Pew Report: Philadelphians Need More Economic Opportunity

Posted by Pew on April 29, 2025

Today, however, too many people in Philadelphia and across Southeastern Pennsylvania lack access to middle-wage jobs: the kind that offer benefits, room for advancement, and pay that can sustain a family and are obtainable without a college degree. These types of jobs allowed my parents to move into the middle class—and their children to do even better.

At The Pew Charitable Trusts, we’ve sharpened our focus on enhancing this kind of upwardly mobile path toward economic opportunity—a focus that resulted from research done in the early stages of the post-pandemic recovery.

Our researchers looked at the types of jobs that were created in Philadelphia in the years just before COVID, a time when the city had relatively strong job growth. The analysis showed that despite this growth, there was no net increase in the number of middle-wage jobs. That leaves many Philadelphians today with no real options other than low-wage jobs with little prospect of advancement. If this trend continues, the city’s economy will fail far too many residents.

That’s why Pew and several partners have come together to tackle these issues and collectively strengthen the resilience of the regional economy and its ability to adapt to changing circumstances. This work, which began two years ago, is entering a critical stage—and has me reflecting on how powerful our region’s civic sector can be when its members work together.

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