West Philadelphia has a diverse population: 72% of the people are Black, 24% White, and 3.3% Asian. About 1.4% of the West Philadelphia population is of Hispanic origin. In 1990 West Philadelphia's population was 219,713, or 13.9% of the city's total. The percentage of youth in West Philadelphia (25.2% under age 20), the percentage of elderly in the district (15.3% over age 64) and the average number of persons per household (2.48 for West Philadelphia) closely parallel citywide figures. Another characteristic of West Philadelphia's population which is consistent with that of the city as a whole is the continuing decline in total population in recent decades.

The first half of this century was a period of unprecedented population growth in the city. West Philadelphia's total population reached its peak in 1950, as did the city's. Since that time, the district's population has decreased by 33%, while the city's population has decreased by 23%. Population loss has been a factor that is related to many of West Philadelphia's current problems: housing abandonment, vacant lots, decreased overall buying power of the residents, and very high retail vacancy. The 1950 to 1990 population trend also has a bright side. The 5.7% reduction since 1980 is the smallest ten-year reduction for the district during this 40 year period, and the 1980s was the first decade since the 1950s in which West Philadelphia's rate of decline was less than that of the city as a whole (5.7% as compared to 6.1%). Therefore, based on population numbers, greater stability has been the recent pattern for West Philadelphia.

Table 2

The 1990 median family income for West Philadelphia was $26,020 according to the 1990 Census. During the 1980s, median family income for the district generally kept pace with inflation, and this represents an improvement over the 1970's. However, income for West Philadelphians is losing ground over the long term, in comparison with city-wide incomes. The census shows that between 1960 and 1990, the median family income for West Philadelphia decreased from 92% of the citywide median family income to 86%.

Census data regarding poverty in West Philadelphia shows that the proportion of families living in poverty decreased between 1980 and 1990, from 20.2% to 18.2%. Despite this modest improvement, almost one in five West Philadelphia residents still lives below the federal poverty level. This fact continues to make poverty a major concern for West Philadelphia. The 1990 poverty rate for West Philadelphia exceeds the citywide rate by two percentage points, and a greater proportion of West Philadelphians receive welfare payments and food stamps than Philadelphians in general. There are three basic types of state assistance in Pennsylvania---Cash Assistance, Medical Assistance, and food stamps---and West Philadelphia is slightly above the citywide rate for each of these types of assistance (Table 3). It is important to note that the West Philadelphia and city rates have increased substantially in just four years.

Table 3

*Cash Assistance includes: (1) Aid to Dependant Children,and (2) Cash Assistance.

According to the 1990 census, 27.9% of West Philadelphia households were headed by females compared to 22.8% for the city. Since female-headed households nationally have median incomes that are significantly below the median, it is not surprising that the majority of female-headed households in West Philadelphia are concentrated in the poverty-stricken sections of the district.

The 1990 census indicates that the level of education has increased in both West Philadelphia and the city between 1980 and 1990. The West Philadelphia increase was significant and very encouraging: the percentage of persons graduating from high school increased from 57% to 70% over the decade, and the percentage of persons with a bachelor's degree or higher increased from 13% to 18%. In both of these categories, West Philadelphia had slightly higher percentages in 1990 than the city as a whole.

Census data on "category of employment" shows that the number of West Philadelphians employed in "white-collar" jobs -- managerial, professional, technical, sales and clerical occupations -- continued to increase during the 1980's (56% in 1980 to 61% in 1990). This trend for West Philadelphia is consistent with the city-wide data during the same time span.

While the Black population has begun to decline slightly in numbers in recent years, homeownership is important in describing the strength and stability of West Philadelphia's Black population. The rate of 57.4% among Black households is the second highest homeownership rate for the city's twelve Planning Analysis Sections. Among Black residents, it is also common to find individuals who are the third generation of their family to have grown up in West Philadelphia. West Philadelphia has the second largest concentration of Asians in the city. According to the 1990 Census, only the Olney-Oak Lane area had a greater number of Asians. The 7,144 Asians residing in West Philadelphia represent 16.4% of the city total for this population group. Census data also indicate that since 1980 West Philadelphia's Asian population has grown at a slower rate than for the city as a whole.

Most of the gain in Asian population in West Philadelphia occurred prior to 1985, and most new Asian arrivals are now finding housing in other parts of the Philadelphia area. Prior to 1985, many refugees, usually lacking resources and jobs, settled in inexpensive rental housing located in West Philadelphia, but quickly resettled in permanent housing throughout the region-especially in Southwest Philadelphia, Upper Darby and Lansdowne. Most of the other Asians living in West Philadelphia are neither refugees or immigrants; they are temporary residents enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, which had 2,270 Asian students in the 1993-94 academic year, and at other local universities and colleges.