Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Philadelphia County, PA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageAmong the 5 least healthy counties in Pennsylvania
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 89% of counties in Pennsylvania
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 79% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Philadelphia County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,579,069 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 11074.5 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.15% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.5 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 679,183 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Philadelphia County grew by 2.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 1,579,069 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Philadelphia County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.7% of residents. That is 3.7 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 372,176 23.6% +3.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 389,787 24.7% +3.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 277,772 17.6% -3.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 237,494 15.0% -4.0 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Pennsylvania, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.7% of the people living in Philadelphia County and men 47.3%.
- Women 52.7% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 47.3% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Philadelphia County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Philadelphia County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Philadelphia County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $62,185 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.76% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.1% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Philadelphia County is about 21% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Philadelphia County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $209,765 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,396 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 51.8% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Philadelphia County is about 12.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,396 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Philadelphia County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 254 hours, about 10.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Philadelphia County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.5 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 61.0 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 254 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,879 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 18.4% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 14,668 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,567 | 1,152 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Cameron County (11.4 min), Elk County (15.4 min), McKean County (15.9 min).
Slowest:
Pike County (32.5 min), Perry County (32.0 min), Carbon County (30.5 min).
The average commute time in Philadelphia County is 30 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in Pennsylvania.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Philadelphia County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Philadelphia County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.4% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.25 | 2.39 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Chester County (0.4), Montgomery County (0.4), Allegheny County (0.4).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.1), Mifflin County (0.2), Juniata County (0.2).
Health
Philadelphia County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Philadelphia County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.4 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.6% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.1% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Montgomery County (0.8), Centre County (0.8), Chester County (0.8).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.8), Mifflin County (0.8), Jefferson County (0.8).
Philadelphia County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Philadelphia County, PA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 1,579,069 residents against a local median of 578,234. Philadelphia County, PA's median household income, at $62,185, runs 41% below the $105,231 typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 30.5 min against a local median of 25.5 min, 19% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Philadelphia County, PA reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves sit within $26,275 of each other on median household income, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Philadelphia County, PA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Philadelphia County, PA has the 6th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia County, PA | 1,579,069 | $62,185 #6/6 | $209,765 #4/6 | 30.5 min #6/6 |
| Camden County, NJ | 526,561 | $89,385 | $239,503 | 23.4 min |
| Delaware County, PA | 578,234 | $90,232 | $194,369 | 26.1 min |
| Gloucester County, NJ | 306,962 | $105,231 | $186,863 | 25.7 min |
| Montgomery County, PA | 867,535 | $114,626 | $273,761 | 25.5 min |
| Bucks County, PA | 647,283 | $115,660 | $248,394 | 23.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.
How many people live in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania?
About 1,579,069 people live in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, in 679,183 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 35.5, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania has 11,075 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 128 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.4 times the median household income ($209,765 against $62,185), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,396 a month takes about 27% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania?
Unemployment in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania is 8.1%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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