Philly could learn from itself to help our next generation get ahead

By Gene Sonn

Sep. 29, 2026

PJC Manager Gene Sonn, and Lenfest’s Jared Council discuss Philadelphia’s reporting on economic opportunity at the Local Media Association Fest in August, 2026. The event was held in Chicago.

What we learned from a year of reporting on economic mobility

Philadelphia ranks 50th in the nation for economic mobility, a fancy term for the chance for our next generation to do better than their parents did. This is important because while we have shed our title as the poorest big city in America, it’s getting harder for people living in poverty to escape it.

While the Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative had spent five years reporting on economic mobility when we were known as Broke in Philly, this new ranking sparked us to do a year-long effort on what could help our city not just lessen poverty, but make it easier for the next generation to get ahead.

We’re thankful to support from Comcast and the Lenfest Institute allowing us to spend a year on this topic and to the Local Media Association for including us in to make Philadelphia part of the Economic Opportunity Lab project with news outlets from four other big cities.

So here’s what we covered in PJC’s year-long series on economic mobility. You might want to begin with this helpful overview from PhillyMag, reporting why even as our poverty rate is finally improving, other big cities are making faster strides. Even in that context, we found lots of lessons right here in our backyard for how Philly already knows ways it can help our next generation get ahead.

We found plenty of entrepreneurs looking to earn a living differently. From Technical.ly exploring what it takes to earn a living as a digital creator, to Metro Philly introducing us to people skipping a brick and mortar storefront to run a mobile business, Philadelphians have big dreams.

2Puntos Platform spotlighted immigrant business owners who lost customers and sometimes employees to a climate of fear. Germantown Info Hub covered the groups supporting families who suddenly can’t go to work or saw a family member deported. And local bodega owners shared about how they have built a successful business, but that their sons and daughters aren’t lining up to take it over.

Chalkbeat and Kensington Voice reported on how graduation rates are rising in the neighborhood where high school diplomas lag far behind the city average. WURD reminded us of important Philadelphians who championed economic self-determination, including the Rev. Leon Sullivan who organized Black Philadelphians to use their buying power to force businesses to stop discriminating in hiring.

Owning a home is one of the major ways to pass down wealth, so Philly Gay News reported on how development raises questions of gentrification and displacement for those who built a neighborhood. Next City and Technical.ly dug into how modular construction is already here and whether the Logan Triangle will really attract a modular home factory.

With 2026 being the year celebrating America’s 250th birthday, the Chestnut Hill Local and WURD introduced us to businesses in Germantown, Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill that were working to capitalize on all the special tourism.

And Germantown Info Hub convened neighbors to help us understand how the “benefits cliff” creates perverse incentives for people trying to get ahead – earn a little bit more and end up losing way more support. The Philadelphia Inquirer outlined new, existing and potential programs designed to help parents save to give their children a leg up, and what that looks like for a North Philly mom of three.

While the one-year project has come to an end, we won’t be completely moving on. There are a few more stories in the works that we’ll share soon. And this is in our roots. Our collaborative spent five years reporting on economic mobility and solutions to poverty during Broke in Philly, so we’re never going to just move on from this topic completely. Please take a look, and let us know what you think in the comments.

We’re planning another special series to come in 2027 so stay tuned and if you like, subscribe to our newsletter. There’s a sign-up box at the bottom of our main web page. We’re also excited about the recent launch this month of the PJC Reporting Corps, which you can read about elsewhere in this newsletter.

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