Photo: 颐园居 · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Philadelphia, PA: what to set up and who to call
For recycling, Philadelphia has Northwest Drop-Off Center at Domino Lane; OpenStreetMap lists it open Mon–Sat 8 am–6 pm. Trains stop in Philadelphia, at 19th Street.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Philadelphia, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Philadelphia.
Power comes from PECO Energy
PECO Energy (PECO Energy Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Philadelphia. Its homes paid an average of 18.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $136 a month (its average across Pennsylvania, for customers on its standard service). Pennsylvania lets you buy power from another supplier; 20% of PECO Energy’s home customers do, and PECO Energy still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Philadelphia Water Department
Philadelphia Water Department supplies almost all of Philadelphia. It draws surface water and serves 1,600,000 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 82% of the 27 systems serving more than 1,000,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jun–Sep 2025, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 56% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. PA1510001.
5 home internet providers serve Philadelphia
100% of 495,816 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 91% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 98% | 2,300/2,300 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 56% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 56% | 100/20 |
| PCs for People | Fixed wireless | 13% | 100/100 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Philadelphia
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Philadelphia, from the town’s own site.
Sanitation convenience centers
- Mon8 am–6 pm
- Tue8 am–6 pm
- Wed8 am–6 pm
- Thu8 am–6 pm
- Fri8 am–6 pm
- Sat8 am–6 pm
Sorted recycling
Separate your recyclables by material.
From phila.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Philadelphia is in Philadelphia City School District.
DSchool gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Philadelphia spans 39 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Philadelphia residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Philadelphia | ZIP’s residents in Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19124 | Philadelphia, PA | 4% | 100% |
| 19111 | Philadelphia, PA | 4% | 100% |
| 19120 | Philadelphia, PA | 4% | 100% |
| 19143 | Philadelphia, PA | 4% | 100% |
| 19149 | Philadelphia, PA | 4% | 100% |
| 19134 | Philadelphia, PA | 4% | 100% |
| 19104 | Philadelphia, PA | 4% | 100% |
| 19148 | Philadelphia, PA | 3% | 100% |
| 19140 | Philadelphia, PA | 3% | 100% |
| 19145 | Philadelphia, PA | 3% | 100% |
| 19144 | Philadelphia, PA | 3% | 100% |
| 19139 | Philadelphia, PA | 3% | 100% |
| 19131 | Philadelphia, PA | 3% | 100% |
| 19146 | Philadelphia, PA | 3% | 100% |
| 19121 | Philadelphia, PA | 3% | 100% |
| 19147 | Philadelphia, PA | 3% | 100% |
| 19136 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19128 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 99% |
| 19115 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19152 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19116 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19135 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19154 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19132 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19114 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19138 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19130 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19141 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19151 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19142 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19103 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19119 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19122 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19125 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19133 | Philadelphia, PA | 2% | 100% |
| 19150 | Philadelphia, PA | 1% | 100% |
| 19123 | Philadelphia, PA | 1% | 100% |
| 19107 | Philadelphia, PA | 1% | 100% |
| 19126 | Philadelphia, PA | 1% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 19106, 19153, 19129, 19118, 19137, 19102, 19127, 19108, 19109, 19112. 19019, 19092, 19093, 19099, 19101, 19105, 19110, 19155, 19160, 19161, 19162, 19170, 19171, 19172, 19173, 19175, 19176, 19177, 19178, 19179, 19181, 19182, 19183, 19184, 19185, 19187, 19188, 19190, 19191, 19192, 19193, 19194, 19195, 19196, 19197, 19244, 19255 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Philadelphia
When is the Northwest Drop-Off Center open?
Mon–Sat 8 am–6 pm, according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). Check phila.gov before you go: the town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies Philadelphia’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Philadelphia Water Department (EPA ID PA1510001). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 82% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.0 ppb (Jun–Sep 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Philadelphia?
PECO Energy (PECO Energy Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 18.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Philadelphia?
Xfinity, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, PCs for People (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Philadelphia?
19124 (4%), 19111 (4%), 19120 (4%), 19143 (4%), 19149 (4%), 19134 (4%), 19104 (4%), 19148 (3%), 19140 (3%), 19145 (3%), 19144 (3%), 19139 (3%), 19131 (3%), 19146 (3%), 19121 (3%), 19147 (3%), 19136 (2%), 19128 (2%), 19115 (2%), 19152 (2%), 19116 (2%), 19135 (2%), 19154 (2%), 19132 (2%), 19114 (2%), 19138 (2%), 19130 (2%), 19141 (2%), 19151 (2%), 19142 (2%), 19103 (2%), 19119 (2%), 19122 (2%), 19125 (2%), 19133 (2%), 19150 (1%), 19123 (1%), 19107 (1%), 19126 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Philadelphia in?
Philadelphia City School District.
How do I register to vote in Philadelphia?
In Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Philadelphia County Board of Elections. Check your registration at pavoterservices.pa.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Philadelphia’s own website (phila.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.