| Philadelphia
Demographics
As of
the census of 2000, there were 1,517,550 people, 590,071 households,
and 352,272 families residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The population density was 4,337.3/km² (11,233.6/mi²).
There were 661,958 housing units at an average density of
1,891.9/km² (4,900.1/mi²).
The racial
makeup of the city was:
45.0%
White
43.2% African American
4.4% Asian
4.7% from other races
2.2% Mixed Race
0.2% Native American
0.05% Pacific Islander
8.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the
590,071 households, 27.6% have children under the age of 18
living with them, 32.1% were married couples living together,
22.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and
40.3% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made
up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was
65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48
and the average family size was 3.22.
In the
city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age
of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from
45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The
median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were
86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were
81.8 males.
The median
income for a household in the city was $30,746, and the median
income for a family was $37,036. Males had a median income
of $34,199 versus $28,477 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,509. 22.9% of the population and 18.4%
of families were below the poverty line. 31.3% of those under
the age of 18 and 16.9% of those 65 and older were living
below the poverty line.
The male-female
ratio was 86.8, with 46.5% of the population male and 53.5%
female. Of places with 100,000 or more people, this was the
third lowest in the United States. Only Gary, Indiana and
Birmingham, Alabama had a higher proportion of women.
Of housing
units, 590,071 (89.1%) were occupied and 71,887 (10.9%) were
vacant. Of occupied housing units, 349,633 (59.3%) were owner-occupied
and 240,438 (40.7%) were renter-occupied.
The mean
travel time to work was 32.0 minutes for workers 16 years
of age and older. Residents of Center City however had much
shorter commutes. Center City has the third largest downtown
residential population in the country, and most walk to work.
63.97%
of Philadelphians drove an automobile to work (including carpools),
25.93% commuted by public transit, 9.22% walked to work, and
0.88% commuted by bicycle. 35.74% of households did not have
an automobile. The proportion of Philadelphians who do not
commute by auto is high compared to most other American cities,
although lower than the proportions in New York City and Washington,
D.C.
Population
History
Throughout
the 1700s and early 1800s, the City of Philadelphia was considered
the land between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers and between
Vine and South Streets. In 1854, the Act of Consolidation
incorporated the rest of Philadelphia County and created Philadelphia's
modern border. This resulted in a large population increase,
evident in the 1860 census.
Philadelphia
experienced steady growth between 1860 and 1950, except for
a brief lull in 1930, which was in part due to the Great Depression.
Its population peaked at 2,071,605 in 1950. Between 1950 and
2000, the city lost 554,055 people, or 26.7% of its population.
To put this into context, Chicago lost 20.0% of its population
during the same timeframe, and Baltimore lost 31.4%, according
to US Census data. This nationwide trend is often referred
to as white flight because upper and middle class families,
enabled by nationwide improvements to infrastructure, left
cities in favor of their surrounding suburbs.
Recent
estimates predict that the city will experience growth slightly
before or after 2010. These estimates, and the reasons behind
them, are sources of great debate. Possible reasons for the
turnaround include increases in immigration from foreign countries
and migration from more expensive cities in the Northeast
Corridor. Both wealthy transplants and Asian American investors
from New York City, and African Americans from Washington,
D.C. escaping high housing costs have received media attention
for setting their sights on Philadelphia. The ten-year tax
abatement, a historically-undervalued housing market, improvements
to the waterfront, and continuing redevelopment throughout
the city are thought to be factors drawing people to the city.
Ethnography
The ethnic
makeup of the city was 32.5% African American, 13.6% Irish,
9.2% Italian, 6.6% Puerto Rican, 6.4% German, 4.3% Polish,
2.9% English, 1.7% Russian, 1.6% Subsaharan African, 1.2%
Chinese, and 1.2% West Indian. The city has the second largest
Irish, Italian, and Jamaican populations in the US.
The largest
concentrations of native-born African Americans are in Germantown,
the central, northern, and western neighborhoods of North
Philadelphia, the Point Breeze neighborhood of South Philadelphia,
parts of Southwest Philadelphia, and most of West Philadelphia.
Large concentrations of Non-Hispanic whites live in Center
City, Northeast Philadelphia, and Northwest Philadelphia,
although this is changing. Gentrification is altering the
racial demographics of African American neighborhoods close
to Center City.
Compared
to its immigrant-magnet peers in the Northeast, Philadelphia
has long been considered a "black and white" city
of mostly native born African Americans and White Americans.
