Center City Insights
Philadelphia Employment: Booming Talent, Lagging Jobs
October 2026
Center City Insights
Center City Insights
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Philadelphia Employment
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Center City Insights
A magnet for young professionals Since the pandemic, a familiar story has reigned concerning American downtowns: remote work cut the cord between young professionals and the office, and, once untethered, they followed cheaper space and bigger backyards out to the suburbs. In Philadelphia, the data tells a different tale. Over the past decade, the number of Philadelphians aged 25 to 34 with a bachelor’s degree or higher grew by more than 51,000, from roughly 101,000 to 152,500. This represents nearly half (49%) of all highly educated talent growth across the eight counties of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey (see chart opposite). Today, more than half (52%) of Philadelphians aged 25 to 34 hold a four-year degree, up from 38% a decade ago. Among the home counties of 25 of the nation’s largest cities, only Austin, Denver, and San Jose gained more ground in degree attainment since 2014. The city is adding jobs too. Since 2009, Philadelphia has added 100,944 privatesector jobs, slightly more than Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties combined (100,300). There is one important caveat. The jobs Philadelphia is adding are overwhelmingly outside the office sector, and the employers that hire college graduates downtown have not grown at the pace of the talent pool itself. Read on to learn how Philadelphia’s talent and job base have changed, where the gap lies, and what it means for employers deciding where to locate and grow.
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Philadelphia Employment
Philadelphia residents with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher, 2014 vs. 2024 Age Group
2014
2024
Added
Ages 25 – 34
101,100
152,500
+51,400
Ages 35 – 44
47,300
88,200
+41,000
Ages 25 – 44
148,400
240,800
+92,400
Early Career
Mid-Career
Both Combined
Growth (Rank of 25)
10th of 25
Share with BA+
51%
38% → 52%
+14 pts - 4th of 25
87%
1st of 25 largest counties
62%
2nd of 25 (behind Austin)
25% → 41%
+16 pts - 1st of 25
33% → 47%
+15 pts - 2nd of 25
Philadelphia’s population of highly educated 25- to 44-year-olds has grown by more than 92,000 residents (62%) in a decade, the second-fastest rate among the 25 largest counties in the U.S. Within that, the mid-career band of 35- to 44-year-olds grew 87%, making Philadelphia a national leader.
Share of the eight-county region’s growth in college-educated 25-to 34-year-olds, 2014–2024 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2014, 2024)
Share of the Region's Growth in Young College Graduates 48.7%
Philadelphia Chester
9.7%
Montgomery
8.8%
Burlington (NJ)
8.6%
Camden (NJ)
7.4%
Bucks
6.6%
Delaware
5.3%
Gloucester (NJ)
5.0%%
0
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Philadelphia captured nearly half of the region’s growth in young college graduates over the past decade.
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Center City Insights
Talent is growing faster here than almost anywhere Philadelphia’s talent growth shines on not just the regional but national stage. Among peer counties, only Austin grew its college-educated population aged 25 to 44 faster than Philadelphia. Between 2014 and 2024, the number of Philadelphians aged 25 to 44 with a bachelor’s degree or higher grew 62%, from about 148,000 to nearly 241,000. That ranks second of 25, behind only Austin (68%), and well ahead of the peer average of roughly 40%. Philadelphia outpaced fast-growing Sun Belt markets like Nashville, Dallas, and Phoenix, as well as coastal competitors like Boston (36%), Washington, D.C. (33%), and New York (21%). The fastest growth came not from new graduates but from those a decade into their careers. The city’s college-educated population aged 35 to 44 grew 87% over the past 10 years, adding nearly 41,000 people. This suggests a cohort of young professionals who arrived and stayed as their careers advanced, a sign that professionals are putting down roots here. Growth in a more seasoned professional base presents opportunities for both employers and the city as a whole. The 35-to-44 cohort includes the managers, partners, and senior leaders who shape where offices go. A deep pool of experienced talent living in the city makes Philadelphia a place to build out all levels of a team, not just recruit entry-level hires.
Between 2014 and 2024, the number of Philadelphians aged 25 to 44 with a bachelor’s degree or higher grew 62%.
