Introduction
This dashboard explores the geography of affordable housing production in Philadelphia and its relationship to neighborhood-level socioeconomic indicators. The dashboard integrates data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 5 Year Estimates and Open Data Philly’s Affordable Housing Production, 1994–2024 dataset.
Map: Affordable Housing by Census Tract
Three census tracts have had over 400 units built since 2010. Areas that have had up to 300 units built are relatively concentrated in the middle of Philadelphia, with more units having been built in the southern parts of the city than north eastern tracts.
Table: Summary by Tract
| GEOID | rent_burden_pct | median_income | median_rent | pct_black | total_affordable_units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42101001101 | 48.69084 | 61850 | 1365 | 16.88869 | 576 |
| 42101037700 | 56.16162 | 22621 | 1159 | 44.56809 | 485 |
| 42101008301 | 59.60265 | 35174 | 723 | 87.15359 | 451 |
| 42101019000 | 78.86100 | 36857 | 972 | 17.99547 | 184 |
| 42101019501 | 62.35585 | 25590 | 1145 | 12.86017 | 176 |
| 42101011900 | 32.84672 | 63628 | 1186 | 89.89130 | 150 |
| 42101013300 | 25.96877 | 98373 | 1722 | 24.45063 | 135 |
| 42101020200 | 60.86957 | 35000 | 934 | 93.64232 | 122 |
| 42101010900 | 61.15515 | 31343 | 1217 | 72.65655 | 121 |
| 42101013800 | 54.38312 | 63523 | 1827 | 50.96104 | 114 |
Rent burden, median income, median rent, and percent Black population for each census tract, sorted by 10 most affordable units built. Rent burden ranges from 25%-78% of the population, while median income ranges from $22,621 - $98,373.
Scatterplot: Rent Burden vs. Affordable Units
There is a slight positive relationship between percent of cost-burdened households and affordable housing units built since 2010. However, several census tracts have 0 affordable housing, despite some having up to 100% cost-burdened residents. This relationship demonstrates the crisis in affordable housing the city.
Scatterplot: % Black Population vs. Affordable Units
There is a slight positive correlation between number of affordable housing units built and percent of Black residents in the area. I wanted to explore this variable because a 2018 Pew study found that 46% of Black residents are cost-burdened and Black people make up the highest proportion of residents in the city.