Remote work in Philadelphia region falls from pandemic highs
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Remote work declined in the Philadelphia metro last year as more workers clocked in at the office, per newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Why it matters: Center City and other downtown economics depend on those offices being full.
Driving the news: The share of people who work from home in the Philly metro fell to 18.6% in 2022, down from 23.6% the previous year, per census data.
- That's higher than the national average, 15%.
The big picture: Remote work was highest on both coasts, and in other large metro areas, Axios' Sam Baker and Simran Parwani report.
- Boulder, Colorado, had the highest share of remote workers at 32% last year, followed by Austin, Texas, at 28%.
- Meanwhile, Mississippi had the lowest share in the U.S. at 5.5%.
State of play: Every state has more remote workers now than before the pandemic.
- After two years, the trend line is barely moving. Nationwide, the share of people working from home declined by less than 3 percentage points between 2021 and 2022, per census data.
Zoom in: In Philly, the back-to-the-office trend continued this month as Comcast called back its approximately 8,000 workers to its pair of Center City towers for at least four days a week — up from three over the past year.
- The move by Center City's largest private employer could spur other companies to cut down on remote work and bring people back to the office more often.
What we're watching: More office workers in Philly could bolster SEPTA low ridership, which remains far below pre-pandemic levels and is contributing to a looming fiscal crisis for the transit agency.