Philadelphia, PA
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| | Overall Rankings | |
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| | Metro Area (out of 45): | |
| | Healthy Housing: 39th | |
| | Prior Rank: 29th | |
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| | Central City (out of 44): | |
| | Healthy Housing: 39th | |
| | Prior Rank: 24th | |
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| | Click here for comparison to prior report. | |
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| | Data source: 2009 American Housing Survey | |
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Location Summary
Positive Findings: Compared to the national average, the Philadelphia area had fewer homes with evidence of rats, water leaks from the outside, and exposed wiring. Dwellings within the central city were less likely to have open cracks or holes in the walls, broken plaster or peeling paint, signs of rats, water leaks from outside, incomplete plumbing, exposed wiring, or a lack of kitchen facilities. Units outside the central city had fewer incidences of exposed wiring. Rental homes were less likely to have rat problems or exposed wires, compared to the national average. Owner-occupied homes had fewer issues with water leaks from outside and exposed wiring.
Areas for Improvement: Compared to the national average, Philadelphia-area homes had higher incidences of open cracks or holes in walls and floors, mice, water leaks from inside, water supply stoppages, flush toilet and sewage disposal breakdowns, room heaters without a flue, and siding, roofing, window, and foundation problems. Central city homes were more likely to have flush toilet and sewage disposal breakdowns and problems with roofing and windows. Areas outside the central city were more likely to have units with open cracks or holes in the walls or floors, broken plaster/peeling paint, signs of mice, water leaks from inside, water supply stoppage, flush toilet and sewage disposal breakdowns, room heaters without a flue, and roofing, siding, window, and foundation problems. Rental units, compared to the national average, were more likely to have evidence of mice, water leaks from inside, water supply stoppage, sewage disposal breakdowns, and problems with roofing, siding, windows, and foundations. Owner-occupied homes were more likely to have problems with open cracks or holes in the walls or floors, signs of mice, water leaks from inside, flush toilet and sewage disposal breakdowns, room heaters without a flue, and problems with roofing, siding, windows, and foundations.
Community Information: The Philadelphia MSA includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, Pennsylvania, and Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties, New Jersey. In 2009, the MSA included 1,734,092 occupied dwelling units, 30.6% of which were located in the central city of Philadelphia. The housing stock of the MSA ranked among the oldest and least heavily rental of the cities surveyed. The percentage of pre-1940 homes ranked 6th-oldest for both the MSA (28.1%) and the central city (52.2%). The median house age in the Philadelphia MSA was 1960. The percentage of rental units ranked 5th-least heavily rental (28.6%) for the MSA and 11th-least heavily rental (44.2%) for the central city. Compared to other locations, Philadelphia had a higher poverty rate. Its poverty rate ranked 28th (14.8%) for the entire MSA and 40th (29.0%) for homes in the central city.