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Going by percentages is wise for comparing a city to itself, but for comparing two cities, it's foolish. Look at the raw numbers.
DC - 1.4m white collar jobs
Philly - 1.1m white collar jobs
The numbers aren't so vast between DC and Philly these days.
Yeahh it's realistically only 50% versus 40%.
Philadelphia is 60% either blue collar or pink collar but it's a huge metropolitan with a large white collar population (similarly to Los Angeles or Houston's situation).
My point initially wasn't to downplay anywhere- it was only to say that Washington DC is increasingly becoming a hard place for people of all socioeconomic levels to live prosperously whereas Philadelphia is up & down that same spectrum and has something for everyone.
I don't know where in Sam Hell cpomp took it as a "degrading statement" but this forum is sort of full of people like that.
Philadelphia is 60% either blue collar or pink collar but it's a huge metropolitan with a large white collar population (similarly to Los Angeles or Houston's situation).
My point initially wasn't to downplay anywhere- it was only to say that Washington DC is increasingly becoming a hard place for people of all socioeconomic levels to live prosperously whereas Philadelphia is up & down that same spectrum and has something for everyone.
I don't know where in Sam Hell cpomp took it as a "degrading statement" but this forum is sort of full of people like that.
Yeah, I don't know about the "degrading statement" part came from, there's no shame in being blue or pink collar. I can't really see how that's insulting or degrading.
What struck me about your link were the places at the top of the list. Los Alamos, Boulder, Raleigh, Ann Arbor, etc. NYC at 56th, Los Angeles at 130th, Seattle at 31st.
I will say, DC is definitely the outlier on that list, however.
I've recently heard two explanations for the disparity in the COL between these two cities.
Explanation #1:
Philadelphia has a greater supply of houses than DC. Therefore, the COL in that city is lower.
Explanation #2:
DC has more high-wage earners than Philly. Therefore, the COL in that city is higher.
What do you think?
Both answers are equally correct imo. Parts of Philly and parts of its micro cities like Wilmington,Camden,Trenton, are dense,old,poor,post industrial albatrosses. They kill metro Phillys avg home prices. You can buy houses in these parts for $30,000-$40,000, if you like to live dangerously.
If you took those sections out of the equation metro Phillys housing prices measure quite admirably.
I would go with #2. More people willing to pay the high amounts and more high earners. #1 is also a factor, but #2 more so... Put up the same style house in Philly vs DC, DC will be more expensive. The high demand came first to create the housing shortage. If Philly had high demand and plenty of jobs to go around, the housing shortage would also happen there.
True but it circles back around to Philly having an overabundance of old housing stock that people with limited means gravitated to. It outgrew its britches in the 19th century + first 1/2 of the 20th century then got real old and became a depository for the poor. Its poor parts are Cleveland x 4, makes "present day" high demand very difficult. Philadelphias high demand days were 150 years ago and who knows that day may cycle back in the future.
Washingtons historical past very different than Philly.
Yeah, I don't know about the "degrading statement" part came from, there's no shame in being blue or pink collar. I can't really see how that's insulting or degrading.
Yeahh I agree, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a blue collar or pink collar place.
I mean when you see the port sizes & the activity as well as global commerce that comes from land, sea, air, or road logistics- there's hardly anything to feel bad about. It's a strong sector of the economy to have & it's increasingly becoming more rare in America with the outsourcing.
I'm a logistics buff myself- I have a lot of appreciation for land, sea, air, & road transportation of goods & services. It's something that we lack here in Washington but as you mentioned "outlier" this place can best be described with that term for so many things.
The percentage projects the vibe and culture of the city though.
Indeed. DC has far more of a dichotomy between the upper crust and squalid poverty in the city proper. Philly has far more more "in between" these days.
The percentage projects the vibe and culture of the city though.
Did you look at the list? The raw numbers are absurd. Los Alamos is #1 with a grand total of... 6300 white collar jobs. Nice.
If you sort it by raw numbers, the top 5 are:
NY
LA
Chicago
DC
Philly
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