University of Pittsburgh
February 21, 2014

Pittsburgh Today’s Annual Regional Report Reveals Pittsburgh’s Standing Among Similar U.S. Cities

Report benchmarks 14 cities in 10 categories including the economy, environment, and transportation
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PITTSBURGH—The total population of Southwestern Pennsylvania is slowly, but steadily, rising and the region’s economy continues to march forward on several broad fronts. Yet, the region’s level of diversity continues to lag behind that of comparable metropolitan areas, and ozone air pollution and the rate of people who smoke are issues of concern. 

These are some of the findings recently released in the 2014 Pittsburgh Today & Tomorrow report. The annual regional report was conducted by Pittsburgh Today, which is a part of the University of Pittsburgh’s University Center for Social and Urban Research. It compares the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area with 14 U.S. metropolitan regions in 10 categories. 

“This is the region’s most comprehensive annual progress report, and I think it is a must read for regional citizens and decision makers,” said Douglas Heuck, director of Pittsburgh Today. “Through a variety of graphics and short stories, we show how the Pittsburgh region is doing compared with cities and regions across the country. And in a handful of more in-depth journalistic pieces, we examine some of the most important issues facing the region.”

The researchers for Pittsburgh Today chose benchmark regions based on a variety of overlapping similarities, including demographics and industrial mix. The benchmark regions are Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St.Paul, Philadelphia, Richmond, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. 

Pittsburgh is compared to these benchmark regions in the following 10 categories: arts, demography, education, economy, environment, health, housing, public safety, sustainability, and transportation.

Also included in the 2014 Pittsburgh Today & Tomorrow report are in-depth feature articles focusing on important issues facing the region. Topics covered in the report’s articles include Southwestern Pennsylvania’s immigration gap, public school absenteeism, efforts in the region to find a middle ground in the debate over Marcellus Shale drilling and environmental protection, and public transportation. 

Additional data and statistics for Southwestern Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Region are available on the Pittsburgh Today Web site. 

About Pittsburgh Today
Founded in 2004, Pittsburgh Today is a regional indicators project that produces more than 400 regional indicators, comparing Greater Pittsburgh with regions across the country. The project produces in-depth journalistic reports based on those indicators, as well as state-of-the-art surveys. 

 

About Pitt’s University Center for Social and Urban Research 
Pitt’s University Center for Social and Urban Research was established in 1972 with a mandate to “bring together, in an organized and integrated fashion, the many research activities and some of the service activities of the University of Pittsburgh which focus on the urban phenomenon.” The center provides state-of-the-art research and support services for investigators interested in interdisciplinary research in the behavioral and social sciences. 

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