The Sprawl Index
Philadelphia, PA--NJ

Overall Sprawl Index Score: 112.61
ranking it 63rd most sprawling of 83 metro areas measured.
A lower score on the index indicates a greater degree of sprawl. The average score for all metros ranked is 100. A lower score indicates below average conditions among these 83 US metro areas: for example, less compact housing, a poorer mix of homes and jobs, poor street connectivity, or weaker than average town centers. A score above 100 indicates above average performance, when compared to the other metro areas ranked. Most metro areas score between 50 and 150 on the scale.

What Makes a Place Sprawling:
The sprawl index measured sprawl in four ways. Below are index scores for this metro area.
See the report for a full explanation of each factor. (will link to report) 

Sprawl Factor                                     index score          ranking out of 83
                                                                                (most to least sprawling)

Residential Density Factor                      114.73                         72
Mix of homes, jobs, & services                119.52                         67
Strength of town centers/downtowns      95.86                           34 
Accessibility of street network                113.00                         58





The Impact of Sprawl

Outcomes Affected by Sprawl in Philadelphia:
                                                                          
Peak 8-hour ozone level (parts per billion):                         101
Fatal accidents per 100,000 persons:                                9.29
Daily Miles Driven per person (DVMT):                                18.9
Average number of vehicles per household:                        1.49
Percent of commuters using Transit:                                 10.15 %
Percent commuters walking to work:                                 4.20 % 
Average Commute Time, in minutes:                                  28.70
Average Annual Traffic Delay in hours:                               15.39

2000 Population: 5,036,646


MSA is Metropolitan Statistical Area. For more information on MSAs, PMSAs, CMSAs, and NECMAs, see the Census Bureau.

To view a map of Metropolitan Statistical Areas from the Census Bureau, click here (pdf).