The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia recently released its new Metropolitan Livability Index.

The Index is a report that compares the quality of life issues between Greater Philadelphia and a group of seven peer regions. 

The regions are its northeast neighbors — Boston, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. — and four similar competitors — Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Denver. 

Overall, the Metropolitan Livability Index examines how Greater Philadelphia competes on ten key measures crucial to a region's success. 

The goal is to provide the Chamber and the Greater Philadelphia community with information to sharpen their approach and create an environment for equitable growth and improved livability across the region. 

When all is taken into consideration, the Philadelphia metropolitan area ranks at an average of fourth out of the eight regions in the index on 10 measures of livability. 

1. Access to Healthcare: composite score of uninsured adults, primary care physicians, dentists, and mental health providers (Philadelphia ranks second).  
2. Access to Parks: percentage of residents within a 10-minute walk of a park (Philadelphia ranks fifth). 
3. Air Quality: the levels of five air pollutants in each MSA (Philadelphia ranks fifth).
4. Arts Vibrancy: composite score of arts providers, arts dollars, and government support (Philadelphia ranks second).   
5. Childcare Availability: number of childcare facilities per 1,000 children under 5 years old (Philadelphia ranks fourth). 
6. Commute Time: mean travel time to work (Philadelphia ranks fourth).  
7. Commuters Who Do Not Drive Alone: percentage of commuters carpooling or using public or active transportation (Philadelphia ranks fourth).  
8. Housing Availability: ratio of the number of housing units to population (Philadelphia ranks sixth).
9. Housing Cost Burden: those spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs (Philadelphia ranks third).   
10. Leisure Opportunities: the availability of entertainment outside the arts including hotels, bars, restaurants, zoos, sports, and cinemas (Philadelphia ranks seventh). 

Claire Greenwood, Senior Vice President for Economic Competitiveness at the Chamber, provided some insight on the findings of the study.

“Greater Philadelphia has enormous potential to be a leader in livability and continue to attract and retain talent,” she said.

She added that the index provides us a solid jumping-off point to leverage our strengths and directly shape collaborations among businesses 

Moving forward, the index will be used to inform business and civic leaders and public officials throughout Greater Philadelphia to influence the apporach on how to improve the city’s standing in the index. 

The study was conducted by Econsult Solutions, Inc. and included underwriting by Independence Blue Cross, CVS Health, Ben Franklin Technology PArtners, AARP Philadelphia, Harsco, PIDC, Meyer Architecture + Interiors, and Visit Philadelphia.

Click here to access and read the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Livability Index.