Philadelphia Sees Drop in Poverty with Parallel Gains in Safety and Jobs

According to The Pew Charitable Trusts’ 2025 State of the City address: Addressing Poverty and Violent Crime Philadelphia As Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza points out, some indicators are weakening; however, simultaneously, unemployment rates are dropping and educational achievements are enhancing. WHYY .

Research conducted by Pew indicates that the city's economy has generally improved compared to its state during the pandemic five years back, despite certain ongoing inequalities.

"What we truly discovered is that Philadelphia is transitioning out of the pandemic phase," he stated. Katie Martin , who serves as the project director for Pew’s Philadelphia Research and Policy Initiative, pointed out issues like high crime rates, unemployment, and economic instability. "However, there are also several emerging challenges that the city will have to address in the coming years."

These issues encompass the reduction of federal financial support for public service initiatives, imposition of tariffs, and immigration-linked national regulations.

In 2023, the poverty rate in Philadelphia stood at 20.3%, a decline from 26.3% in 2013. Despite this reduction compared to ten years prior, Philadelphia continues to grapple with a higher poverty rate relative to similar urban centers like Houston, New York, San Antonio, Chicago, and Los Angeles, where the figures remain below 20%.

In 2024, the number of homicides dropped to 269, which is fewer than half of the 562 cases documented in 2021. Nonetheless, this figure is above the 248 reported back in 2014.

Learn more about the report and the aspects of Philadelphia where improvements have been made or conditions have deteriorated. WHYY .

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