The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is an interstate, intercounty and intercity agency that provides continuing, comprehensive and coordinated planning for the orderly growth of the Delaware Valley region. As the region's metropolitan planning organization (MPO), the commission provides technical assistance and services to its member state and local governments. Delaware Valley Data is our periodic series of free data bulletins and analytical data reports. In March 2001, the U.S. Census Bureau released the Census 2000 Redistricting Data Summary File, which contains population counts by race and ethnicity for legislative redistricting purposes. This analytical report looks at population trends in DVRPC's 9-county region, which includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties in New Jersey.

Regional Highlights

Population growth was stable during the 1990's.

• The population of the nine-county DVRPC region as of April 1, 2000 was 5,387,407, an increase of 204,620 residents since 1990, and 362,985 since 1980.
• Overall, growth in the nine -county region during the 1990's has accelerated slightly since the 1980's, from 3.2% between 1980 and 1990 to 3.9% over the most recent decade.
• Growth in the five Pennsylvania counties as a whole (3.2%) is keeping pace with growth statewide (3.4%). A growth rate of 8.8% in the 4 suburban Pennsylvania counties was offset by a population loss of 4.3% in the City of Philadelphia.
• Although growth in the four New Jersey counties (at 5.8%) is ahead of the pace of growth in the DVRPC region, it lags behind the growth seen statewide in New Jersey (8.9%).
• Approximately 31% of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's residents lived in DVRPC's five southeastern Pennsylvania counties in April 2000, comparable to the percentage in both 1980 (31.3%) and 1990 (31.4%). Eighteen percent of New Jersey's statewide population lived in one of the four DVRPC counties in 2000, down slightly from a high of 18.8% in 1990.
• Approximately 28% of the Delaware Valley's population lived in the City of Philadelphia in 2000, compared to 31% in 1990 and 33% in 1980. In contrast, 43% of the region's residents lived in the region's other four suburban Pennsylvania counties in 2000 (compared to 41% in 1990 and 40% in 1980) and 29% lived in New Jersey (compared to 28% in 1990 and 27% in 1980).

County Highlights

Population is still concentrated in the region's urban center, but the suburban counties are quickly catching up.

• Philadelphia has, by far, the largest population in the region. Although its lead has clearly declined during the past two decades, the next most populous county has only half the population of Philadelphia.
• Montgomery County, Pennsylvania is the region's second most populous county, maintaining this position since 1980. Montgomery County's gain of 71,904 residents in the 1990's represents more than double its growth in the 1980's, and exceeds the absolute growth of any of the other suburban counties in the DVRPC region.
• As of 2000, Bucks County has edged out Delaware County as the third most populous county in the region. In 1980, Delaware County (with a population of 555,023) had 75,843 more residents than Bucks County. By 1990, the two counties had achieved virtual parity. During the 1990's, Bucks County continued to grow significantly, and by 2000 had 46,771 more residents than Delaware County. This trend is associated with the loss of manufacturing jobs and the aging of first generation suburbs in Delaware County and the proximity of Bucks County to concentrated employment opportunities along New Jersey's Route 1 Corridor.
• Overall, the region is experiencing strong population growth in Chester, Montgomery and Bucks counties in Pennsylvania and Gloucester County in New Jersey. All four of these counties realized population gains of 10% or more during the 1990's.
• Chester County continues to be the fastest growing County in the region, with almost 19% growth during the 1980's and over 15% during the 1990's.
• Gloucester County, New Jersey, continues to be the least populated county in the 9-county region, although its growth rate in the 1980's (15.1%) and 1990's (10.7%) was higher than that seen in any of the other New Jersey counties. On a percentage basis, Gloucester County's growth rate was second only to Chester County's during both the 1990's and the 1980's.
• Camden County's population growth slowed significantly, from over 6% during the 1980's to just over 1% in the 1990's. Delaware County, which lost population in the 1980's, reversed this trend and grew slightly during the 1990's.
• Although the City of Philadelphia continued to lose population, the loss slowed to 4.3% during the 1990's, compared to a 6.1% decrease during the 1980's. This slowdown in population loss may be attributed to increased immigration, recent revitalization efforts and/or improved counting techniques that more accurately reflect the actual population of the City.
• The region's four suburban Pennsylvania counties realized an overall population increase of 8.8% between 1990 and 2000, up from the 7.5% gain these same counties experienced during the 1980's. The total population of DVRPC's four New Jersey suburban counties increased by 5.8% between 1990 and 2000, down from the 8.3% increase these counties saw during the 1980's.

