PHILADELPHIA-CAMDEN-WILMINGTON-ATLANTIC CITY-READING | Metro Development Thread

[Jawnadelphia]

"Funding might take a year or three, said Jones, president of Hargreaves Jones, a firm whose work also includes planning the similar Park at Penn’s Landing, crossing over I-95 to connect Philadelphia to the riverfront. Design and engineering would take more than a year, she added, and construction three to five years."





More info here:
https://townsquaredelaware.com/final...park-released/

--Of course all of this will depend on how much money Wilmington can get from the feds, state, and private parties (lets goo, DuPont and credit card companies!, and BPG).

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by gjrip

Summers that thread kicks so much ass

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by Jawnadelphia

"Funding might take a year or three, said Jones, president of Hargreaves Jones, a firm whose work also includes planning the similar Park at Penn’s Landing, crossing over I-95 to connect Philadelphia to the riverfront. Design and engineering would take more than a year, she added, and construction three to five years."





More info here:
https://townsquaredelaware.com/final...park-released/

--Of course all of this will depend on how much money Wilmington can get from the feds, state, and private parties (lets goo, DuPont and credit card companies!, and BPG).

Amazing!

[summersm343]

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary bought part of Gwynedd Mercy campus for new home

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, has acquired a portion of Gwynedd Mercy University’s campus to start building a new home, the seminary said Thursday.

In all, as announced in April 2021, the seminary plans to pay Gwynedd Mercy $10 million for 15 acres and two buildings on the northern side of the Lower Gwynedd Township campus. The Maguire Foundation is giving Gwynedd Mercy an additional $3 million to supplement the price.

The first phase of the acquisition, completed Thursday, includes one building and land where the seminary plans to build a new chapel, and a student life center that will include a refectory for communal dining, classrooms, a library, administrative offices, a fitness center, and housing for seminarians and resident faculty.

The second phase includes a 204-bed dormitory called Alexandria Hall, now occupied by Gwynedd Mercy students, and is expected to be undertaken in the spring after students depart at the end of the semester.

Gwynedd Mercy and the seminary will remain separate institutions.

The total project cost is $54.5 million, including the purchase of the campus. Construction is expected to begin next month. The goal is to start seminary classes on the new campus for the 2024-25 school year.

Read/view more here:
https://www.inquirer.com/business/st...-20221117.html

[summersm343]

Historic Montco property's $5M rebuild, planned to open in spring, will add hotel rooms to region

Nearly two years after a fire devastated the building, early next year historic Normandy Farm Hotel & Conference Center will complete its $5 million rebuild of the Carriage House, allowing the Blue Bell venue to increase its capacity amid high corporate and wedding event demand.

The Carriage House is expected to reopen around March with new modern amenities, an additional level of space and 21 hotel suites — more than double what it had before the fire. The additional rooms will bring the property total up to 153.

Bud Hansen, president of Hansen Properties which owns Normandy Farm, said the redesigned Carriage House will be a big boost to business, allowing the 10-acre property at 1401 Morris Road to respond to the "significant need" for more hotel rooms in Montgomery County.

Article behind paywall here:
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...Pos=2#cxrecs_s

[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by Jawnadelphia

"Funding might take a year or three, said Jones, president of Hargreaves Jones, a firm whose work also includes planning the similar Park at Penn’s Landing, crossing over I-95 to connect Philadelphia to the riverfront. Design and engineering would take more than a year, she added, and construction three to five years."





More info here:
https://townsquaredelaware.com/final...park-released/

--Of course all of this will depend on how much money Wilmington can get from the feds, state, and private parties (lets goo, DuPont and credit card companies!, and BPG).

YESSSSS! THEY PICKED THE BIGGEST OPTION !!! LETS GO WILMINGTON.

