Philadelphia, PA Commercial Real Estate Market Trends & Data

What Are Current Commercial Real Estate Benchmarks in Philadelphia?

Philadelphia commercial properties are averaging $311 per square foot to buy and $257 per square foot to lease, with cap rates near 7.51% across asset types. The data below covers sale prices, lease rates, cap rates, and building sizes by property type to support early-stage market evaluation.

Explore Commercial Properties in Philadelphia

Browse properties currently for sale or lease to see how local market pricing and building sizes translate into real opportunities.

 

Philadelphia's Demographic Profile

Philadelphia has 626,456 households and a median income of $54,633, providing context for rent absorption and tenant demand across retail and multifamily assets. A -3% five-year population trend is a key signal for evaluating long-term demand in this market.

Key Demographic Metrics Value
Population 1,536,683
# Households 626,456
Median age 37
Median household income $54,633
Avg household size 2
Renter-occupied housing units 330,225
5-year population change -3%

Commercial Real Estate Market Snapshot in Philadelphia

Use the benchmarks below to set initial underwriting baselines for Philadelphia, typical deal size, entry costs, and cap rate ranges by asset type before evaluating individual listings.

Key Market Metrics Value
Avg asking sale price $311 per SF
Avg asking lease rate $257 per SF
Avg unit size for lease 23,397 SF
Avg building size for sale 37,693 SF
Average cap rate 7.51%

The 7.51% average cap rate reflects current return expectations relative to Philadelphia pricing and deal scale. Use this alongside asking prices and lease rates to establish initial underwriting assumptions.

 

Commercial Properties For Sale In Philadelphia

The listings below reflect how current market pricing and building scale translate into active opportunities available today.
For Sale

Braverman Building | Newly Built Apartments

Philadelphia, PA 19130

  • 18,755 SF Multifamily
  • Auction Sale
For Sale

Intensive Industrial User Warehouse for NNN

Philadelphia, PA 19144

  • 11,881 SF Industrial Building
  • Auction Sale
For Sale

Residential High-Rise Land Site

Philadelphia, PA 19141

  • 0.50 AC Lot
  • 1 Commercial Lot
  • Auction Sale
For Sale

Snipes Building

Philadelphia, PA 19147

  • 33,000 SF Retail Building
  • 9.30% Cap Rate
  • $6,950,000
For Sale

431-435 South St & 521-525 S 5th St

Philadelphia, PA 19147

  • 10,500 SF Retail Building
  • 6.40% Cap Rate
  • $4,950,000
For Sale

The Bond Building

Philadelphia, PA 19120

  • 241,237 SF Industrial Building
  • Price Upon Request
For Sale

The Nylon Lofts

Philadelphia, PA 19125

  • 15,000 SF Multifamily
  • 6.00% Cap Rate
  • $4,150,000
For Sale

MaKen Studios North

Philadelphia, PA 19134

  • 112,295 SF Industrial Building
  • Price Upon Request

 

Commercial Market Metrics by Property Type


 


Multifamily Property Market Metrics Near Philadelphia

Multifamily metrics show how pricing and building size relate to observed cap rate ranges, helping investors evaluate income potential relative to entry cost.

Nearby Multifamily Markets Avg Cost/SF Typical Size Cap Max
Philadelphia $372 26,827 SF 17.44%
Trenton $233 4,779 SF 7.71%
Wilmington $159 31,803 SF 6.81%

 

How Investors Evaluate Commercial Real Estate Markets in Philadelphia

Use these tools to move from market-level signals to deal-level math. Each calculator helps translate Philadelphia pricing, rents, and building size into concrete metrics like value, income, and space requirements, so you can validate assumptions before spending time on individual listings.

 

Nearby Commercial Markets

Comparing nearby markets helps investors see whether Philadelphia pricing and building scale sit above, below, or in line with surrounding areas.

