Affordability Challenges and Barriers to Homeownership in Philadelphia

Philadelphia’s housing market is facing challenges as homeownership becomes increasingly unattainable for many residents. This analysis examines trends from 2005 to 2024, revealing how rising costs, stagnant incomes, and challenges to access to credit are reshaping the housing landscape.

Featured Work

Home Repair Costs 2025: Updated Estimates and New Measures of Cooling Needs

This brief reports on U.S. home repair cost data in 2024 and unpacks the addition of the new cooling repair needs category.

Housing & Neighborhoods

Working Paper

Assessment Frequency and Equity of the Real Property Tax: Latest Evidence from Philadelphia

WP 21-43/R – Philadelphia’s Actual Value Initiative, adopted in 2013, creates a unique opportunity for us to test whether improved reassessments at short intervals to true market value improve property tax equity.

Ownership Profile of Single-Family Residence Properties in Philadelphia: A Focus on Large Corporate Investors

This report examines large corporate ownership of single-family housing in Philadelphia and the characteristics of the neighborhoods with a high concentration of investor-owned residential properties.

Featured Data

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Rental Housing Affordability Data Explorer

This interactive data tool provides an overview of the available affordable rental housing at different income levels and offers insights into trends in affordable rental housing in Third District states and regions.

Updated: 04 Dec ’24

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Community Profiles

The Community Development and Regional Outreach Department has compiled information on each region within the Third Federal Reserve District and has developed a suite of materials that the department calls community profiles.

Updated: 04 Dec ’25

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Home Mortgage Explorer

This refreshed tool offers an easy way to view local trends in mortgage lending between 2010 and 2023. Find data for home purchase, refinance, and home improvement mortgages, and visualize trends by applicant income, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Updated: 13 May ’25