Average Home Sizes in Philadelphia, 1798: Looking at the Federal Direct Tax in order to gain a very general picture of what the average home looked like in Philadelphia in 1798.

Samples: Samples from three wards in Philadelphia –15 samples taken from High Street Ward –5 samples taken from Middle Ward –5 samples taken from North Ward The focus was on the High Street Ward and the overall averages from the gathered data. Smaller samples were taken from the Middle and North wards to serve as comparators. –Did certain wards have larger buildings and if so did this correlate to the wealth of the ward?

Location of Wards North Ward – “Extends within a line form Fourth Street, thence by Sassafras Street to the Western boundary of the City, thence by the same to High Street, thence by the same back to Fourth Street, and thence by the same to the place of beginning.” Middle Ward – “Extends within a line from Fourth Street, thence by High Street to the Western boundary of the City, thence by the same to Chestnut Street, thence by the same back to Fourth Street, and thence by the same to the place of beginning.” High Street Ward – “Extends within a line from the Delaware, thence by Mulberry Street to Fourth Street, thence by the same to High Street, thence by the same to the river Delaware, and thence by the said river to Mulberry Street.” This information was taken from This site stated that they found the wards defined as such in the 1805 Philadelphia Directory.

Ward Value Averages Ward Average Area (sq. ft.) Average Assessed Value of Homes ($) Average Width of Homes (ft.) Average Depth of Homes (ft.) High Street Ward Middle Ward North Ward Surveyed Philadelphia Homes

Percentiles: 20th percentile40th percentile60th percentile80th percentile100th percentile Assessed Value ($) Area (sq. ft.) Based on Value Based on Area 20th percentile40th percentile60th percentile80th percentile100th percentile Area (sq. ft.) Assessed Value ($)

Points of Error The way in which the data was gathered and recorded by the assessors of the tax varied from ward to ward and even within wards. This made comparison more difficult. –It was hard to tell how the space was being used: commercial or residential. This would affect the average area and the value. –It is probable that the values were affected by the particular ward.