Commercial Markets Avg Cost/SF Average Size
Philadelphia $311 37,693 SF
Pennsauken $294 37,723 SF
Camden $301 28,673 SF
Bala Cynwyd $266 8,880 SF
Elkins Park $178 18,364 SF

Multifamily For Sale In Philadelphia

Multifamily listings shown here connect market pricing and cap rate patterns with income-producing opportunities currently available.
For Sale

Braverman Building | Newly Built Apartments

Philadelphia, PA 19130

  • 18,755 SF Multifamily
  • Auction Sale
For Sale

The Nylon Lofts

Philadelphia, PA 19125

  • 15,000 SF Multifamily
  • 6.00% Cap Rate
  • $4,150,000
For Sale

The Bank Building

Philadelphia, PA 19106

  • 51,160 SF Multifamily
  • $1,400,000
For Sale

Multi Family Buildings in Philly

Philadelphia, PA

  • 12.00% Cap Rate
  • $2,929,900
For Sale

HUNTING PARK PORTFOLIO - PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia, PA

  • 8.00% Cap Rate
  • $4,715,000
For Sale

409 S 42nd St

Philadelphia, PA 19104

  • 20,025 SF Multifamily
  • 6.30% Cap Rate
  • $4,950,000
For Sale

The Bordeaux

Philadelphia, PA 19130

  • 20,940 SF Multifamily
  • 6.00% Cap Rate
  • $4,799,000
For Sale

Minerva Court & Richfield Garden

Upper Darby Township, PA

  • 8.00% Cap Rate
  • $10,500,000

Regional Demographic Comparison

This comparison places Philadelphia alongside nearby cities to show how population size, household counts, and income levels differ across the region. Viewing these markets side by side helps investors understand whether local demand and income characteristics are concentrated in Philadelphia or distributed across surrounding areas.

City Population # Households Age MedianHouseholdIncome AvgHouseholdSize RenterOccupiedHousingUnits FiveYrPopGrowthPct
Philadelphia 1,536,683 626,456 37 $54,633 2 330,225 -3%
Pennsauken 36,044 12,953 40 $77,674 3 3,895 -1%
Camden 77,547 26,672 33 $33,545 3 18,046 2%
Bala Cynwyd 12,620 5,262 43 $132,310 2 1,482 5%
Elkins Park 20,956 8,770 42 $93,781 2 3,653 3%

FAQs About Commercial Investing in Philadelphia

View All Commercial Real Estate For Sale in Philadelphia
Is Philadelphia a good market for a first-time commercial real estate investor?

Philadelphia offers commercial properties across a wide range of sizes and price points. By reviewing the market data and benchmarks on this page, first-time investors can better understand what a typical commercial property looks like before committing capital and narrowing in on specific listings.

How can this market data help me decide whether to buy commercial property for my business in Philadelphia?

The pricing and size metrics on this page help business owners compare the cost of ownership against leasing in Philadelphia. Typical building sizes and asking prices provide a starting point for evaluating space needs, budget fit, and long term occupancy costs before engaging lenders or brokers.

What should conservative investors focus on when evaluating commercial properties in Philadelphia?

Conservative investors often prioritize manageable deal sizes, stable pricing ranges, and cap rate benchmarks shown for Philadelphia. These metrics help assess whether current market conditions support steady income potential without relying on aggressive assumptions.

How does Philadelphia compare to nearby commercial real estate markets?

Nearby market comparisons highlight differences in pricing, building scale, and cap rate ranges relative to Philadelphia. Reviewing these side by side helps experienced investors identify relative value, pricing premiums, or alternative markets that may better align with return targets.

How can this page support early-stage deal screening for Philadelphia acquisitions?

This page provides high-level benchmarks for pricing, deal size, and observed cap rates in Philadelphia, which are useful for initial market filtering. Institutional and data-driven investors often use these signals to prioritize listings that meet size, pricing, and return thresholds before deeper underwriting.