Philadelphia metropolitan area


The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also referred to as the Delaware Valley or Greater Philadelphia, is a major metropolitan area in the Northeastern United States that centers on Philadelphia, the List of [United States cities by population|sixth-most populous city] in the United States. This area spans up to four states: southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, northern Delaware, and the northern Eastern Shore of Maryland, though it is sometimes considered a tri-state region if northeastern Maryland is excluded. With a core metropolitan statistical area population of 6.245 million residents and a combined statistical area population of 7.379 million as of the 2020 census, it is the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the United States in 2024 and the 68th-largest metropolitan region in the world.
In addition to Philadelphia, other major population centers in the Philadelphia metro area include Reading, Upper Darby Township, and Chester in Pennsylvania; Atlantic City, Camden, Vineland, and Cherry Hill in South Jersey; and Wilmington and Dover in Delaware. As of 2023, the Philadelphia metro area's gross domestic product exceeds US$557 billion, making it the nation's 11th-largest metropolitan economy.
The Philadelphia metropolitan area has been influential in the nation's history and economy and home to many people and sites significant to American culture, history, and politics. Philadelphia is sometimes known as "The Birthplace of America" in reference to its role as the revolutionary capital during the colonial era in which the Second Continental Congress gathered at Independence Hall and unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, authorized the formation of the Continental Army, and appointed George Washington its commander to resist the British. After the Continental Army's victory, Philadelphia served as the nation's first capital for most of the 18th century until 1800, when construction of Washington, D.C. was completed. The U.S. Constitution, the world's longest-standing body of federal law, was ratified at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1789.
The metro area is one of the nation's leading regions for academia and academic research with a considerable number of globally-known and highly ranked universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, one of the nation's eight Ivy League universities. Other major universities and colleges in the region include Swarthmore College, Drexel University, La Salle University, Bryn Mawr College, Rowan University, Rutgers University–Camden, Saint Joseph's University, Stockton University, Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, the University of Delaware, Villanova University, Chester University">Chester, Pennsylvania">Chester University, Widener University, Ursinus College, Haverford College, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Moore College of Art and Design, the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, and others.
The Philadelphia metropolitan area is considered a biotechnology hub, and has garnered the nickname "Cellicon Valley" for its central role in the development of immunotherapies to treat different cancers. As of 2025, the area ranks as one of the Big Five U.S. venture capital hubs, facilitated by its proximity to both New York City's entrepreneurial and financial ecosystems and to the federal regulatory environment of Washington, D.C. Elsewhere in the metropolitan area, South Jersey has emerged as an East Coast epicenter for logistics and major warehouses.
Culturally, the region is home to the dialect known as Philadelphia English, shares a unique cuisine known as Philadelphia cuisine, has played a formidable role in popular music, and is known for having one of the nation's most passionate and devoted sports cultures centered around its five professional sports teams.

Geography and population

The Philadelphia metropolitan area is geographically associated and proximate to the Delaware River and its three primary tributaries, the Schuylkill River, Lehigh River, and Brandywine Creek.
U.S. government agencies have reached various definitions of metropolitan Philadelphia. The Office of Management and Budget defines metropolitan statistical area, which are regions with relatively high population densities at their cores and close economic ties throughout their respective areas. MSAs are further combined into combined statistical areas, reflecting commuting patterns. Neither is a formal administrative division.

Metropolitan statistical area (MSA)

As of the 2020 U.S. census, the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area is the seventh-largest MSA in the nation with 6,245,051 people. The MSA includes:
County2021 Estimate2020 CensusChangeAreaDensity
Philadelphia County--
Montgomery County--
Bucks County--
Delaware County--
New Castle County--
Chester County--
Camden County--
Burlington County--
Gloucester County--
Salem County--
Cecil County--
Total MSA Population--

Combined statistical area (CSA)

As of 2020, the Philadelphia–Reading–Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA is the nation's ninth-largest combined statistical area with a population of 7,379,700. Philadelphia-Reading-Camden Combined Statistical Area includes:
County2021 Estimate2020 CensusChangeAreaDensity
Berks County --
Atlantic County --
Kent County --
Cumberland County --
Cape May County --
Total CSA Population--
File:Boswash.png|thumb|The Philadelphia metropolitan area is part of the Northeast megalopolis, the second-most highly populated megaregion of the U.S. with 52.3 million residents.

