The economy dashboard
How's Philadelphia doing?
One page, updated daily: THE INDEX over the last year, the city's weekly vitals from its own records, and the regional macro picture. Every number carries its source.
THE INDEX — 52 weeks
Our weekly composite of city economic activity. 100 = the trailing 12-week baseline. Interactive chart & methodology →
The Index
84
▼ 78 vs last week
Week of Aug 24, 2026 · 100 = trailing 12-week baseline
- Permits issued
- 68
- New licenses
- 59
- Deed $ recorded
- 132
Component readings, indexed to 100 = each component's own 12-week baseline.
Explore THE INDEX →The city's vitals
Straight from the record: L&I permits and licenses by week, and the newest week of recorded deed volume. Explore the raw feed →
This page, narrated — every Thursday.
The weekly issue tells you what moved THE INDEX and who moved it: the deals, the permits, the LLCs. Free, and every number checkable against the public record.
The region
The macro backdrop, from the Federal Reserve's FRED database. Refreshed daily. Click any card for the full interactive history and what the number means for Philadelphia.
Unemployment rate
Philadelphia MSA
4.1%
May 1, 2026
▼ 0.2 pts YoY
FRED · PHIL942URN
Full history →
Manufacturing outlook
Philly Fed Business Outlook · diffusion index
10.3
Jun 1, 2026
▲ 11.7 pts YoY
FRED · GACDFSA066MSFRBPHI
Full history →
Coincident activity index
Pennsylvania
135.4
May 1, 2026
▲ 1.5% YoY
FRED · PAPHCI
Full history →
Private building permits
Pennsylvania · units/mo
1,930
May 1, 2026
▼ 4.5% YoY
FRED · PABPPRIV
Full history →
House price index
Philadelphia metro division
415.8
Jan 1, 2026
▲ 4.6% YoY
FRED · ATNHPIUS37964Q
Full history →
Nonfarm payrolls
Philadelphia MSA
3.14M
May 1, 2026
▲ 0.3% YoY
FRED · PHIL942NA
Full history →
30-yr fixed mortgage
US average
6.49%
Jul 9, 2026
▼ 0.2 pts YoY
FRED · MORTGAGE30US
Full history →
10-yr Treasury yield
Constant maturity
4.56%
Jul 10, 2026
▲ 0.2 pts YoY
FRED · DGS10
Full history →
Metro GDP
Philadelphia MSA
$557.6B
Jan 1, 2023
▲ 6.4% YoY
FRED · NGMP37980
Full history →
Methodology & sources
THE INDEX
A weekly composite of Philadelphia economic activity where 100 = the trailing 12-week baseline. Components: building permits issued (40%), new non-rental business licenses (30%), and recorded deed dollar volume (30%), each measured against its own 12-week average and capped at 3× so a single portfolio trade can't break the scale. Deed dollars are measured at the recording frontier, since deeds record ~6-8 weeks after closing.
The city's vitals
City of Philadelphia open data: L&I building permits and business licenses, and Department of Records deed transfers (via OpenDataPhilly / Carto). Weekly counts use Monday-start weeks; the newest week may be partial.
The region — FRED series
- Unemployment rate (Philadelphia MSA) — BLS via FRED · monthly — PHIL942URN
- Manufacturing outlook (Philly Fed Business Outlook · diffusion index) — Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia · monthly — GACDFSA066MSFRBPHI
- Coincident activity index (Pennsylvania) — Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia · monthly — PAPHCI
- Private building permits (Pennsylvania · units/mo) — Census via FRED · monthly — PABPPRIV
- House price index (Philadelphia metro division) — FHFA all-transactions · quarterly — ATNHPIUS37964Q
- Nonfarm payrolls (Philadelphia MSA) — BLS via FRED · monthly — PHIL942NA
- 30-yr fixed mortgage (US average) — Freddie Mac · weekly — MORTGAGE30US
- 10-yr Treasury yield (Constant maturity) — Federal Reserve H.15 · daily — DGS10
- Metro GDP (Philadelphia MSA) — BEA via FRED · annual — NGMP37980
Every number on this page is checkable against the public record. Read the full methodology →