Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (2024-2028)

Growing Greater Philadelphia, the region's current strategy-driven economic development framework, for DVRPC’s nine-county region—Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer in New Jersey. Adopted in September 2024, the framework was developed through guidance and support of the Economic Development Committee.

Growing Greater Philadelphia acts as a regional framework for economic development partners to prioritize U.S. EDA economic development investments over the next five years. The report adheres to the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) guidelines and includes a regional snapshot of the most current population, employment, and business data; a regional assessment of the region’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; an analysis of economic trends and sectors; updated goals and strategies as part of a regional action plan; future workforce considerations; and an analysis of the region’s economic vulnerability.

FY 2024-2028 Growing Greater Philadelphia (PDF)

Key Regional Economic Development Projects

EDA encourages EDDs to identify regional projects, programs, and activities designed to implement the goals and objectives of the CEDS. Potential projects should address the greatest needs for the region’s businesses and residents and/or will increase the region’s overall economic competitiveness upon completion. Stakeholders are always invited to submit project ideas. Economic Development Project Submission

CEDS Committee

The Regional Community and Economic Development Forum (RCEDF) was merged into the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Committee. Members now participate in the development of Growing Greater Philadelphia, the U.S. EDA approved CEDS for Greater Philadelphia.

If you are interested in participating on the CEDS Committee, please email kpcilurso@dvrpc.org. 

CEDS Update Process 

Summer 2023 - Draft Goal Areas 

Fall 2023 - Economic Trends Analysis 

Winter 2024 - Refine Goals and Strategy

Spring 2024 - Economic Development Project Solicitation (rolling)

Summer 2024 - Project Evaluation/Committee Feedback

September 2024 - Strategy Adoption

Committee Workshops

Economic Goals and Strategies Workshop (Recorded 4/17/23)  

Social Goals and Strategies Workshop (Recorded 4/18/23)

Environment Goals and Strategies Workshop (Recorded 4/19/23)

Previous Economic Development Forums

Prior to 2022, the Regional Community and Economic Development Forum (RCEDF) met on a periodic basis to discuss current issues in land use, housing and economic development in Greater Philadelphia. Participants included economic development practitioners as well as a merger of the Land Use and Housing Committee (LUHC) and the Land Use, Transportation, and Economic Development (LUTED) committee. Below are highlights from previou meetings.

Archived RCEDF Meetings
MAR 2021Agenda
MAY 2020Agenda | Minutes/Highlights
OCT 2019Agenda
MAY 2019Agenda | Minutes/Highlights
APR 2019Agenda | Minutes/Highlights | Presentations
APR 2018Agenda | Minutes/Highlights | Presentations
JUN 2017Agenda | Minutes/Highlights
APR 2017Agenda | Minutes/Highlights | Presentations
JUN 2016Agenda | Minutes/Highlights | Presentations
OCT 2015Agenda | Minutes/Highlights | Presentations
JUN 2015Agenda | Minutes/Highlights
SEP 2014Agenda | Presentations
OCT 2013Agenda | Minutes/Highlights | Presentations
JUN 2013Agenda
OCT 2012Agenda | Minutes/Highlights | Presentations
JUN 2012Agenda | Minutes/Highlights | Presentations
FEB 2012Agenda
JUN 2011Agenda
MAR 2011Agenda | Minutes/Highlights
OCT 2010Agenda
JUN 2010Agenda | Minutes/Highlights
JAN 2010Agenda | Minutes/Highlights | Presentations
SEP 2009Agenda | Minutes/Highlights

Measuring Economic Performance: CEDS Indicators

Disclaimer: charts and figures updated daily

Over-the-Year Inflation Rate

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Unemployment Rate

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

New Housing Units Authorized by Month

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Note: a huge influx of permits in Philadelphia prior to the 10-year Tax Abatement changing led to an outlier in new housing units authorized for December 2021

At-Place Employment by Industry Group,

Philadelphia MSATrenton MSA

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Not Seasonally Adjusted


One-Year Employment Change by Industry Group,

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Not Seasonally Adjusted

Two-Year Employment Change by Industry Group,

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Not Seasonally Adjusted

Geographies

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): An MSA is an area with at least one urban core and 50,000 total inhabitants. Each MSA is made up of one or more counties. The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington MSA (Philadelphia MSA) is comprised of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia County in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem County in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware; and Cecil County in Maryland. The Trenton-Princeton MSA is comprised of Mercer County in New Jersey.

Use of MSA instead of counties in region: depending on the data source and its variables, some data is not available at the county level. When this is the case, we use the MSA-level data as a proxy for the DVRPC region. Additionally, since the Trenton-Princeton MSA is relatively small, there are times where data is not available for this geography, and in those cases we only show the Philadelphia MSA data.

Terms

Over-the-year: change from one year to the other. For example, the change in industry employment from October 2020 to October 2021.

New Housing Units Authorized: these are development projects that have received permits but have not yet been built.

Air Quality Partnership
Annual Report
Connections 2050
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
Economic Development District