Lably
Skip to content

Philadelphia metropolitan area

  • 18 min read
  • 11 chapters

Related on Lably

Through Gross domestic product, American Revolutionary War and Biotechnology

Lab · Class 12DNA Extraction LabLab · Class 12Biotechnology LabLabBiotechnology and its ApplicationsLab · Class 3–5Recycling Sorter

The federal government defines the region as the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA–NJ–DE–MD Metropolitan Statistical Area / Combined Statistical Area, and it encompasses several major population centers in addition to Philadelphia, including: Reading, Upper Darby Township, and Chester in Pennsylvania; Atlantic City, Camden, Vineland, and Cherry Hill in South Jersey; and Wilmington and Dover in Delaware. As of 2023, the Philadelphia metro area's gross domestic product (GDP) exceeds US$557 billion, making it the nation's 11th-largest metropolitan economy.

The Philadelphia metropolitan area has been influential in the nation's history and economy, as well as home to many people and sites significant to American culture, history, and politics. The city of Philadelphia is sometimes known as "The Birthplace of America" in reference to its role as the site where the Second Continental Congress gathered at Independence Hall and unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, formally creating the United States of America. In the Revolutionary War, several battles and key events took place in the region, especially during the Philadelphia campaign of 1777–1778. After the Continental Army's victory, Philadelphia served as the nation's first capital for most of the remainder of the 18th century until 1800, when construction of Washington, D.C. was completed. The U.S. Constitution was ratified at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1789.

The metro area is one of the nation's leading regions for academia and academic research with a considerable number of globally-known and highly ranked universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, one of the nation's eight Ivy League universities. Other major universities and colleges in the region include Swarthmore College, Drexel University, La Salle University, Bryn Mawr College, Rowan University, Rutgers University–Camden, Saint Joseph's University, Stockton University, Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, the University of Delaware, Villanova University, West Chester University, Widener University, Ursinus College, Haverford College, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Moore College of Art and Design, the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, and others.

The Philadelphia metropolitan area is considered a biotechnology hub, and has garnered the nickname "Cellicon Valley" for its central role in the development of immunotherapies to treat different cancers. As of 2025, the area ranks as one of the Big Five U.S. venture capital hubs, facilitated by its proximity to both New York City's entrepreneurial and financial ecosystems and to the federal regulatory environment of Washington, D.C. Elsewhere in the metropolitan area, South Jersey has emerged as an East Coast epicenter for logistics and major warehouses.

Culturally, the region is home to the dialect known as Philadelphia English, shares a cuisine known as Philadelphia cuisine, has played a formidable role in popular music, and is known for having a devoted sports culture, centered around its five professional sports teams.

Geography and population

The Philadelphia metropolitan area is geographically associated and proximate to the Delaware River and its three primary tributaries, the Schuylkill River, Lehigh River, and Brandywine Creek.

U.S. government agencies have reached various definitions of metropolitan Philadelphia. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines metropolitan statistical area (MSAs), which are regions with relatively high population densities at their cores and close economic ties throughout their respective areas. MSAs are further combined into combined statistical areas (CSAs), reflecting commuting patterns. Neither is a formal administrative division.

Metropolitan statistical area (MSA)

As of the 2020 U.S. census, the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington metropolitan statistical area is the seventh-largest MSA in the nation with 6,245,051 people. The MSA includes:

  • Camden, NJ Metropolitan Division
    • Burlington County, NJ
    • Camden County, NJ
    • Gloucester County, NJ
  • Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division
  • Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metropolitan Division
    • Cecil County, MD
    • New Castle County, DE
    • Salem County, NJ

Combined statistical area (CSA)

As of 2020, the Philadelphia–Reading–Camden, PA–NJ–DE–MD CSA is the nation's ninth-largest combined statistical area with a population of 7,379,700. Philadelphia–Reading–Camden Combined Statistical Area includes:

  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington MSA (11 counties, as defined above)
  • Berks County, Pennsylvania, comprising the Reading, PA MSA
  • Atlantic County, New Jersey, comprising the Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ MSA
  • Cape May County, New Jersey, comprising the Ocean City, NJ MSA
  • Cumberland County, New Jersey, comprising the Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ MSA
  • Kent County, Delaware, comprising the Dover, DE MSA

Statistical history

When metropolitan areas were originally defined in 1950, most of this urban area was split between four metropolitan areas, or standard metropolitan areas, as they were then called. The Philadelphia SMA included Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania, and Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties in South Jersey. The Wilmington SMA included New Castle County in Delaware and Salem County in South Jersey. Berks County was designated as the Reading SMA and Atlantic County, New Jersey was the Atlantic City SMA.

In 1960, Cecil County, Maryland was added to what was now the Wilmington Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). In 1980, Cumberland County, New Jersey was defined as the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton SMSA.

In 1990, the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton SMSAs were merged with the Trenton SMSA to form the Philadelphia–Wilmington–Trenton Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the same time, Cape May County, New Jersey was added to the Atlantic City SMSA. The "Philadelphia-Wilmington-Trenton" became obsolete one census later when Trenton, New Jersey was moved to the New York-Newark-Bridgeport CSA. The Philadelphia-Wilmington-Vineland CSA included the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Camden MSA and the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton MSA.

In 2000, Kent County, Delaware was designated the Dover MSA, and Kent County and Atlantic City were added to the Philadelphia CSA in 2010. As a result of new 2010 definitions, based on a threshold of 15% labor interchange between MSAs, two additional MSAs were added, Ocean City, New Jersey and Reading, Pennsylvania. The CSA to which they belong is known as Philadelphia-Reading-Camden.

Climate Types

Sign in to keep reading

10 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in Regions and countries

British ColumbiaProvince of CanadaKeralaState in southwestern IndiaMassachusettsU.S. stateVirginiaU.S. stateNative Americans in the United StatesIndigenous peoples of the United StatesKarnatakaState in southwestern India