News & Brews March 14, 2025
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Allegheny’s population sees rare turnaround
The Post-Gazette reports, “After years of declining population, Allegheny County has experienced a rare turnaround due to a surge in immigration that began in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Specifically, “For the first time in three years, the county population ticked up slightly — roughly 0.1% starting in 2023 — while that of the entire metro area, which includes the seven surrounding counties, remained largely unchanged at more than 2.4 million residents, according to Census Bureau data released this week.” The story notes, “While the trend may not hold, it represents a significant change for a region that has been steadily losing residents after leading industries left beginning in the 1970s.”
‘Cautious optimism’ on Philly’s new Census data
And speaking of population, the Inquirer reports that according to new Census Bureau estimates, between July 2023 and July 2024 Philly gained about 10,500 people—the first time population has gone up rather than down since 2019. “Despite the gain,” the Inquirer reports, “the city in 2024 had roughly 30,000 fewer residents than in 2020.” Per one data analyst with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. “We are cautiously optimistic about this. This year’s results appear to match what we see on the ground.” Still, “Experts cautioned against reading too much into the Census Bureau’s yearly estimates, as they do not provide a complete picture of the city’s population and might not be indicative of the city’s long-term standing.”
Here’s how Pa.’s highways rank
The 28th Annual Highway Report from the Reason Foundation ranks Pennsylvania 37th overall on “cost versus quality.” The rankings factor in multiple categories, including disbursements, pavement conditions, structurally deficit bridges, and fatality rates. The Center Square reports, “Despite ranking in the bottom 26%, …[Pennsylvania] was one of only 21 states to make progress, albeit slightly, moving from 41st last year to 37th overall.”
Josh Shapiro spends big on himself
National Review reports on the Commonwealth Foundation’s analysis of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s taxpayer-funded “TikTok antics,” noting that they seem to be a symptom of the Democrat Party’s new “bug, the one that infected Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign: that elections are won and issues advanced by big-name celebrity payouts and waged through social media….” In fact, Shapiro’s case of the bug is so bad that he uses nearly $900,000 in taxpayer dollars annually to pay his nine-member “digital strategy” team.
Debating Dept. of Ed shutdown, school choice, and more—Listen here
As President Trump works to shutter the failing U.S. Department of Education—which despite decades of funding has not delivered results—Commonwealth Foundation Senior Education Policy Analyst Rachel Langan joined WHYY to discuss the proposed shutdown along with the need for school choice. Listen here.