Release Date: Monday, January 3rd 2011

PDP Study Profiles Downtown Pittsburgh Residents, Commuters and Workers

For Immediate Release  - January 3, 2011            

Contact:         Hollie Geitner
(412) 325-0153
(412) 780-6709 – cell
hgeitner@downtownpittsburgh.com 
 

PDP Study Profiles Downtown Pittsburgh Residents, Commuters and Workers

 Pittsburgh, PA — Who lives Downtown and do they like it? How do people get to Downtown and where do they work? What is the average commute time? The answers to these questions and more are in a new report released today by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) entitled, “Downtown Pittsburgh: Living, Working & Commuting.”

“Studies like this help us track Downtown’s progress and direct our resources to the most appropriate areas,” said Michael Edwards, President and CEO of the PDP.  “It’s really important to know the dynamics, behaviors and needs of the people who live, work and use Downtown and it is our hope that other organizations will find this data useful to their work as well.”

The research report compiles data from four different surveys commissioned by the PDP in 2010 and conducted by Pittsburgh-based Strategic Metrics Group (SMG): Resident; Downtown Workforce; Pedestrian Traffic; and Employee Transportation (commuter).  Key findings from each study are below.

 Resident

• Peak age group of Downtown residents: 25-29
• Average household size increased to 1.5 people from 2008; 4% of households have children.
• Top reasons for moving Downtown: convenience/ central location; desire for City living; appeal of buildings/properties
• Average length of stay living Downtown: 4.4 years
• One-third of residents have annual incomes over $100,000
• Weekly average spending at Downtown restaurants/retailers: $183
• Most residents walk or use public transportation to get around

 Workforce

• Two-thirds of Downtown workers are employed in Service or Finance industries
• Downtown employee count by industry class and census track: 126,370

 Commuter/Pedestrian

• Average commute to Downtown: 13 miles; 36-39 minutes
• 4 in 10 commuters are age 35 or younger
• More than half (53%) of commuters use public transportation
• Commuting costs have risen 8% -- 89% between 2003 and 2010 depending on type of transportation expense (parking, tolls, fares, etc.)
• Liberty and Penn Avenue are heavily populated with workers, while the Boulevard of the Allies is mostly traveled by students
• Market Square and Fifth Avenue are seeing increased traffic and are among the busiest pedestrian areas due to recent revitalization
• Weekday foot traffic peaks at 8:15 a.m.; 12:15 – 12:45 p.m. and from 4:45 – 5:15 p.m. Largest peak is during the “lunch hour”
• Percentage of commuters coming to Downtown for work: 86.3% (full and part-time) The percentage of students (full and part-time) commuting to Downtown is 13.2%.

“As a building owner who works daily with people interested in leasing space in Downtown, this data is extremely helpful to our company in directing our marketing and encouraging others to invest in Downtown,” said Aaron Stauber, President of Rugby Realty and owner of 17 buildings in the Golden Triangle.”

 The research was made possible by generous funding from the Heinz Endowments, the Richard King Mellon Foundation and a source that wishes to remain anonymous.

 Paper copies of “Downtown Pittsburgh: Living, Working & Commuting” are available by calling 412-566-4190 (limited quantity) or can be downloaded from the PDP’s website www.DowntownPittsburgh.com.  Full research studies are posted here: http://www.downtownpittsburgh.com/about-pdp/research-and-reports.

About the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) is a dynamic, nonprofit organization comprised of business and community leaders, property owners, civic organizations, foundations and residents who provide energy, vision and advocacy for Downtown Pittsburgh. Working collaboratively with its partners, the PDP strives to create a positive Downtown experience for residents, workers and visitors alike. The PDP’s strategic initiatives include clean and safe services, transportation, housing and economic development and advocacy. For more information, visit www.DowntownPittsburgh.com, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/downtownpittor “like” us on Facebook.

# # #