Municipal Highlights

Population growth was concentrated in growing suburban municipalities.

• Overall, 222 of the region's 353 municipalities gained population between 1990 and 2000, for a combined increase of 340,074 residents. The region's remaining 131 communities lost a total of 135,454, for a net region-wide gain of 204,620 people.
• On a percentage basis, twelve of the region's 15 fastest growing municipalities are located in Pennsylvania, including four in Chester County, four in Montgomery County and three in Bucks County.
• On a percentage basis, two of the region's fastest growing communities are located in Gloucester County, New Jersey, the region's second fastest growing county overall.
• In absolute numbers, population gains between 1990 and 2000 in the region's fifteen fastest growing communities amounted to over 50% of the net gain realized throughout the Philadelphia region.
• In absolute numbers, six of the region's fifteen fastest growing communities are located in New Jersey, including two in Camden County (Gloucester and Winslow townships) and three in Burlington County.
• In absolute numbers, five of the region's fifteen fastest growing communities are located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

In addition to most sections of Philadelphia, population losses were concentrated in the region's older cities and boroughs, first generation suburban municipalities adjacent to Philadelphia, and in scattered municipalities on the region's edges.

• On a percentage basis, eight of the region's fastest declining communities are in New Jersey (including four in Camden County) and seven are in Pennsylvania (including five in Delaware County).
• Tavistock Borough in Camden County, which lost the greatest percentage of residents between 1990 and 2000, often experiences extreme fluctuations in population due to its extremely small size (24 residents as of April 2000). Similarly, North Hanover Township in Burlington County has historically experienced extreme fluctuations in population due to the presence of Fort Dix and Maguire Air Force Base within the jurisdiction.

• In absolute numbers, approximately one-half of the region's overall population loss between 1990 and 2000 occurred in the City of Philadelphia (which lost a total of 68,027 residents), and one-half was realized in the region's other municipalities, primarily in its cities, boroughs and first generation suburbs.
• The region's four core cities (Philadelphia, Camden, Trenton and Chester) all rank among the region's top fifteen municipalities in terms of absolute numbers of residents lost between 1990 and 2000.
• Philadelphia lost a significant number of residents in several areas within the city. The four areas with the greatest net losses ( which include Lower North Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, Upper North Philadelphia and West Philadelphia) each individually lost more residents than did any of the region's 352 suburban municipalities. These losses were partially countered, however, by significant gains in Near Northeast Philadelphia, which (with a gain of 4,614 people) gained more residents than did the region's fifteenth fastest growing municipality. Areas in Center City Philadelphia also experienced a net population gain during the 1990's.

Analytical data report #6 is the sixth in a series of bulletins designed to complement our traditional data releases. For more information on Analytical Data Reports, please visit the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission's website (www.dvrpc.org) or contact DVRPC at the telephone number below.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission was established in 1965 by interstate compact between Pennsylvania and New Jersey to plan for the orderly growth and development of the region, and to provide a variety of planning and technical assistance services responding to regional issues. DVRPC maintains a significant database for twenty-eight counties encompassing New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Included in the database are data profiles at the regional, county and municipal level and for other census geography as requested. DVRPC produces a diverse range of services, including demographic and economic data and projections; mapping and aerial photography; computer assisted mapping; geographic information systems; impact studies; and policy and program development.

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