Best Places for Business and Careers 2019

Philadelphia, PA

gross metro product

$129.1B

population

2.1M

median household income

$48,877

median home price

$184,000

cost of living

3% below nat'l avg

college attainment

31.5%

net migration

-40 (year: 2018)

unemployment

4.7%

major industries

Bio-science, Financial services, Tourism

job growth

2% (year: 2018)

As of October 2019

"The City of Brotherly Love," from the literal meaning of the city's name in Greek, is a commercial, educational, and cultural center. It was a centerpiece of early American history, and is home to many national historical sites that relate to the founding of the U.S. Independence National Historical Park is the center of these historical landmarks including, Independence Hall, and the Liberty Bell. The city contains three major research universities: the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and Temple University.

The city contains many historic and cultural museums, such as the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Rodin Museum, which holds the largest collection of work by Auguste Rodin outside of France. The city's major art museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, is one of the largest art museums in the country.

On forbes lists

#88

Best Places for Business and Careers 2019

#134

In Cost of Doing Business

#108

In Job Growth

#100

In Education

EmploymentHousingEducationQuality of Life

Job Growth

2% (year: 2018)

Projected Annual Job Growth

0.6%

Unemployment

4.7%

Median Household Income

$48,877

Household Income Growth

2.8%

High-Tech Employment

1.3%

Data is for the metro area
Sources: Moody's Analytics; Sperling's BestPlaces; U.S. Census.
Numbers as of October 2019
a - Value of 100 means that a family with the median income has exactly enough income to qualify for a typical mortgage on a median-priced single-family home. An index above 100 signifies that the family has surplus income.