Comcast is the 17th largest employer in Philadelphia as of the second quarter in 2012, according to data from the state. The communications giant also made lists for Delaware County (#49), Bucks County (#39), Montgomery County (#35) and Chester County (#22).
It’s a reminder that Philadelphia’s population is still heavily reliant on universities, healthcare and government jobs — hence the city’s reputation for avoiding the boom and bust fate of metros with a single industry or a more volatile makeup.
Every quarter, the state publishes lists of the 50 biggest employers in each county. It doesn’t provide specific employee numbers “due to confidentiality.” The state only counts employees that are covered under federal or state unemployment compensation (not, for example, independent contractors or those covered under a 1099).
Below, we list Philadelphia’s 20 biggest employers, along with the top five biggest employers in the city’s surrounding counties and notable tech giants we found on the lists.
PHILADELPHIA
- Federal Government
- City of Philadelphia
- Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
- School District of Philadelphia
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
- SEPTA
- Temple University
- US Airways
- Albert Einstein Medical Center
- Temple University Hospital
- State Government
- Independence Blue Cross
- Drexel University
- Thomas Jefferson University
- Allied Barton Security Services
- Comcast Cablevision Corp.
- Pennsylvania Health
- Aria Health
- Hahnemann University Hospital
Notable: #29 SmithKline Beecham Corporation (GlaxoSmithKline)
BUCKS COUNTY
- St. Mary Medical Center
- Central Bucks School District
- Giant Food Stores LLC
- Bucks County
- Northtec LLC
Notable: #18 Lockheed Martin Corp., #28 Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, #38 Webcraft LLC (appears to have been acquired by Baltimore-based Vertis Holdings and sold in December to Wisconsin-based Quad/Graphics for $170 million), #39 Comcast Cablevision Corp.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
- Schering Corporation
- Abington Memorial Hospital
- State Government
- Main Line Hospitals
- Montgomery County
Notable: #8 Lockheed Martin Corp., #19 Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, #35 Comcast Cablevision Corp., #43 Research Pharmaceutical Services, #46 GSI Commerce Solutions Inc.
CHESTER COUNTY
- Vanguard Group Inc.
- QVC Network Inc.
- Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc.
- Federal Government
- County of Chester
Notable: #20 Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals R&D, #22 Comcast Cablevision Corp., #33 Sungard Availability Services, #38 IBM Corporation.
DELAWARE COUNTY
- The Boeing Company
- Crozer-Chester Medical Center
- Delaware County
- Villanova University
- United Parcel Service Inc.
Notable: #9 SAP of America Inc., #49 Comcast Cablevision Corp.
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