However the number of Hispanics and Asian Americans has increased
over the past 20 years and continues to accelerate.
The number
of foreign-born increased by 34,000 between 1990 and 2000.
Of foreign-born Philadelphians, 38.5% were from Asia, 30.3%
were from Europe, 23.4% were from Latin America, and 6.7%
were from Africa.
Increases in Latino immigration and migration have fueled
the growth of El Centro de Oro in Fairhill. Puerto Ricans
constitute over 76% of the Latino population in the city and
most live in the area that straddles the border between the
North and Northeast sections of the city. However, Philadelphia
has seen drastic population increases among the Mexican, El
Salvadoran, and Guatemalan populations.
The Asian
American community has long been established in the city's
bustling Chinatown district, but recent Vietnamese American
immigrants have also forged neighborhoods and bazaars alongside
the venerable Italian market. Korean immigrants have come
to the melting pot of Olney.
Italian
immigrants and the Italian American community are frequently
associated with South Philadelphia, including Bella Vista,
Girard Estates, Marconi Plaza, Packer Park, the Italian Market
area, and many others. There are also many Italian American
communities throughout all of Philadelphia, especially the
Southwest, North, Northeast, and Northwest sections.
Irish
immigrants and Irish Americans live in North and Northeast
Philadelphia neighborhoods, including Fishtown and Kensington,
and in Pennsport in South Philly.
Poles
and Polish Americans have a rich history in the Port Richmond
area, as well as areas of Kensington and the Northeast.Many
other cultures can also be found throughout the city, including
Sub-saharan Africans and West Indians in the Cedar Park neighborhood,
and many Russian, Greek and Ukrainian immigrants in the Near
Northeast.
Recent
immigrants from Asia are of mainly Indian, Korean, Chinese,
Vietnamese, Filipino, Cambodian, Thai, and Pakistani backgrounds.
Also, the Latino population continues to grow as Mexican,
Dominican, Colombian, Brazilian, and Cuban immigrants, as
well as Puerto Rican citizens emigrate to the city. Philadelphia
also has growing populations of Ethiopians, Somalis, Jamaicans,
Haitians, Sudanese, and Nigerians. Philadelphia has one of
the most notable African-born populations in the United States,
significantly that of Liberians and Nigerians.
European
immigration is also growing, with more Italian, Polish and
Irish immigrants. Recently thousands of Russian and Ukrainian
immigrants have come to the city, many of whom are Jewish.
There are other growing nationalities which include Spanish,
Portuguese, Slovak, Greek, Croatian and many others.
The city's
Middle Eastern population has tripled since 1990, with people
of Pakistani, Turkish, Lebanese, Iranian, Egyptian, Iraqi,
Saudi, Syrian, and Afghani backgrounds residing in Philadelphia.
Religion
Christianity
is the dominant religion in the city of Philadelphia. The
two largest sects are Protestant and Roman Catholic, which
are about equal in size. There is also a significant Eastern
Orthodox population.
Since
the early 1800s, there has been a large and significant Jewish
population. Today, the city has one of the largest in America,
and unlike many other places, it is continuing to grow as
Eastern European Jews immigrate to the city. Historically,
many Jewish communities left the city for the suburbs between
the 1950s and 2000. A number of former synagogues in the city
have been converted to mosques and Baptist churches, reflecting
this change.
Many
new religions have arrived, including Islam and Hinduism.
With immigration from the Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
and India these two religions have increased their presence.
The largest concentrations of these people live in the Northeast
and North parts of the city, Center City, West Philadelphia,
and sprawling into the nearby suburbs. According to Abdul
Rahim Muhammad, director of the Islamic Cultural Preservation
and Information Center, 200,000 Muslims live in Philadelphia,
and 85% of the Muslim community is African American.
Smaller
religions can also be found in the city. Buddhism in Chinatown,
and Caribbean and African religions in North and West Philadelphia.
These numbers are also growing.
References
^ Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places
In The United States: 1790 to 1990
^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved
on 2008-01-31.
^ [1]
^ Muhammad, Nisa Islam. "D.C. ‘exodus’ sparks
district renewal efforts for Whites", The Final Call,
June 21, 2007. Accessed June 25, 2007.
Source
of Article:
Wikipedia.
(2008). Demographics of Philadelphia. Retrieved May
15, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Philadelphia
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