PROPERTY-BASED DATA

The Property-based data available through PHMC's Community Health Data Base describe the property characteristics of approximately 560,000 "parcels" in Philadelphia. These data are particularly useful to assess the configuration of neighborhoods, and to determine whether neighborhoods are in transition. The data were derived primarily from the Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT).

Through a partnership with the Philadelphia Indicators Project, the Community Health Data Base makes these data available to members and affiliates interested in the economic health of communities. The BRT was created by the Pennsylvania Legislature to assess all real estate in the City of Philadelphia for taxation purposes, as well as to hear assessment appeals. In order to develop Market Values for assessment purposes, the BRT collects various data for each parcel, including sales date and value, property type, other property characteristics, land area and tax exempt status, and includes it in the parcel-level BRT data file. Data on tax delinquency are also available, which were obtained from the Department of Revenue. The Department of Revenue is responsible for collecting the taxes based on the assessments determined by the Board of Revision of Taxes, and as such, has information on who does not pay their property taxes. The most recent data available are from 1999.

The Property-Based Data available from the Community Health Data Base include:

• Sale values, market values, and their comparisons, for various building types
• Land areas for various building types
• Tax delinquent properties for various building types
• Tax-exempt building types

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