Demographics

RESIDENT PORTRAIT: STRONG, STABLE COMMUNITY

The neighorhoods of Fishtown and Port Richmond are historically characterized as poor, white working class communities. Both neighborhoods have a history of Polish and Irish immigration and maintain those deep cultural ties to this day.

As development opportunities have increased in the neighborhoods, a more young, educated, and higher income population has slowly trickled in. 30,000 people live in this area, evenly distributed in both Fishtown and Port Richmond. Based on census data, most residents range from age 25 to 54. The majority of residents are homeowners with an median annual household income of $61,000, which is higher than the rest of Philadelphia. The area has a high education rate, with 24% of residents obtaining a bachelor’s degree. With high homeownship and fewer renters, these neighborhoods are family-oriented and therefore, have been attractive to young families.

RACIAL COMPOSITION: INCREASINGLY HOMOGENOUS

Although Philadelphia has a significant population of African American residents and other ethnicities, residents of Port Richmond and Fishtown are mostly white. Despite increasing development pressure and newcomers to the neighborhoods, the communities have stayed mostly homogenous. In fact, there has been a drop in foreign-born population in the area between 2009 and 2018. This influx of new residents has gradually weakened the immigrant composition of the community, even as Polish and Irish culture remains a strong presence in the neighborhoods, especially in Port Richmond.

Fishtown Young People

RACIAL COMPOSTION CHANGE

POVERTY & UNEMPLOYMENT

POVERTY DISTRIBUTION

Although Fishtown and Port Richmond are fairly economically stable communities, the poverty rate across the site area ranges between 10% and 18% of residents. While this is better than the city average of 26%, higher rates of poverty are concentrated in areas of the site near the Kensington border to the north. While poverty is lower in the site area than the Philadelphia average, the unemployment rate in these communities is higher than the city average. It also is racially concentrated, with a higher percentage of African Americans and Hispanic residents facing greater numbers of unemployment in Fishtown and Port Richmond. Those without a high school diploma also demonstrate a higher rate of unemployment in the site area. Since Fishtown and Port Richmond are mainly made up of white residents, high unemployment within the lesser population of minority residents merits pause.

Poverty Rate

UNEMPLOYMENT IN FISHTOWN AND PORT RICHMOND