%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income19.5%Top 34%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate6.0%Bottom 8%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
39/ 100
Ranks 70 of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is decreasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 6,330,422 in 2024.

At 2.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
14K
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
2.2
Bottom 17% nationally
Year over year
+2%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
43.2%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320246330k6242k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 26°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 44.1 inches, including 23.1 inches of snow.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station PHILADELPHIA INTL AP, 4.7 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.4"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation44.1"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall23.1"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low26°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high88°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing45°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

77 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, hurricane and coastal flooding.

EarthquakeModerate
HurricaneModerate
LandslideModerate
DroughtModerate
Coastal floodingModerate

Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, heat wave, strong wind, inland flooding, cold wave, ice storm, tornado, lightning, hail, wildfire, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

6 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 4 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Philadelphia IntlPHL4 mi12,000 ft
Atlantic City IntlACY49 mi10,001 ft
Harrisburg IntlMDT79 mi10,001 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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75
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.