The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also referred to as the Delaware Valley or Greater Philadelphia, is a major metropolitan area in the Northeastern United States that centers on Philadelphia, the sixth-most populous city in the United States. The region spans up to four states: southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, northern Delaware, and the northern Eastern Shore of Maryland, though it is sometimes considered a tri-state region if northeastern Maryland is excluded. With a core metropolitan statistical area population of 6.245 million residents and a combined statistical area population of 7.379 million as of the 2020 census, it is the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States in 2024 and the 68th-largest metropolitan region in the world.
The federal government defines the region as the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA–NJ–DE–MD Metropolitan Statistical Area / Combined Statistical Area, and it encompasses several major population centers in addition to Philadelphia, including: Reading, Upper Darby Township, and Chester in Pennsylvania; Atlantic City, Camden, Vineland, and Cherry Hill in South Jersey; and Wilmington and Dover in Delaware. As of 2023, the Philadelphia metro area's gross domestic product (GDP) exceeds US$557 billion, making it the nation's 11th-largest metropolitan economy.
The Philadelphia metropolitan area has been influential in the nation's history and economy, as well as home to many people and sites significant to American culture, history, and politics. The city of Philadelphia is sometimes known as "The Birthplace of America" in reference to its role as the site where the Second Continental Congress gathered at Independence Hall and unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, formally creating the United States of America. In the Revolutionary War, several battles and key events took place in the region, especially during the Philadelphia campaign of 1777–1778. After the Continental Army's victory, Philadelphia served as the nation's first capital for most of the remainder of the 18th century until 1800, when construction of Washington, D.C. was completed. The U.S. Constitution was ratified at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1789.
The metro area is one of the nation's leading regions for academia and academic research with a considerable number of globally-known and highly ranked universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, one of the nation's eight Ivy League universities. Other major universities and colleges in the region include Swarthmore College, Drexel University, La Salle University, Bryn Mawr College, Rowan University, Rutgers University–Camden, Saint Joseph's University, Stockton University, Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, the University of Delaware, Villanova University, West Chester University, Widener University, Ursinus College, Haverford College, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Moore College of Art and Design, the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, and others.
The Philadelphia metropolitan area is considered a biotechnology hub, and has garnered the nickname "Cellicon Valley" for its central role in the development of immunotherapies to treat different cancers. As of 2025, the area ranks as one of the Big Five U.S. venture capital hubs, facilitated by its proximity to both New York City's entrepreneurial and financial ecosystems and to the federal regulatory environment of Washington, D.C. Elsewhere in the metropolitan area, South Jersey has emerged as an East Coast epicenter for logistics and major warehouses.
Culturally, the region is home to the dialect known as Philadelphia English, shares a cuisine known as Philadelphia cuisine, has played a formidable role in popular music, and is known for having a devoted sports culture, centered around its five professional sports teams.
Geography and population
The Philadelphia metropolitan area is geographically associated and proximate to the Delaware River and its three primary tributaries, the Schuylkill River, Lehigh River, and Brandywine Creek.
U.S. government agencies have reached various definitions of metropolitan Philadelphia. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines metropolitan statistical area (MSAs), which are regions with relatively high population densities at their cores and close economic ties throughout their respective areas. MSAs are further combined into combined statistical areas (CSAs), reflecting commuting patterns. Neither is a formal administrative division.
Metropolitan statistical area (MSA)
As of the 2020 U.S. census, the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington metropolitan statistical area is the seventh-largest MSA in the nation with 6,245,051 people. The MSA includes: Camden, NJ Metropolitan Division Burlington County, NJ Camden County, NJ Gloucester County, NJ Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division Bucks County, PA Chester County, PA Delaware County, PA Montgomery County, PA Philadelphia City, PA Wilmington, DE-MD-NJ Metropolitan Division Cecil County, MD New Castle County, DE Salem County, NJ County2025 estimate2020 censusChangeAreaDensityPhiladelphia, PA Montgomery County, PA Bucks County, PA New Castle County, DE Delaware County, PA Chester County, PA Camden County, NJ Burlington County, NJ Gloucester County, NJ Cecil County, MD Salem County, NJ Philadelphia MSA
Combined statistical area (CSA) As of 2020, the Philadelphia–Reading–Camden, PA–NJ–DE–MD CSA is the nation's ninth-largest combined statistical area with a population of 7,379,700. Philadelphia–Reading–Camden Combined Statistical Area includes: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington MSA (11 counties, as defined above) Berks County, Pennsylvania, comprising the Reading, PA MSA Atlantic County, New Jersey, comprising the Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ MSA Cape May County, New Jersey, comprising the Ocean City, NJ MSA Cumberland County, New Jersey, comprising the Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ MSA Kent County, Delaware, comprising the Dover, DE MSA County2025 estimate2020 censusChangeAreaDensityPhiladelphia MSA Berks County, PA Atlantic County, NJ Kent County, DE Cumberland County, NJ Cape May County, NJ Philadelphia CSA
Statistical history When metropolitan areas were originally defined in 1950, most of this urban area was split between four metropolitan areas, or standard metropolitan areas, as they were then called. The Philadelphia SMA included Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania, and Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties in South Jersey. The Wilmington SMA included New Castle County in Delaware and Salem County in South Jersey. Berks County was designated as the Reading SMA and Atlantic County, New Jersey was the Atlantic City SMA.