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Philadelphia Employment
Growth in college-educated residents aged 25–44, 25 largest U.S. counties, 2014–2024 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2014, 2024)
Growth in Prime-age College-educated Residents 68.1%
Austin 62.3%
Philadelphia
59.7%
Denver
58.1%
Jacksonville
56.9%
Nashville 50.7%
Seattle
48.9%
Dallas
47.1%
Phoenix
45.3%
San Antonio Houston
42.2%
Fort Worth
41.3% 40.9%
Charlotte
39.5%
San Diego
38.8%
Indianapolis Boston
36%
Detroit
34.9% 32.9%
Washington D.C.
30%
San Jose Columbus
30%
Los Angeles
29.7% 28.1%
Portland 22.1%
Baltimore Chicago
21.4%
New York City
20.8%
San Francisco 0
9.2% 20%
40%
60%
80%
Only Austin grew its prime-age college-educated workforce faster than Philadelphia.
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Center City Insights
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Philadelphia Employment
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Center City Insights
Jobs are still catching up Philadelphia’s private-sector employment reached 619,248 in 2025, the highest level in 17 years. After the pandemic hit the city harder than most, the rebound has moved Philadelphia toward the top of its peer group. Since 2020, private employment in Philadelphia has grown 15.4%, fifth among the peer counties and well above the peer average of 11.3%. Only Austin, New York, Nashville, and Fort Worth have recovered at a faster rate since 2020. The most recent year is even more encouraging. From 2024 to 2025, Philadelphia’s private employment grew 1.5%, second only to Austin, while the peer average was essentially flat. Twelve of the 25 peer counties lost private jobs last year, including Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, and Denver. Closer to home, the city has become the region’s engine of growth. Philadelphia added more than 9,400 private-sector jobs in 2025, over three times as many as Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties combined, while Montgomery County lost jobs outright. Though the city holds about a quarter of the metro’s private jobs, it accounted for 45% of the region’s job growth last year.
It’s essential to point out that this momentum is recent. Over the full 2009–2025 examined period, Philadelphia ranks 19th of 25, the result of a slow recovery from the Great Recession when the city ranked last among its peers. The story is not that Philadelphia has led for 15 years, but that it is now growing faster than almost any large American city at a moment when many of them have stalled.
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Philadelphia Employment
Private employment growth, 25 largest U.S. counties, 2024–2025 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW
Private Employment Growth, 2024-2025 3.9%
Austin 1.6%
Philadelphia
1.5%
Columbus 0.9%
Chicago
0.9%
Fort Worth Houston
0.5%
San Antonio
0.4%
Charlotte
0.4%
Phoenix
0.4%
New York City
0.3%
San Jose
0.2% 0.1%
Dallas
0%
Nashville Indianapolis
-0.1%
Los Angeles
-0.2%
San Diego
-0.2% -0.4%
Jacksonville Boston
-0.4%
Baltimore
-0.5% -0.8%
Detroit
-1%
Denver
-1.2%
Seattle
-1.5%
Portland San Francisco
-1.8%
Washington D.C.
-1.9% -2%
0
2%
4%
In 2025, only Austin added jobs faster than Philadelphia among the 25 largest counties.
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Center City Insights
Room to grow: the office economy If the talent pool is Philadelphia’s greatest strength, the office economy is where that strength has yet to pay off. Since 2019, one sector has accounted for most of the city’s job growth. Health care and social assistance added 33,540 jobs in Philadelphia since 2019, more than the city’s entire net gain of 23,636. Excluding healthcare, Philadelphia has roughly 9,900 fewer private jobs today than it did before the pandemic. Office-sector employment, which includes finance, information, real estate, professional services, and corporate headquarters, totaled 118,795 in 2025, essentially identical to 2019 (118,757).
Share of five-county office-sector jobs, 2009-2025 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW
Share of Five-County Office Sector Employment
Philadelphia Share
Montgomery Share
34
33
32
31
30
29 2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
The suburbs aren’t winning office jobs, and the city is holding its ground best.