HHERES FOR THE FUTURE BABY

[Urbanthusiat]

Blatstein & Post Brothers: $3 Billion Bader Field Atlantic City Project

The Blatstein/Post Brothers plan calls for:

$3 billion dollar development at the Bader Field site (140 acres).
The design is set to complement its water location.
The theme will be inspired by the canals of Venice and Amsterdam.
The plan calls for 10,000 residential units.
400,000 square feet of office and retail space.
20 acres of trails, parks, and amenities, which will all be open to the public.
Blatstein announced that the project will be developed:

Built-in five phases.
Over the course of 12 years.
Create more than 44,000 construction jobs.
Create 8,000 permanent jobs.
Provide for training and employment of a large local workforce.


Read More: Blatstein & Post Brothers: $3 Billion Atlantic City, NJ Project | https://wpgtalkradio.com/blatstein-p...edium=referral

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by Jawnadelphia

"Funding might take a year or three, said Jones, president of Hargreaves Jones, a firm whose work also includes planning the similar Park at Penn’s Landing, crossing over I-95 to connect Philadelphia to the riverfront. Design and engineering would take more than a year, she added, and construction three to five years."





More info here:
https://townsquaredelaware.com/final...park-released/

--Of course all of this will depend on how much money Wilmington can get from the feds, state, and private parties (lets goo, DuPont and credit card companies!, and BPG).

Beautiful! This is the second best outcome, only behind removing 95 from the center of Wilmington completely. I don't understand why the section of highway between the existing 95/295/495 interchange and the 202 interchange exists.

In my perfect world, the existing section of I-95 between the 95/295/495 interchange and the I-95/US 202 interchange would be demolished, with the existing I-495 being renumbered as I-95. From there, the existing section of I-95 between the US 202 interchange and the DE/PA state line would be renumbered as I-195. US 202 and the newly-renumbered I-195 would then have a direct connection. For traffic looking to travel southbound from US 202, DE 141 looping around the city of Wilmington would pick up the slack.

[BroadandMarket]

[QUOTE=Urbanthusiat;9795982]Blatstein & Post Brothers: $3 Billion Bader Field Atlantic City Project






This is pretty wild. I'd have no hope for it if it was just Bart but Post Brothers certainly get stuff done. I wish the North End of AC by Ocean Casino would fill in before this but that area is a lot more sketchy than the area around Bader Field. The entire coast of NJ is densely developed besides Atlantic City. It's a travesty what incredible buildings were demolished in Atlantic City, especially the Hotel Traymore, Hotel Marlborough and AC Bus Terminal.

[mcgrath618]

[QUOTE=BroadandMarket;9796783]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

Blatstein & Post Brothers: $3 Billion Bader Field Atlantic City Project






This is pretty wild. I'd have no hope for it if it was just Bart but Post Brothers certainly get stuff done. I wish the North End of AC by Ocean Casino would fill in before this but that area is a lot more sketchy than the area around Bader Field. The entire coast of NJ is densely developed besides Atlantic City. It's a travesty what incredible buildings were demolished in Atlantic City, especially the Hotel Traymore, Hotel Marlborough and AC Bus Terminal.

This would be a game changer. Atlantic City needs this desperately.

Bring back this in conjunction with a streetcar.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by BroadandMarket

This is pretty wild. I'd have no hope for it if it was just Bart but Post Brothers certainly get stuff done. I wish the North End of AC by Ocean Casino would fill in before this but that area is a lot more sketchy than the area around Bader Field. The entire coast of NJ is densely developed besides Atlantic City. It's a travesty what incredible buildings were demolished in Atlantic City, especially the Hotel Traymore, Hotel Marlborough and AC Bus Terminal.

Same. I rolled my eyes when I first heard about it but knowing Post Brothers is involved changes the game. Didn't they just sell Presidential City?

[summersm343]

Would be incredible for Atlantic City! Hope it happens!

[summersm343]

$3 Billion Development Plan Unveiled For Atlantic City’s Bader Field

Current site:


Project conceptual master plan renderings:

A massive $3 billion redevelopment master plan has been revealed for the 140-acre Bader Field site in Atlantic City. The project, called CASA MAR and developed in partnership by both Tower Investments and Post Brothers, would be one of the largest in the city’s history, built over five phases over an estimated span of 12 years. The project is expected to add around 10,000 residential units to the local market. An additional 400,000 square feet of office and retail space is also planned for the property, making it a true mixed-use neighborhood. A total of 20 acres of public amenity space such as green spaces and parks will also be included with the project.

