Several desirable communities in Delaware County—Media Borough, Swarthmore, Rose Valley, Upper Providence, and Nether Providence, have actually grown less than 1 percent between 2023 and 2024, writes Denali Sagner for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
That’s according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
All Pennsylvania suburban communities, including Delaware County, got a population boost during and immediately after COVID from people fleeing the crowded city.
But while places like Middletown, Radnor, and Edgmont did see some post-pandemic growth, that was not happening in the rest of the county.
Delaware County is one of the region’s slower-growing counties, said Greg Diebold, a planning data analyst at the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.
That’s partly because the county built far fewer new homes than in neighboring counties. Delaware County issued 371 new residential building permits in 2022, while Montgomery County issued 2,149 and Chester County issued 2,244.
However, that “doesn’t mean there isn’t demand in Delco,” Diebold said.
“Delco remains very supply constrained,” said Kevin Gillen, senior research fellow at Drexel University’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation.
Demand should increase around Media as the lower home values there compete with the Main Line, where homes are becoming more expensive, Diebold said.
Read about Delaware County population growth and housing demand in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
