# How can I find population statistics for individual neighborhoods in Philadelphia? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2018, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-population-statistics-for-individual-neighborhoods-in-philadelphia/810760 "2018-03-18T02:03:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-population-statistics-for-individual-neighborhoods-in-philadelphia/810760/1 "2018-03-18T02:03:34Z")
I am looking to buy a house in Philadelphia and had a thought about looking at the population statistics in different neighborhoods. By looking at the data I would be able to see which neighborhood are increasing in size, and purchase a house in one of those places. Any thoughts as to how I can get the data? I’ve never researched population data before. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-population-statistics-for-individual-neighborhoods-in-philadelphia/810760/2 "2018-03-18T02:54:02Z")
census bureau website has a lot of info so you should start there. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-population-statistics-for-individual-neighborhoods-in-philadelphia/810760/3 "2018-03-18T04:43:27Z")
Start by seeing if what you want is on [City-Data.com](http://City-Data.com). Because most cities don’t have official neighborhood boundaries, you may find it easier to seek statistics by ZIP Code. Census makes it easy to see basic demographics by ZCTA (ZIP Code Tabulation Area). That said, I don’t think you’ll find any Philadelphia neighborhoods _increasing_ in population. Household size has been steadily decreasing in the US, and the markers of an up-and-coming urban neighborhood is that the population, and even the number of housing units, _decreases_ as wealthier people expecting more space per person replace other residents. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-population-statistics-for-individual-neighborhoods-in-philadelphia/810760/4 "2018-03-18T05:59:37Z")
It doesn’t seem to show population change over time, but [this interactive map](https://statisticalatlas.com/school-district/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia-City-School-District/Overview) allows you to get a fair amount of data about individual, named neighborhoods.