Renderings for the master plan are conceptual, though they still provide a glimpse at the planned scale and tentative design that the final product may feature. The development will be oriented around and take advantage of its waterfront location, while also featuring a newly constructed canal system inspired by likes of Amsterdam and Venice. The project will feature a multitude of high-rise buildings, though not exceptionally tall, with most structures likely falling in the 100-250-foot range.

The development would also provide employment opportunities and economic growth. Plans call for the creation of around 44,000 construction jobs, with around 8,000 permanent jobs after the project’s completion.

Read/view more here:
https://phillyyimby.com/2022/11/3-bi...der-field.html

[Urbanthusiat]

Dug into the latest employment numbers a little to see how Philly is doing relative to other MSAs with >100k nonfarm jobs in the northeast. This time I wanted to look at where each MSA stood relative to the same month in 2019 to see how each MSA has recovered from the pandemic. So far Philly is the only large northeast city (>500k nonfarm jobs) to be above its October 2019 number, though Boston is just below. Even the regions around Philly seem to be doing relatively well with Allentown ranking #1, Harrisburg #3, Atlantic City #5, Trenton at #7, Philly at #8 overall, and York at #10. Reading however is still 4% below it's 2019 peak, however, and Pittsburgh is pretty disappointing as well for its size. Compared to three years ago, the Philly MSA has 38.9k more jobs than would be expected if growth was proportional across the set, which is the highest of any area, and it's relative weight in the set increased by 1.3%. Another fun fact in the unemployment report is that PA set a new all time low at 4.0% unemployment and was the only state in the country which had a statistically significant decrease in the unemployment rate last month. Generally good signs. Granted many other states do have a lower unemployment rate. Lot's of talk of a recession looming but our area seems to have some more momentum than the rest even still.

Rank . MSA | Oct-19 Total Nonfarm | Oct-22 Total Nonfarm | 3-yr Change| Oct-22 as % of Oct-19 Employment | % Change Relative Weight | Jobs vs Proportional Change

1. Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 384.9 | 394.9 | 10.0 | 102.6% | 3.9% | 14.9
2. Portland-South Portland, ME NECTA | 215.6 | 220.3 | 4.7 | 102.2% | 3.5% | 7.4
3. Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 354.3 | 361.7 | 7.4 | 102.1% | 3.4% | 11.9
4. New Haven, CT NECTA | 298.6 | 303.0 | 4.4 | 101.5% | 2.8% | 8.2
5. Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | 134.5 | 135.8 | 1.3 | 101.0% | 2.3% | 3.0
6. Salisbury, MD-DE | 164.0 | 165.3 | 1.3 | 100.8% | 2.1% | 3.4
7. Trenton, NJ | 284.7 | 285.9 | 1.2 | 100.4% | 1.7% | 4.8
8. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 3,015.2 | 3,015.8 | 0.6 | 100.0% | 1.3% | 38.9
9. Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH NECTA | 2,848.8 | 2,845.7 | -3.1 | 99.9% | 1.2% | 33.1
10. York-Hanover, PA | 190.7 | 189.8 | -0.9 | 99.5% | 0.8% | 1.5
11. Springfield, MA-CT NECTA | 344.6 | 342.1 | -2.5 | 99.3% | 0.6% | 1.9
12. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA NECTA | 606.7 | 601.8 | -4.9 | 99.2% | 0.5% | 2.8
13. Worcester, MA-CT NECTA | 292.8 | 290.4 | -2.4 | 99.2% | 0.5% | 1.3
14. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 1,438.5 | 1,424.5 | -14.0 | 99.0% | 0.3% | 4.3
15. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 3,373.3 | 3,336.9 | -36.4 | 98.9% | 0.2% | 6.4
16. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA | 409.2 | 402.8 | -6.4 | 98.4% | -0.3% | -1.2
17. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 10,057.5 | 9,896.9 | -160.6 | 98.4% | -0.3% | -32.9
18. Lancaster, PA | 262.1 | 257.8 | -4.3 | 98.4% | -0.4% | -1.0
19. Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 106.9 | 105.1 | -1.8 | 98.3% | -0.4% | -0.4
20. Manchester, NH NECTA | 117.7 | 115.5 | -2.2 | 98.1% | -0.6% | -0.7
21. Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA | 266.7 | 261.7 | -5.0 | 98.1% | -0.6% | -1.6
22. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT NECTA | 593.5 | 579.1 | -14.4 | 97.6% | -1.2% | -6.9
23. Burlington-South Burlington, VT NECTA | 128.7 | 125.4 | -3.3 | 97.4% | -1.3% | -1.7
24. Syracuse, NY | 323.6 | 314.9 | -8.7 | 97.3% | -1.4% | -4.6
25. Erie, PA | 129.4 | 125.5 | -3.9 | 97.0% | -1.8% | -2.3
26. Pittsburgh, PA | 1,205.2 | 1,164.9 | -40.3 | 96.7% | -2.1% | -25.0
27. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 479.2 | 461.5 | -17.7 | 96.3% | -2.5% | -11.6
28. Barnstable Town, MA NECTA | 107.0 | 103.0 | -4.0 | 96.3% | -2.5% | -2.6
29. Reading, PA | 182.6 | 175.3 | -7.3 | 96.0% | -2.8% | -5.0
30. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY | 569.3 | 546.5 | -22.8 | 96.0% | -2.8% | -15.6
31. Binghamton, NY | 104.3 | 100.0 | -4.3 | 95.9% | -2.9% | -3.0
32. Rochester, NY | 546.8 | 522.5 | -24.3 | 95.6% | -3.2% | -17.4
33. Utica-Rome, NY | 130.1 | 123.7 | -6.4 | 95.1% | -3.7% | -4.7
34. Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI NECTA | 129.5 | 122.1 | -7.4 | 94.3% | -4.5% | -5.8

Looking closer at the Philly area specifically we find this:

Rank . MSA | Oct-19 Total Nonfarm | Oct-22 Total Nonfarm | 3-yr Change| Oct-22 as % of Oct-19 Employment | % Change Relative Weight | Jobs vs Proportional Change

1. Camden, NJ Metropolitan Division | 547.9 | 576.2 | 28.3 | 105.2% | 5.1% | 28.2
2. Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County, PA Metropolitan Division | 1099.6 | 1,097.8 | -1.8 | 99.8% | -0.2% | -2.0
3. Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metropolitan Division | 368.2 | 364.8 | -3.4 | 99.1% | -0.9% | -3.5
4. Philadelphia City, PA | 754.2 | 740.5 | -13.7 | 98.2% | -1.8% | -13.9
5. Delaware County, PA | 245.3 | 236.5 | -8.8 | 96.4% | -3.6% | -8.8

Basically, all of the employment growth in the Philly area in the last three years is in South Jersey. South Jersey has apparently added 28.3k jobs in the last three years. In fact, this makes the Camden metropolitan division the strongest growth area in the entire northeast, with it having actually increased nonfarm employment by 5.2% vs Oct 2019. Not what I'd expect but an interesting result. It's actually all apparently been in the last year. What's driving this?

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

Dug into the latest employment numbers a little to see how Philly is doing relative to other MSAs with >100k nonfarm jobs in the northeast. This time I wanted to look at where each MSA stood relative to the same month in 2019 to see how each MSA has recovered from the pandemic. So far Philly is the only large northeast city (>500k nonfarm jobs) to be above its October 2019 number, though Boston is just below. Even the regions around Philly seem to be doing relatively well with Allentown ranking #1, Harrisburg #3, Atlantic City #5, Trenton at #7, Philly at #8 overall, and York at #10. Reading however is still 4% below it's 2019 peak, however, and Pittsburgh is pretty disappointing as well for its size. Compared to three years ago, the Philly MSA has 38.9k more jobs than would be expected if growth was proportional across the set, which is the highest of any area, and it's relative weight in the set increased by 1.3%. Another fun fact in the unemployment report is that PA set a new all time low at 4.0% unemployment and was the only state in the country which had a statistically significant decrease in the unemployment rate last month. Generally good signs. Granted many other states do have a lower unemployment rate. Lot's of talk of a recession looming but our area seems to have some more momentum than the rest even still.

