Census: Among peer cities, Philadelphia's growth is above average

It's more fabulous census news for Philadelphia, as government figures for similar cities show that the City of Brotherly Love is completely, definitely, um, well, slightly above average.

The Census Bureau released complete 2010 figures Thursday for two remaining peer cities, making it possible to compare growth in Philadelphia to that of similar places - big industrial or postindustrial cities in the East and Midwest.

The tally:

New York grew 2.1 percent, to 8,175,133.

Washington grew 5.2 percent to 601,723.

Previously announced data for Boston showed the city increased 4.8 percent to 617,594.

Philadelphia ranked fourth in growth after those peer cities, its population up a scant 0.6 percent, increasing by 8,456, to 1,526,006.

Given the battering absorbed by the big onetime manufacturing centers, that's not a bad ranking, said Cheryl Carleton, an assistant professor of economics and statistics at the Villanova School of Business.

"I think it bodes well," Carleton said. "Overall, with economic conditions as they are, I think Philadelphia has just as much going for it as any other city."

Philadelphia divided the pack of peers, all of which saw increases among Asians and Hispanics, while their white and black populations tended to shrink.

Overall, Baltimore lost 30,193 people, a decrease of 4.6 percent. Chicago lost 200,418, a drop of 6.9 percent.

Pittsburgh dropped 8.6 percent, Cleveland 17.1 percent, and Detroit a staggering 25 percent.

"It's the old story about Philadelphia: We never lose as much as some of our peers, and we never gain tremendously," said David Bartelt, a Temple University professor, who specializes in housing and community development. "The city, I think, has weathered the worst of its population losses."

Bartelt, a coprincipal in the university's Metropolitan Philadelphia Indicators Project, known as MPIP, noted that the city has struggled with issues such as older housing stock. At the same time, Philadelphia hasn't gotten crunched like Cleveland and certainly not like Detroit.

Alan Greenberger, Philadelphia's deputy mayor for economic development, called the city's grouping with other growing peers "a good sign for us."

"The East Coast in general has sort of held its own," he said. "That's probably largely on the back of immigration and its own continued relevance to the country."

Generally, the peer cities saw an exodus of whites and blacks, but dramatic growth among Hispanic and Asian populations.

For instance, Philadelphia lost 12.7 percent of its white population and 0.3 percent of its black residents. But Hispanics increased 45.5 percent and Asians 42.3 percent.

New York lost 2.8 percent of its white population, and 5.1 percent of its African Americans. The Hispanic population was up 8.1 percent, and Asians increased 31.8 percent.

The glaring exception to that trend was Washington, where the white population leaped nearly 32 percent.

The data released Thursday showed that the ranking of the nation's five most-populous cities remained unchanged from 2000: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia.

Phoenix remained the sixth-largest city and one of the few leaders to attract more blacks. It also experienced a huge surge among Asians and Hispanics.

Philadelphia's growth halted a 50-year population decline, prompting cheers by government and civic leaders. The growth suggests that Philadelphia's population may have stabilized after decades of drops that started when Harry Truman was president.

Phoenix's failure to overtake Philadelphia in population also created some satisfaction. It had been widely accepted, based on census estimates, that Phoenix had surpassed Philadelphia.

The complete data showed: Philadelphia, 1,526,006; Phoenix, 1,445,632.

Still, Phoenix far outpaced Philadelphia in growth, increasing 9.4 percent.

Carleton, the Villanova authority, noted that every city has push and pull factors, elements that drive people away or lure them in.

In Detroit, for instance, the lack of jobs is a big push. In Philadelphia, the stability and growth of the education and medical fields is a big pull.

Basic conditions such as employment and housing are abetted by secondary considerations such as recreation, culture, and sports teams, she said.

"What does Philadelphia have that's going to attract people and keep them there? We're not New York, but we have a lot," Carleton said, and that includes easy access to theaters, museums, and shows in New York and Washington. "Where are you going to go from Cleveland? It doesn't have as much to hold you there."

See more from the census, including area maps, at http:// www.philly.com/census2010EndText