Top 50 biggest employers in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties

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

1. Federal Government
2. City of Philadelphia
3. Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
4. School District of Philadelphia
5. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
6. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
7. SEPTA
8. Temple University
9. US Airways
10. Albert Einstein Medical Center
11. Temple University Hospital
12. State Government
13. Independence Blue Cross
14. Drexel University
15. Thomas Jefferson University
16. Allied Barton Security Services
17. Comcast Cablevision Corp.
18. Pennsylvania Health
19. Aria Health
20. Hahnemann University Hospital

Notable: #29 SmithKline Beecham Corporation (GlaxoSmithKline)

BUCKS COUNTY

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

1. Schering Corporation
2. Abington Memorial Hospital
3. State Government
4. Main Line Hospitals
5. 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