Rank . MSA | Oct-19 Total Nonfarm | Oct-22 Total Nonfarm | 3-yr Change| Oct-22 as % of Oct-19 Employment | % Change Relative Weight | Jobs vs Proportional Change

1. Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 384.9 | 394.9 | 10.0 | 102.6% | 3.9% | 14.9
2. Portland-South Portland, ME NECTA | 215.6 | 220.3 | 4.7 | 102.2% | 3.5% | 7.4
3. Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 354.3 | 361.7 | 7.4 | 102.1% | 3.4% | 11.9
4. New Haven, CT NECTA | 298.6 | 303.0 | 4.4 | 101.5% | 2.8% | 8.2
5. Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | 134.5 | 135.8 | 1.3 | 101.0% | 2.3% | 3.0
6. Salisbury, MD-DE | 164.0 | 165.3 | 1.3 | 100.8% | 2.1% | 3.4
7. Trenton, NJ | 284.7 | 285.9 | 1.2 | 100.4% | 1.7% | 4.8
8. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 3,015.2 | 3,015.8 | 0.6 | 100.0% | 1.3% | 38.9
9. Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH NECTA | 2,848.8 | 2,845.7 | -3.1 | 99.9% | 1.2% | 33.1
10. York-Hanover, PA | 190.7 | 189.8 | -0.9 | 99.5% | 0.8% | 1.5
11. Springfield, MA-CT NECTA | 344.6 | 342.1 | -2.5 | 99.3% | 0.6% | 1.9
12. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA NECTA | 606.7 | 601.8 | -4.9 | 99.2% | 0.5% | 2.8
13. Worcester, MA-CT NECTA | 292.8 | 290.4 | -2.4 | 99.2% | 0.5% | 1.3
14. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 1,438.5 | 1,424.5 | -14.0 | 99.0% | 0.3% | 4.3
15. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 3,373.3 | 3,336.9 | -36.4 | 98.9% | 0.2% | 6.4
16. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT NECTA | 409.2 | 402.8 | -6.4 | 98.4% | -0.3% | -1.2
17. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 10,057.5 | 9,896.9 | -160.6 | 98.4% | -0.3% | -32.9
18. Lancaster, PA | 262.1 | 257.8 | -4.3 | 98.4% | -0.4% | -1.0
19. Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 106.9 | 105.1 | -1.8 | 98.3% | -0.4% | -0.4
20. Manchester, NH NECTA | 117.7 | 115.5 | -2.2 | 98.1% | -0.6% | -0.7
21. Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA | 266.7 | 261.7 | -5.0 | 98.1% | -0.6% | -1.6
22. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT NECTA | 593.5 | 579.1 | -14.4 | 97.6% | -1.2% | -6.9
23. Burlington-South Burlington, VT NECTA | 128.7 | 125.4 | -3.3 | 97.4% | -1.3% | -1.7
24. Syracuse, NY | 323.6 | 314.9 | -8.7 | 97.3% | -1.4% | -4.6
25. Erie, PA | 129.4 | 125.5 | -3.9 | 97.0% | -1.8% | -2.3
26. Pittsburgh, PA | 1,205.2 | 1,164.9 | -40.3 | 96.7% | -2.1% | -25.0
27. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 479.2 | 461.5 | -17.7 | 96.3% | -2.5% | -11.6
28. Barnstable Town, MA NECTA | 107.0 | 103.0 | -4.0 | 96.3% | -2.5% | -2.6
29. Reading, PA | 182.6 | 175.3 | -7.3 | 96.0% | -2.8% | -5.0
30. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY | 569.3 | 546.5 | -22.8 | 96.0% | -2.8% | -15.6
31. Binghamton, NY | 104.3 | 100.0 | -4.3 | 95.9% | -2.9% | -3.0
32. Rochester, NY | 546.8 | 522.5 | -24.3 | 95.6% | -3.2% | -17.4
33. Utica-Rome, NY | 130.1 | 123.7 | -6.4 | 95.1% | -3.7% | -4.7
34. Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI NECTA | 129.5 | 122.1 | -7.4 | 94.3% | -4.5% | -5.8

