Nearly a quarter of Philadelphians work from home

Newly released U.S. Census Bureau data shows a significant portion of workers in Philly are working from home.

By the numbers: The number of Philadelphians who work from home has jumped a whopping 19 percentage points since 2019, outpacing the national average.

• 24.3% of Philadelphians worked from home last year, up from 5.1% two years ago.
• Across the nation, 17.9% of people worked from home last year compared to 5.7% in 2019.

Why it matters: The census survey results provide one of the most reliable indications yet of the pandemic's impact on Americans' work-from-home habits, writes Axios' Erin Doherty.

Between the lines: With more people working from home, commuting is down considerably.

• Public transportation commuting dropped by half nationwide between 2019 and 2021. Roughly 2.5% of U.S. workers used public transportation to get to their jobs last year, the lowest percentage ever recorded in a Census Bureau American Community Survey.
• SEPTA ridership, as of July, had only reached 46% of pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report from the Center City District.

What to watch: The future of remote work in Philly will be tested this fall.

• Comcast, Center City’s largest employer, called its workers back to its newly built twin office towers part-time last week as several other major employers eye stricter return-to-office policies.