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2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Philadelphia Employment
There is a silver lining. Professional services, the largest office-using sector, is up 36% since 2009 and still growing, adding about 700 jobs in 2025. And while the city’s office employment has held flat, the suburbs have lost ground. The five-county region has about 17,500 fewer office-sector jobs than in 2019, and all of that loss occurred outside the city. Montgomery County alone has shed 8.7% of its office jobs since 2019. As a result, Philadelphia’s share of the five-county region’s office-sector jobs reached 33% in 2025, the highest in the series.
The core tension is an abundance of workers without enough of the employers who hire them downtown. Many of the city’s college-educated residents commute out to suburban offices, work remotely for firms based elsewhere, or work in the health and education institutions that drive the city’s growth. With leasing demand in the central business district still well below pre-pandemic levels, the opportunity is clear: space is available, the talent is here, and the region’s office growth is up for grabs.
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Center City Insights
Center City’s talent proposition is undeniable Access to talent is among the most important factors employers weigh when choosing where to locate. Before 2020, when brokers were asked why tenants moved into Center City from the suburbs or other markets, the top answer by far was better access to a larger, younger, and more diverse talent pool. Today’s data makes that case stronger than it was then. Center City’s advantage is not just the talent living downtown, but the talent that can reach it easily. More than 716,000 residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher live within one mile of a SEPTA or PATCO rail station, up 40% from roughly 511,000 a decade ago. Within two miles, the number tops one million. No suburban office park can offer a comparable commute shed. In a hybrid era, that accessibility matters even more: CCD’s research has consistently shown that workers who live closest to the office are the most likely to return to it.
Core Center City One Mile Station Buffer
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Philadelphia Employment
Talent is a notoriously hard asset for a city to build, and Philadelphia has excelled at it. But Philadelphia’s workforce needs more job opportunities in the city than it has today. More office employers downtown could diversify the city’s job base, fill available vacancies, and strengthen the retail economy that depends on a busy Center City. Some employers are already taking notice: JPMorganChase is expanding at 2400 Market Street, Bonduelle Americas has opened its Growth Hub here in the same building, and Burlington is relocating its headquarters from New Jersey right across the river to Schuylkill Yards. Turning Philadelphia’s talent advantage into downtown jobs will take action on several fronts:
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Market the talent to prospective tenants. CCD, office brokers, and economic development partners should put this data in front of every company weighing a move within or into the region.
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Keep the pipeline of new graduates strong. The number of college-educated 18- to 24-year-olds in Philadelphia grew just 11% over the past decade, 22nd of the 25 peer counties. Campus-to-career programming, such as partnerships with Campus Philly, can help convert the region’s large student population into the next generation of city residents and workers. Continue to invest in the office district experience. The recommendations from CCD’s 2025 Employment Report remain urgent: targeted incentives along the Market Street spine, activating ground floor retail north of Chestnut Street, improving the underground concourse, and making the area more appealing all make Center City an easier choice for office tenants.
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Protect and invest in transit. Center City’s talent advantage depends on its commute shed. SEPTA Accelerate, the authority’s vision for best-in-class transit, would bring Regional Rail service at least every 15 minutes, all day and every day, to dozens of neighborhoods and suburban towns throughout the region, alongside transformative improvements like L trains running every three minutes and more frequent buses on nights and weekends. Service at that level makes reaching downtown an easy, everyday choice rather than a carefully timed trip, for the commute and for everything after it. Realizing that vision requires appropriate, sustained funding, not just enough to keep the system running, and would put even more of the region’s talent within easy reach of Center City jobs. Grow housing near transit. Clustering housing in Center City and along the highfrequency Metro, bus, and Regional Rail routes that feed it would give downtown, and the entire region, a highly connected and mobile workforce. A fully funded SEPTA would only strengthen that advantage.
Philadelphia’s talent story runs against the national narrative, and it’s one employers need to hear. Prime-age workers with advanced degrees are flocking here at rates that put us ahead of most large cities, and the opportunity now lies in bringing jobs to them.
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Center City Insights
100 S. Broad Street, Ste 1N Philadelphia, PA 19110 centercityphila.org
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