Looking closer at the Philly area specifically we find this:

Rank . MSA | Oct-19 Total Nonfarm | Oct-22 Total Nonfarm | 3-yr Change| Oct-22 as % of Oct-19 Employment | % Change Relative Weight | Jobs vs Proportional Change

1. Camden, NJ Metropolitan Division | 547.9 | 576.2 | 28.3 | 105.2% | 5.1% | 28.2
2. Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County, PA Metropolitan Division | 1099.6 | 1,097.8 | -1.8 | 99.8% | -0.2% | -2.0
3. Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metropolitan Division | 368.2 | 364.8 | -3.4 | 99.1% | -0.9% | -3.5
4. Philadelphia City, PA | 754.2 | 740.5 | -13.7 | 98.2% | -1.8% | -13.9
5. Delaware County, PA | 245.3 | 236.5 | -8.8 | 96.4% | -3.6% | -8.8

Basically, all of the employment growth in the Philly area in the last three years is in South Jersey. South Jersey has apparently added 28.3k jobs in the last three years. In fact, this makes the Camden metropolitan division the strongest growth area in the entire northeast, with it having actually increased nonfarm employment by 5.2% vs Oct 2019. Not what I'd expect but an interesting result. It's actually all apparently been in the last year. What's driving this?

Fascinating. I'm such a data geek I love this stuff. Thank you for putting together.

I have no idea why Camden would be driving so much of the growth.

[iheartphilly]

^
I am wondering if S. Jersey job growth is limited to Amazon and/or logistics/warehouse type jobs.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by iheartphilly

^
I am wondering if S. Jersey job growth is limited to Amazon and/or logistics/warehouse type jobs.

I was thinking the same thing. There is a burgeoning new corridor of warehouses off of the turnpike in far South Jersey, like Vineland/Woodstown areas.

[gjrip]

^good thinking. It makes sense given the logistics boom in the Lehigh Valley too, which I bet is largely driving Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton to the top.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by gjrip

^good thinking. It makes sense given the logistics boom in the Lehigh Valley too, which I bet is largely driving Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton to the top.

Agreed, but the growth in that region is more than just warehousing. On top of that, there is a continual flow of affluent folks relocating from North Jersey.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

Dug into the latest employment numbers a little to see how Philly is doing relative to other MSAs with >100k nonfarm jobs in the northeast. This time I wanted to look at where each MSA stood relative to the same month in 2019 to see how each MSA has recovered from the pandemic. So far Philly is the only large northeast city (>500k nonfarm jobs) to be above its October 2019 number, though Boston is just below. Even the regions around Philly seem to be doing relatively well with Allentown ranking #1, Harrisburg #3, Atlantic City #5, Trenton at #7, Philly at #8 overall, and York at #10. Reading however is still 4% below it's 2019 peak, however, and Pittsburgh is pretty disappointing as well for its size. Compared to three years ago, the Philly MSA has 38.9k more jobs than would be expected if growth was proportional across the set, which is the highest of any area, and it's relative weight in the set increased by 1.3%. Another fun fact in the unemployment report is that PA set a new all time low at 4.0% unemployment and was the only state in the country which had a statistically significant decrease in the unemployment rate last month. Generally good signs. Granted many other states do have a lower unemployment rate. Lot's of talk of a recession looming but our area seems to have some more momentum than the rest even still.

I dove more into some of the other reports from your link, and one of the more interesting stats is that 85K people were added to the workforce last year in PA. When you scan the list for other states, many shrunk...and the only states that outgrew us as a % were the typical high growth sunbelt states but even then, it wasn't uniform.

This is a positive sign for inflow.