Philadelphia City Foot Traffic

The average monthly foot traffic for Philadelphia in the last 12 months was 4,944, this is a 2.3% increase from the previous 12 months. Though foot traffic in Philadelphia is increasing overall, zip code 19114 has seen a steady decrease. Pennypack, Pennsport and Belmont neighborhoods experienced the highest total foot traffic for Philadelphia. These 3 neighborhoods constitute over 18% of the total foot traffic experienced from 06/01/2020-05/31/2022. Conversely, the Marconi Plaza, Venice Island, and East Oak Lane neighborhoods experienced the lowest total foot traffic for the same period of time.

Methodology – Philadelphia foot traffic data was pulled from the Foot Traffic Trend Value module on a monthly basis. The metric Person Count was averaged by zip code by month and simple linear regression was applied to generate trend lines for Foot Traffic. When visualizing the data, the total foot traffic by zip code was plotted on a map and colored by total foot traffic. To analyze specific points of interest, data is aggregated at the Census Block Group geographic level. Additionally, Census Track level data can be used to investigate the surrounding area to any point(s) of interest.

Philadelphia saw the highest average monthly foot traffic (5,966) March 2021 through August 2021 with November 2020 having the lowest average foot traffic of 3,639 average visitors. May 2021 had the highest total foot traffic (6,959) for the total time frame analyzed (06/01-2020-05/31/022). When considering only the past 12 months, the foot traffic pattern changes displaying no seasonality. Further analysis would provide insights into this change in visitor behavior.

Methodology - The metric Person Count was summed by zip code by month to generate Foot Traffic. To analyze change in foot traffic by quarter, Person Count was summed by zip code by quarter and the percent change was calculated between quarters.

Utilizing the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes available in the foot traffic trend value module, consumers can gain valuable insights on 86 unique industry sectors found in Philadelphia. The top industries include: Fast Food Restaurants, Supermarkets, General Merchandise, Pharmacies, and Convenience Stores. While the industry specific foot traffic patterns generally mirror the overall foot traffic pattern of Philadelphia, there is a notable difference in the general merchandise industry. While the foot traffic trend in Philadelphia is increasing, the general merchandise industry is experiencing an decrease in average monthly foot traffic. Additionally, there was a smaller than expected increase in foot traffic in the general merchandise industry in January 2021. Deeper analysis of foot traffic data for specific brands in the general merchandise industry could illuminate potential causes for this downturn.

Methodology – The NAICS codes were grouped to create broader Industry level classifications. The Person Count metric was then averaged by industry by month to calculate foot traffic. The data was then visualized for individual industries.

Foot Traffic data is available for 644 unique brands in Philadelphia allowing consumers to create detailed brand analysis as well as head-to-head comparisons between two or more brands. The most highly trafficked brands in Philadelphia include: Dunkin’ Donuts, Wawa, ShopRite, Sunoco, and CVS.Taking a deeper dive into the foot traffic data available for the 43 Starbucks locations in Philadelphia, we find that 49% or 21 locations are experiencing an increase in foot traffic. For the time period 06/01-2020-05/31/022, Washington Square has the highest average foot traffic pattern with 15,116 visits per month. The Belmont area had the highest total foot traffic for Philadelphia Starbucks locations with 1,520,702 visits. This can be explained by the zip code 19104 being home to 8 Starbucks locations in total. While the total foot traffic at the 1 S. 15th Street location is increasing, it is the most visited Starbucks boasting approximately 24.68% of all Starbucks foot traffic in Philadelphia. Conversely, the 4000 Monument Rd location accounts for only 0.09% of the total Philadelphia Starbucks foot traffic.

Methodology – The Philadelphia data was filtered to only consider the brand Starbucks. The metric Person Count was summed by zip code by month to calculate Foot Traffic. To analyze change in Foot Traffic by quarter, Person Count was summed by zip code by quarter and the percent change was calculated between quarters. For location level data, Person Count was summed by Street Address. Foot Traffic Percentage was calculated by taking the sum of foot traffic for street address and dividing the resulting value by the total Foot Traffic for Philadelphia in the selected date range.