In 1960, Cecil County, Maryland was added to what was now the Wilmington Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). In 1980, Cumberland County, New Jersey was defined as the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton SMSA.
In 1990, the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton SMSAs were merged with the Trenton SMSA to form the Philadelphia–Wilmington–Trenton Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the same time, Cape May County, New Jersey was added to the Atlantic City SMSA. The "Philadelphia-Wilmington-Trenton" became obsolete one census later when Trenton, New Jersey was moved to the New York-Newark-Bridgeport CSA. The Philadelphia-Wilmington-Vineland CSA included the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Camden MSA and the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton MSA."Census 2000 PHC-T-29. Ranking Tables for Population of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, Combined Statistical Areas, New England City and Town Areas, and Combined New England City and Town Areas: 1990 and 2000" Table 7, released December 30, 2003. Accessed April 22, 2019.
In 2000, Kent County, Delaware was designated the Dover MSA, and Kent County and Atlantic City were added to the Philadelphia CSA in 2010. As a result of new 2010 definitions, based on a threshold of 15% labor interchange between MSAs, two additional MSAs were added, Ocean City, New Jersey and Reading, Pennsylvania. The CSA to which they belong is known as Philadelphia-Reading-Camden.
Climate Types
Subregions The Philadelphia–Reading–Camden combined statistical area includes sixteen counties in four states. The five Pennsylvania counties in the metropolitan statistical area are collectively known as Southeastern Pennsylvania. In addition to Philadelphia, major municipalities in Southeastern Pennsylvania include the inner suburbs of Upper Darby Township and Bensalem Township. Berks County, which forms its own MSA and contains the CSA's second largest city, Reading, is occasionally not considered to be part of Southeastern Pennsylvania and is sometimes assigned to South Central Pennsylvania.
The seven New Jersey counties in the CSA are in South Jersey. Atlantic County, Cape May County, and Cumberland County each form their own respective metropolitan statistical areas. Atlantic City, Cape May County, New Jersey, and the southern Jersey Shore, including Margate City, Ventnor City, the Wildwoods, Northfield, Sea Isle City, are major tourist destinations for people from inside and outside of the metropolitan area. Other major municipalities in South Jersey include Cherry Hill and Camden, which is across the Delaware River, east of Philadelphia. Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties comprise the Delaware River Region, one of seven officially recognized tourism regions by the New Jersey Department of Tourism.
The two counties of Delaware in the CSA constitute a majority of Delaware's land mass and population. Wilmington is the most populous city in Delaware and the fifth-most populous municipality in the metropolitan Philadelphia. The lone Maryland county in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden Combined Statistical Area is part of the region known as the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Ethnically, Indians make up the largest foreign-born population in Greater Philadelphia.
Largest municipalities
The following municipalities are all within the Philadelphia–Reading–Camden combined statistical area as of the 2020 census:
City Pop. County State Philadelphia 1,603,797 Philadelphia PA Reading 95,112 Berks PA Upper Darby Township 85,681 Delaware PA Cherry Hill 74,553 Camden NJ Camden 71,792 Camden NJ Wilmington 70,898 New Castle DE Gloucester Township 66,034 Camden NJ Lower Merion Township 63,633 Montgomery PA Bensalem Township 62,707 Bucks PA Vineland 60,780 Cumberland NJ Abington Township 58,502 Montgomery PA Bristol Township 54,291 Bucks PA Haverford Township 50,437 Delaware PA Washington Township 48,667 Gloucester NJ Egg Harbor Township 47,842 Atlantic NJ Evesham Township 46,826 Burlington NJ Middletown Township 46,040 Bucks PA Mount Laurel 44,633 Burlington NJ Northampton Township 39,915 Bucks PA Winslow Township 39,907 Camden NJ
Climate The Philadelphia metro area has four distinct seasons with ample precipitation and is divided by the 0 °C (32 °F) January isotherm. Philadelphia and the New Jersey portion of the area, almost all of the Delaware and Maryland portions, most of Delaware County and lower Bucks County, lowland southern Chester County, and some southern and lowland areas of Montgomery County have a humid subtropical climate (Cfa according to the Köppen climate classification.) The remainder of the metro area has a hot summer humid continental climate (Dfa.) PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University
Snow amounts may vary widely year-to-year and normally do vary widely within metro Philadelphia. The region has two ski resorts, Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Longswamp Township, Berks County and Spring Mountain Adventures in central Montgomery County.