Five months after launching, the Greater Philadelphia Growth Partnership is putting the region's first shared, data-driven growth strategy into action.

Why it's important: Greater Philadelphia has world-class universities, health systems and research institutions. But its economy hasn't translated those assets into job growth at the same pace as its peers.

• The Brookings Institution estimates Southeastern Pennsylvania would have added roughly 104,000 more trade-sector jobs from 2013 to 2023 if the region had kept pace with national growth.
• About 70% of those jobs would have paid family-sustaining wages.
• Greater Philadelphia ranks last among the 50 largest U.S. metros on measures of upward mobility.

The challenge: Brookings found the cause is structural, not cyclical.

• The region invests 3-4x less than peer metros in intentionally growing its economy and has historically relied on local economic development efforts and organizations without a shared regional strategy.

The Greater Philadelphia Growth Partnership (GPGP) launched in May 2026 to change this trajectory.

• The business-led, cross-sector effort brings economic and workforce development partners across Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties together around one shared growth strategy.
• GPGP grew out of a two-year regional collaboration led by The Pew Charitable Trusts with support from Brookings. This work produced Greater Philadelphia's first shared, data-driven Regional Growth Strategy.

The Regional Growth Strategy aims to grow more quality jobs that pay family-sustaining wages or provide a path to them, including opportunities that don't require a four-year degree.

To do that, the strategy focuses on:

• Attracting new businesses.
• Helping existing companies in the region expand.
• Building stronger talent pipelines around three opportunity industries: enterprise digital solutions, precision manufacturing in industrial technologies and biomedical engineering and production.

Get up to date: The new Partnership is already putting the Regional Growth Strategy to work. Early efforts include:

• Interactive maps of Greater Philadelphia's enterprise digital solutions ecosystem that highlight the assets, firms and support entities shaping the sector.
• A publicly accessible regional dashboard that tracks the region's economic performance.
• Recognition by the International Economic Development Council for the Chamber and Partnership's campaign: "Come to Philadelphia. Stay for Philly."

The region is also seeing signs of investment and expansion.

• Burlington is bringing more than 2,000 jobs to its new headquarters in University City.
• Urban Outfitters is expanding and creating up to 1,050 new jobs at its Navy Yard headquarters and a new Nuuly facility in Bucks County.
• GSK is working on a nearly $1 billion expansion of its biopharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Upper Merion Township, creating 300 new jobs.
• Hanwha Philly Shipyard is executing a $5 billion campus modernization plan at Navy Yard, with plans to hire 7,000 to 10,000 workers over the next five years.

Get involved: Greater Philadelphia has the assets to compete with metros across the country. GPGP is building the coordinated, business-led infrastructure to put those assets behind one regional strategy.

• Employers can help shape talent pipelines in their industries, while business and civic leaders can invest in and help lead the work.
• Small business owners can also take the Federal Reserve's 12-minute Small Business Credit Survey through Nov. 13 to help ensure the region's needs are reflected in the Fed's data.

Learn more and connect with GPGP.