Mirroring a trend seen across the globe with the ever increasing popularity of the Internet, the Inquirer's daily circulation of 344,509 has slipped in recent years. It does not currently rank in the top fifteen of all daily newspapers published in the United States.
The Inquirer's Sunday edition, however, has maintained its popularity with a circulation of 762,194, ranking fifth among all U.S. papers.
It is estimated that in the average week over two million readers are served in the various print and online editions of the paper.
Throughout the years, The Philadelphia Inquirer has received numerous awards for reporting and commentary, including 18 Pulitzer Prizes.
The history of The Philadelphia Inquirer is filled with many interesting events.
- When founded in 1829, the paper was Philadelphia's eighth daily newspaper. Its original name was The Pennsylvania Inquirer.
- In 1840, Inquirer publisher Jesper Harding obtained the first American serial rights for exclusive publication of several of Charles Dickens' novels.
- The Civil War marked an important time for the paper, as Jesper Harding's son William assumed control and changed the name to The Philadelphia Inquirer. By establishing delivery routes on which carriers collected directly from customers each week, circulation increased dramatically. The Inquirer is said to have provided the most objective coverage of the war, and although pro-Union, the paper was read by Confederate commanders to follow movements of the Union Army. The paper was also widely circulated among Union soldiers on the battlefront.
- Faced with declining circulation following the war, new publisher James Elverson met the challenge by cutting the price of the daily paper from 2 cents to 1 cent, while at the same time increasing the size of the paper. He also began to accept classified advertising, and launched major promotions to increase the circulation of the paper.
- The early decades of the twentieth century saw great growth in the readership of the Inquirer, as management passed to Elverson's son James Jr., more widely known as Colonel Elverson. The Inquirer's political power became evident. The paper became known as the "Republican Bible of Pennsylvania."
- In 1925 the Inquirer moved to new quarters at Broad and Callowhill Streets. It remains there today in the white 18-story structure known as the Inquirer-Daily News Building, a familiar landmark in the Philadelphia skyline.
- The depression years were difficult times for the Inquirer, as they were for other Philadelphia newspapers. Ownership changed several times, eventually landing in the hands of M.L. Annenberg in 1936. Annenberg's publishing empire already included the Daily Racing Form and the New York Morning Telegraph. An infusion of money, new staff and new features eventually resulted in the demise of the only other remaining morning newspaper, The Record, leaving The Philadelphia Inquirer as the city's sole morning newspaper.
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