Statistical history

When metropolitan areas were originally defined in 1950, most of this urban area was split between four metropolitan areas, or standard metropolitan areas, as they were then called. The Philadelphia SMA included Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania, and Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties in South Jersey. The Wilmington SMA included New Castle County in Delaware and Salem County in South Jersey. Berks County was designated as the Reading SMA and Atlantic County, New Jersey was the Atlantic City SMA.
In 1960, Cecil County, Maryland was added to what was now the Wilmington Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1980, Cumberland County, New Jersey was defined as the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton SMSA.
In 1990, the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton SMSAs were merged with the Trenton SMSA to form the Philadelphia–Wilmington–Trenton Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the same time, Cape May County, New Jersey was added to the Atlantic City SMSA. The "Philadelphia-Wilmington-Trenton" became obsolete one census later when Trenton, New Jersey was moved to the New York-Newark-Bridgeport CSA. The Philadelphia-Wilmington-Vineland CSA included the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Camden MSA and the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton MSA.
In 2000, Kent County, Delaware was designated the Dover MSA, and Kent County and Atlantic City were added to the Philadelphia CSA in 2010. As a result of new 2010 definitions, based on a threshold of 15% labor interchange between MSAs, two additional MSAs were added, Ocean City, New Jersey and Reading, Pennsylvania. The CSA to which they belong is known as Philadelphia-Reading-Camden.

Climate Types

All of it is Humid Subtropical

Subregions

The Philadelphia–Reading–Camden combined statistical area includes sixteen counties in four states. The five Pennsylvania counties in the metropolitan statistical area are collectively known as Southeastern Pennsylvania. In addition to Philadelphia, major municipalities in Southeastern Pennsylvania include the inner suburbs of Upper Darby Township and Bensalem Township. Berks County, which forms its own MSA and contains the CSA's second largest city, Reading, is occasionally not considered to be part of Southeastern Pennsylvania and is sometimes assigned to South Central Pennsylvania.
The seven New Jersey counties in the CSA are in South Jersey. Atlantic County, Cape May County, and Cumberland County each form their own respective metropolitan statistical areas. Atlantic City, Cape May County, New Jersey, and the southern Jersey Shore, including Margate City, Ventnor City, the Wildwoods, Northfield, Sea Isle City, are major tourist destinations for people from inside and outside of the metropolitan area. Other major municipalities in South Jersey include Cherry Hill and Camden, which is across the Delaware River, east of Philadelphia. Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties comprise the Delaware River Region, one of seven officially recognized tourism regions by the New Jersey Department of Tourism.
The two counties of Delaware in the CSA constitute a majority of Delaware's land mass and population. Wilmington is the most populous city in Delaware and the fifth-most populous municipality in the metropolitan Philadelphia. The lone Maryland county in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden Combined Statistical Area is part of the region known as the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Ethnically, Indians make up the largest foreign-born population in Greater Philadelphia.

Largest municipalities

The following municipalities are all within the Philadelphia–Reading–Camden combined statistical area as of the 2020 census:
CityPop.CountyState
Philadelphia1,603,797PhiladelphiaPA
Reading95,112BerksPA
Upper Darby Township85,681DelawarePA
Cherry Hill74,553CamdenNJ
Camden71,792CamdenNJ
Wilmington70,898New CastleDE
Gloucester Township66,034CamdenNJ
Lower Merion Township63,633MontgomeryPA
Bensalem Township62,707BucksPA
Vineland60,780CumberlandNJ
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|Abington Township]58,502MontgomeryPA
Bristol Township54,291BucksPA
Haverford Township50,437DelawarePA
Gloucester County, New Jersey|Washington Township]48,667GloucesterNJ
Egg Harbor Township47,842AtlanticNJ
Evesham Township46,826BurlingtonNJ
Bucks County, Pennsylvania|Middletown Township]46,040BucksPA
Mount Laurel44,633BurlingtonNJ
Northampton Township39,915BucksPA
Winslow Township39,907CamdenNJ

Climate

The Philadelphia metro area has four distinct seasons with ample precipitation and is divided by the 0 °C January isotherm. Philadelphia and the New Jersey portion of the area, almost all of the Delaware and Maryland portions, most of Delaware County and lower Bucks County, lowland southern Chester County, and some southern and lowland areas of Montgomery County have a humid subtropical climate The remainder of the metro area has a hot summer humid continental climate
Snow amounts may vary widely year-to-year and normally do vary widely within metro Philadelphia. The region has two ski resorts, Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Longswamp Township, Berks County and Spring Mountain Adventures in central Montgomery County.
Using the -3 °C January isotherm as a boundary, all of the metro area is humid subtropical. The hardiness zone in the region ranges from 6b in higher areas of Berks and northern Bucks Counties to 8a in Atlantic City and Cape May.
Using the Trewartha climate classification system, which requires eight months to average at least 50 °F for the climate to be considered subtropical, the region only has seven such months, so the area considered Cfa by Köppen is oceanic in the Trewartha system.

Economy

As of 2021, the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area has a gross domestic product of $477.58 billion, the tenth-largest among the nation's MSAs. The MSA's nominal gross domestic product of $431 billion is comparable to countries by GDP |countries], such as Belgium, Iran, and Thailand. Metropolitan Philadelphia is one of the top five American venture capital hubs, credited to its proximity to the New York metropolitan area and its financial and tech and biotechnology ecosystems.
At least two educational institutions, Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township, New Jersey, and Delaware Valley College in Doylestown Township, Pennsylvania, and a now defunct local newspaper, The Delaware Valley News in
Frenchtown, New Jersey, are named for the region.

Delaware Regional Planning Commission

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission serves all of the counties of the Philadelphia MSA except for the counties in the Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metropolitan Division. However, in addition to the metropolitan area, DVRPC's jurisdiction includes Mercer County, New Jersey, which OMB classifies as the Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA and part of the larger New York-Newark CSA.

Colonial history

The valley was the territory of the Susquehannock and Lenape, who are recalled in place names throughout the region. The region became part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland after the exploration of Delaware Bay in 1609. The Dutch called the Delaware River the Zuyd Rivier, or South River, and considered the lands along it banks and those of its bay to be the southern flank of its province of New Netherland. In 1638, it began to be settled by Swedes, Forest Finns, Dutch, and Walloons and became the colony of New Sweden, though this was not officially recognized by the Dutch Empire which re-asserted control in 1655. The area was taken by the English in 1664.
The name Delaware comes from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, who had arrived at Jamestown, Virginia in 1610, just as original settlers were about to abandon it, and thus maintaining the English foothold on the North American continent. In the early 1700s, Huguenot refugees from France by way of Germany and then England began settling in the Delaware River Valley. Specifically, they left their mark in Hunterdon County, New Jersey and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Transportation

Many residents commute to jobs and travel in Philadelphia, Camden, Wilmington, and the surrounding suburbs with the help of expressways, trains, and buses. There are currently no transit connections to Reading, the second largest municipality in the region.

Rail

Rapid transit

Transit buses

Pennsylvania

Major:
Secondary:
The Cape May–Lewes Ferry crosses the mouth of the Delaware Bay between Cape May County, New Jersey and Sussex County, Delaware; US 9 uses this ferry.
The RiverLink Ferry operates hourly ferry service over the Delaware River between the Camden Waterfront and Penn's Landing in Philadelphia. They also operate a special event service for concerts at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden.

Colleges and universities

Delaware

Characteristics

Philadelphia's suburbs contain a high concentration of malls, the two largest of which have at least of office space, and at least of retail. These are the King of Prussia mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, which is the largest in the U.S., and the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, which was the first enclosed mall on the East Coast. In addition, the Christiana Mall in Newark, Delaware, is a popular destination due to its proximity to Interstate 95 and because of the availability of tax-free shopping in Delaware. Malls, office complexes, strip shopping plazas, expressways, and tract housing are common sights, and more and more continue to replace rolling countryside, farms, woods, and wetlands. However, due to strong opposition by residents and political officials, many acres of land have been preserved throughout the metro area. Older townships and large boroughs, such as Cheltenham, Norristown, Jenkintown, Upper Darby, and West Chester retain distinct community identities while engulfed in suburbia.
Mid-Atlantic American English and its subset, Philadelphia English, are two common dialects of American English in the Philadelphia area.File:Fieldatthepark.jpg|thumb|Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Phillies

Sports teams

Listing of the professional sports teams in the Philadelphia metro area:
The Philadelphia metro area has several urban areas that border on it, including the Lehigh Valley, and are part of the Philadelphia media market, the List of television stations in [North America by media market|fourth-largest media market in the nation] as of 2023.
The two main newspapers are The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, owned by the Philadelphia Media Network. Local television channels include KYW-TV 3, WPVI 6, WCAU 10, WHYY-TV 12, WPHL-TV 17, WTXF 29, WPSG 57, and WPPX 61. Radio stations serving the area include: WRTI, WIOQ, WDAS , and WTEL.

Area codes

The city of Philadelphia is heavily Democratic, having voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since 1936. The surrounding suburban counties are key political areas in Pennsylvania, which itself is an important swing state in federal politics. South Jersey has consistently voted Democratic at the presidential level in recent years, although the region is slightly more Republican-leaning than North Jersey and has voted for Republicans at the state and local level. New Castle County's Democratic lean and large share of Delaware's population has tended to make Delaware as a whole vote for Democrats, while the less populous Kent County is more competitive. Cecil County in Maryland has been reliably Republican, voting for the party's candidate in all but two presidential elections since 1952. Recent well-known political figures from the Philadelphia area include former U.S. President Joe Biden, current Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, and the late U.S. Senator Arlen Specter.
YearDemocraticRepublicanThird parties
202462.2% 1,558,90236.7% 918,6681.1% 26,749
202064.5% 1,610,59534.6% 862,8270.9% 23,665
201662.8% 1,404,68834.0% 759,2473.2% 72,179
201263.9% 1,361,79735.1% 747,8221.0% 21,781
200865.3% 1,442,15433.7% 743,2281.0% 21,905
200461.5% 1,276,30638.0% 787,8920.4% 9,123
200060.0% 1,036,31337.4% 645,4522.7% 45,917

Congressional districts

The following congressional districts of the United States House of Representatives are located partly or entirely in the Phladelphia combined statistical area. Italicized counties are not part of the CSA.
Additionally, the Philadelphia metro area is represented in the United States Senate by the eight Senators from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.