What county is Philadelphia in? This is a common question with a surprising answer. Philadelphia is actually its own county known as Philadelphia County. It shares the same geographic borders as the City of Philadelphia itself.
Philadelphia County: An Overview
Philadelphia County is bordered by Delaware County in the southwest, Camden County New Jersey in the southeast, Burlington County New Jersey in the east, Bucks County in the northeast, and Montgomery County in the northwest.
William Penn Sits Atop Philadelphia City Hall in Philadelphia County, Jeffrey M. Vinocur, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Here are some facts about Philadelphia County:
- Philadelphia County in Pennsylvania is the most populous county in the state.
- It is the second smallest county in land area size (134 square miles) of the state’s 67 counties.
- An estimated 1.5 million residents from diverse backgrounds call it home.
- William Penn, in November 1682, created three original counties – Philadelphia County, Chester County, and Bucks County.
- Water bodies in the county include Cobbs Creek, Delaware River, Pennypack Creek, Schuylkill River, and Wissahickon Creek.
- The city of Philadelphia essentially merged with the county in 1854, which is how they share the same borders.
- The largest universities in Philadelphia County are Temple University, Drexel University, Thomas Jefferson University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Demographics
According to the census, there were just over 1.5 million peopleย living in Philadelphia County. The population per square mile was 11,379.5.
Philadelphia County contains over 691,633 housing units. Of the housing units, 53% were owner-occupied with a median value of $156,800 (2014 to 2018). The median gross rent in the county was $1,007 (2014 to 2018) and the number of households was 594,778. On average, there are about 2.57 people per household (2014 to 2018).
Median Income and Economic Statistics
The median household income between 2014 and 2018 was $43,744.
In 2018, there were 28,509 employer establishments in the county in total. Some of the most popular industries include Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, and Retail Trade. Philadelphia County’s Employment market is often described as the headquarters of Eds and Meds (Education and Medicine) due to the high volume of jobs in those fields.
In 2018, the average travel time to work was about 33 minutes.
Philadelphia County has one of the largest park systems in the nation and is one of the most popular areas to live in because of the rich culture and historic sites, rapidly emerging food scene, greenery, and a seemingly endless list of things to do from neighborhood events, farmers markets, festivals, and outdoor events.
