Research & Reports

Center City District and Central Philadelphia Development Corporation produce a wide range of reports, newsletters and publications to help keep you informed.

Traded Sector Employment

Firing on All Cylinders

This new CCD/CPDC report, Firing on All Cylinders: Growing Jobs and Small Business by Expanding the Traded Sector, compares Philadelphia to five other urban areas in United States. It documents how Philadelphia lags in firms that sell services nationally and globally, but suggests that if we replicate the success achieved by others, we will grow more family-sustaining jobs and a prosperous network of small, local businesses.

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Retail

Center City Retail Update - June 2022

Center City’s commercial core is experiencing a sustained process of recovery, with new businesses opening and existing retailers moving to new, often larger locations. In the first quarter of 2022, taxable retail sales reached 94% of 2019 levels and restaurant sales reached 74% of 2019 levels.

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CCD/CPDC Annual Report

State of Center City 2022

Does Philadelphia have what it takes to recover? This Center City District/Central Philadelphia Development Corporation report examines Philadelphia’s signs of recovery, and remaining challenges, after two years of profound disruption.
Research & Reports

Remote or In-Office Work? January 2022 Survey Results

Nearly two years after Philadelphia offices were ordered to close as the first COVID-19 cases were detected, and more than a year after vaccinations got underway, Center City and University City companies are continuing to adapt and remain flexible, while strongly valuing the importance of in-office work and a downtown presence, according to a CCD survey. CCD distributed a survey to employers to gauge their current stance on in-office and remote work, their plans for the first quarter of 2022, and factors they were weighing in making workplace decisions.
Research & Reports

Center City Developments 2021

Center City Philadelphia Developments 2021 is an in-depth report on current and upcoming major projects in Center City. The report includes a map and full-color photos or renderings and project descriptions of all 63 major developments in Center City Philadelphia, categorized by type. An interactive map features all of the developments found within the publication.
Research & Reports

Philadelphia’s Steady, Uneven Recovery

Philadelphia continues its slow, steady though uneven recovery. By April, payroll employment citywide rose to 95.6% of February 2020 levels, compared to 99.2% in the nation. The lagging pace reflects the slow rebound in leisure and hospitality employment and the ripple effects of remote work on those jobs that rely on the presence of other workers. Still, the unemployment rate continues to decline and the volume of office workers in Center City continues to rise.

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Research & Reports

The Center Holds: Residential Resiliency 2022

For the last two decades, Greater Center City has been the fastest growing residential section of both Philadelphia and the entire region. After a temporary dip in population, the number of downtown residents on sidewalks in Center City had rebounded to 2019 levels by the end of 2021. Rents and home sale prices held up and the number of newly-permitted residential units in both Center City and citywide reached the highest point in decades in 2021.
Office

A Small Down Payment On Growth

This is a transformational moment for Philadelphia, when investments in economic development funded by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) can be combined with the long-recommended changes to Philadelphia's tax structure to prompt faster and more equitable citywide job growth.
Research & Reports

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Research Reports & Publications

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A Small Down Payment On Growth June 2, 2021 tax reform PDF