West Chester, PA

Census Place

Add Comparison

2024 Population

20,666

US Senator

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

US Senator

Dave McCormick

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

25.3

2.02% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

20.4%

11.6% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$78,385

3.81% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$490,700

1.95% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

12,031

7.39% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in West Chester, PA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.1% of the residents in West Chester, PA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in West Chester, PA are West Chester University of Pennsylvania (4,740 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in West Chester, PA was $490,700, and the homeownership rate was 35.4%.

Most people in West Chester, PA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.9 minutes. The average car ownership in West Chester, PA was 2 cars per household.

United States Pennsylvania Chester County, PA Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Chester County (East Central)--West Chester Borough PUMA, PA

Population & Diversity

West Chester, PA is home to a population of 20.7k people, from which 98.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.85% of West Chester, PA residents were born outside of the country (1k people).

In 2024, there were 5.41 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (15k people) in West Chester, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.78k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 581 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.1%

2024 Citizenship

97.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.1% of West Chester, PA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in West Chester, PA was 97.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in West Chester, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in West Chester, PA

White (Non-Hispanic)
15k ± 782
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
2.78k ± 696
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
581 ± 213

8.28%

Hispanic Population

1.71k people

8.28% of the people in West Chester, PA are hispanic (1.71k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in West Chester, PA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Pennsylvania.

Most Common Origin

India
99,504 ± 7,715 people
Dominican Republic
93,569 ± 7,483 people
China
70,789 ± 6,514 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Pennsylvania was India, the natal country of 99,504 Pennsylvania residents, followed by Dominican Republic with 93,569 and China with 70,789.

Foreign-Born Population

4.85%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1k people

5.35%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.03k people

As of 2024, 4.85% of West Chester, PA residents (1k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in West Chester, PA was 5.35%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in West Chester, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
228 ± 147
Gulf War (2001-)
117 ± 94
Gulf War (1990s)
19 ± 31

West Chester, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.95 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in West Chester, PA.

Economy

The economy of West Chester, PA employs 12k people. In 2024, the largest industries in West Chester, PA were Retail Trade (1,722 people), Educational Services (1,487 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (1,465 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($107,093), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($105,436), and Public Administration ($81,250).

Employment

Occupations

12k

2024 Value

± 880

7.39%

1 Year growth

± 9.39%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in West Chester, PA grew at a rate of 7.39%, from 11.2k employees to 12k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in West Chester, PA, are Management Occupations (1,416 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,329 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (1,218 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of West Chester, PA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Pennsylvania (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

12k

2024 Value

± 880

7.39%

1 Year growth

± 9.39%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in West Chester, PA grew at a rate of 7.39%, from 11.2k employees to 12k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in West Chester, PA, are Retail Trade (1,722 people), Educational Services (1,487 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (1,465 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of West Chester, PA, though some of these residents may live in West Chester, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,985

Median earning men ± $4,708

$24,493

Median earning women ± $8,212

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($130,521), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($106,308), and Manufacturing ($105,978).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($95,938), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($95,938), and Manufacturing ($53,426).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

Y-Axis

2.78%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 6.03M people employed in Pennsylvania. This represents a 2.78% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 18.1%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Pennsylvania.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Pennsylvania went to Donald J. Trump with 50.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.7%), followed by Jill Stein (0.491%).

John Fetterman and Dave McCormick are the senators currently representing the state of Pennsylvania. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Pennsylvania is currently represented by 17 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for West Chester, PA. Showing the available data for Pennsylvania.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (50.4%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (48.7%)
Democratic Party
Jill Stein (0.491%)
Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Pennsylvania went to Donald J. Trump with 50.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.7%), followed by Jill Stein (0.491%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Pennsylvania for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Pennsylvania

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

John Fetterman

Senator from Pennsylvania

Assumed office on January 3, 2023

Dave McCormick

Senator from Pennsylvania

Assumed office on January 3, 2025

John Fetterman and Dave McCormick are the senators currently representing Pennsylvania.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Pennsylvania over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in West Chester, PA awarded 4,740 degrees. The student population of West Chester, PA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 6,736 male students and 10,340 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in West Chester, PA are White (3,566 and 75.6%), Black or African American (507 and 10.8%), Hispanic or Latino (299 and 6.34%), and Asian (150 and 3.18%).

The largest universities in West Chester, PA by number of degrees awarded are West Chester University of Pennsylvania (4,740 and 100%).

The most popular majors in West Chester, PA are General Business Administration & Management (515 and 10.9%), General Psychology (298 and 6.29%), and Early Childhood Education & Teaching (249 and 5.25%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $7,716 for in-state students and $19,290 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in West Chester, PA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 79.2%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 23.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 17,076 (39.4% men and 60.6% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 17,076 students enrolled in West Chester, PA, 39.4% men and 60.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 12,532 records, of which 60.1% were women and 39.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
292 degrees awarded
General Psychology
256 degrees awarded
General Sales, Distribution, & Marketing Operations
229 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in West Chester, PA was General Business Administration & Management with 292 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in West Chester, PA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

4,740 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was West Chester University of Pennsylvania with 4,740 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,748 men were awarded degrees from institutions in West Chester, PA, which is 0.584 times less than the 2,992 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 3,566 degrees mean that there were 7.03 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 507 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($7,716) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,970) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in West Chester, PA was $490,700 in 2024, which is 1.47 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $481,300 to $490,700, a 1.95% increase. The homeownership rate in West Chester, PA is 35.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in West Chester, PA have an average commute time of 20.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in West Chester, PA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$490,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$23,228

$2,753

Median Property Taxes

±$335

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In West Chester, PA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in West Chester, PA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

35.4%

Homeownership

2024

67.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 35.4% of the housing units in West Chester, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 34.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in West Chester, PA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$78,385

Median Household Income

± $13,438

7.77k

Number of Households

± 750

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.77k households in West Chester, PA declined from $78,385 from the previous year's value of $81,492.

The following chart displays the households in West Chester, PA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for West Chester, PA is from Pennsylvania.

0.463

2023 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

0.466

2022 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

In 2023, the income inequality in Pennsylvania was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.564% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Pennsylvania was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Pennsylvania in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Pennsylvania across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (59.9%)
Worked At Home (17.2%)
Walked (13.9%)

In 2024, 59.9% of workers in West Chester, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17.2%) and those who walked to work (13.9%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

20.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in West Chester, PA have a shorter commute time (20.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.244% of the workforce in West Chester, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in West Chester, PA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in West Chester, PA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in West Chester, PA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

20.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in West Chester, PA (3.19k out of 15.6k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in West Chester, PA is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

94% of the population of West Chester, PA has health coverage, with 57.5% on employee plans, 9.13% on Medicaid, 8.8% on Medicare, 17.6% on non-group plans, and 0.95% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Pennsylvania see 1,265 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,265 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1400 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 345 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 45% were men and 55% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.3% under 18 years, 49.3% between 18 and 34 years, 21.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 10.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 45% were men and 55% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

6.01%

Uninsured

57.5%

Employer Coverage

9.13%

Medicaid

8.8%

Medicare

17.6%

Non-Group

0.95%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in West Chester, PA declined by 1.06% from 6.08% to 6.01%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in West Chester, PA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Keep Exploring

Pennsylvania

State

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD