The entire city of Philadelphia sits in Philadelphia County. And with a poverty rate of 23 percent (disproportionately affecting Black and Latinx communities), Philadelphia is the poorest big city in America. At the same time, it’s also experiencing significant economic growth. With both of those forces at play, leaders are focused on improving the upward mobility of Philadelphians who have historically been treated inequitably.

Participating in the Upward Mobility Cohort provides an opportunity for Philadelphia County to improve cross-agency collaboration and better incorporate data into its work. By doing so, the county hopes to more effectively measure whether local policies and programs are helping residents up and out of poverty and to identify barriers to upward mobility.

Many key initiatives to increase upward mobility and narrow racial inequities are already underway in this city of 1.6 million. They include the Philadelphia’s 2019 Growing with Equity: Philadelphia’s Vision for Inclusive Growth plan, which lays out 18 strategies for boosting job growth, preparing the workforce, and strengthening neighborhoods, all with a focus on ensuring racial equity. And there is the Poverty Action Plan (PDF), which recommends a series of strategies for lifting 100,000 Philadelphians out of poverty by investing in housing, jobs, and education and strengthening the social safety net. Meanwhile, the city’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is helping city departments create racial equity strategies and leading discussions about how the annual city budget can better help advance racial equity.

As Philadelphia County designs its Mobility Action Plan, it’s leaning into early lessons it has learned as part of the Upward Mobility Cohort, including about how to engage equitably with community members and partners and carry out a holistic, people-centered strategy for achieving upward mobility. And it has already used Urban Institute’s mobility metrics, including on housing availability and living-wage jobs, to consider how to better provide opportunities for upward mobility for people returning to the community after being incarcerated.

Partner Highlight

Philadelphia County is collaborating with several organizations to develop its Mobility Action Plan. Among them are the following:

• City departments focusing on housing, financial empowerment, youth workforce development, and more
• Data managers
• Local research institutions and universities
• Nonprofit advocacy organizations
• Social service providers