Chester County, SC

County

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2023 Population

32,177

0.0187% 1-year growth

US Senator

Lindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Scott

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

42.2

0.957% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

19.3%

1.93% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$51,216

2.39% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$143,800

7.63% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

13,650

0.423% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Chester County, SC had a population of 32.2k people with a median age of 42.2 and a median household income of $51,216. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Chester County, SC grew from 32,171 to 32,177, a 0.0187% increase and its median household income grew from $50,022 to $51,216, a 2.39% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Chester County, SC are White (Non-Hispanic) (57.6%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (35.8%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.78%), Two+ (Hispanic) (1.29%), and White (Hispanic) (0.718%).

None of the households in Chester County, SC 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.

99.6% of the residents in Chester County, SC are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Chester County, SC was $143,800, and the homeownership rate was 77.9%.

Most people in Chester County, SC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 31.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Chester County, SC was 2 cars per household.

Chester County, SC borders Fairfield County, SC, Lancaster County, SC, Union County, SC, and York County, SC.

United States South Carolina Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

Population & Diversity

Chester County, SC is home to a population of 32.2k people, from which 99.6% are citizens. As of 2023, 0.935% of Chester County, SC residents were born outside of the country (301 people).

In 2023, there were 1.61 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (18.5k people) in Chester County, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 11.5k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 893 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.6%

2023 Citizenship

99.5%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.6% of Chester County, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Chester County, SC was 99.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chester County, SC

White (Non-Hispanic)
18.5k ± 167
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
11.5k ± 234
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
893 ± 275

2.73%

Hispanic Population

877 people

2.73% of the people in Chester County, SC are hispanic (877 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Chester County, SC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for South Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
58,419 ± 5,900 people
India
18,341 ± 3,319 people
Honduras
13,844 ± 2,885 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 58,419 South Carolina residents, followed by India with 18,341 and Honduras with 13,844.

Foreign-Born Population

0.935%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

301 people

1.33%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

428 people

As of 2023, 0.935% of Chester County, SC residents (301 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Chester County, SC was 1.33%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
875 ± 154
Gulf War (2001-)
403 ± 168
Gulf War (1990s)
331 ± 134

Chester County, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.17 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Chester County, SC employs 13.7k people. The largest industries in Chester County, SC are Manufacturing (2,961 people), Retail Trade (1,714 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,363 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($86,875), Finance & Insurance ($57,195), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($55,152).

Males in South Carolina have an average income that is 1.37 times higher than the average income of females, which is $52,636. The income inequality in South Carolina (measured using the Gini index) is 0.464, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

13.7k

2023 Value

± 835

−0.423%

1 Year decline

± 8.71%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Chester County, SC declined at a rate of −0.423%, from 13.7k employees to 13.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chester County, SC, are Production Occupations (1,877 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,429 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,166 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chester County, SC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in South Carolina (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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

13.7k

2023 Value

± 835

−0.423%

1 Year decline

± 8.71%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Chester County, SC declined at a rate of −0.423%, from 13.7k employees to 13.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chester County, SC, are Manufacturing (2,961 people), Retail Trade (1,714 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,363 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chester County, SC, though some of these residents may live in Chester County, SC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,706

Median earning men ± $3,350

$30,724

Median earning women ± $1,962

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($55,250), Wholesale Trade ($54,393), and Manufacturing ($51,278).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($56,524), Public Administration ($50,286), and Information ($45,568).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

2.54%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.26M people employed in South Carolina. This represents a 2.54% 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 13.4%.

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

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

66
Other Services (except Public Administration)
43
Retail Trade
38
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$213k
Manufacturing
$31.4k
Construction
$25.7k
Health Care and Social Assistance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

Completions

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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 0.83% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.688% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (1.18M), Some college (892k), and Bachelors Degree (705k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Chester County, SC was $143,800 in 2023, which is 0.474 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $133,600 to $143,800, a 7.63% increase. The homeownership rate in Chester County, SC is 77.9%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Chester County, SC have an average commute time of 31.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chester County, SC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Chester County, SC is $51,216. In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Chester County, SC was Census Tract 204 with a value of $66,944, followed by Census Tract 208 and Census Tract 209, with respective values of $60,270 and $59,444.

In 2023, 12.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Chester County, SC. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 2.14%.

Housing

Property

$143,800

Median Property Value 2023

±$14,135

$10,068

Median Property Taxes

±$646

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 Chester County, SC the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

77.9%

Homeownership

2023

65.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 77.9% of the housing units in Chester County, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 77.4%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 204
Census Tract 208
Census Tract 209

In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Chester County, SC was Census Tract 204 with a value of $66,944, followed by Census Tract 208 and Census Tract 209, with respective values of $60,270 and $59,444.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Chester County, SC colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$51,216

Median Household Income

± $2,995

12.9k

Number of Households

± 819

In 2023, the median household income of the 12.9k households in Chester County, SC grew to $51,216 from the previous year's value of $50,022.

The following chart displays the households in Chester County, SC 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chester County, SC is from South Carolina.

0.464

2022 Wage GINI in South Carolina

0.463

2021 Wage GINI in South Carolina

In 2022, the income inequality in South Carolina was 0.464 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.334% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for South Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in South Carolina in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (83.6%)
Carpooled (8.7%)
Worked At Home (5.31%)

In 2023, 83.6% of workers in Chester County, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.7%) and those who worked at home (5.31%).

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

31.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chester County, SC have a longer commute time (31.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 3.31% of the workforce in Chester County, SC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 12.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Chester County, SC. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 2.14%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

19.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chester County, SC (6.18k out of 32k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Chester County, SC is Black, followed by White 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2023, 26.2% of the children was living in poverty in Chester County, SC. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 10.3%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children 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

88.3% of the population of Chester County, SC has health coverage, with 38.2% on employee plans, 20.1% on Medicaid, 15.7% on Medicare, 12.9% on non-group plans, and 1.32% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Chester County, SC see 4605 patients per year on average, which represents a 14.3% increase from the previous year (4030 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 6442 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 2013 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.5% were men and 53.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

4,605 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Chester County, SC

Primary care physicians in Chester County, SC see an average of 4,605 patients per year. This represents a 14.3% increase from the previous year (4,030 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Chester County, SC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.6% under 18 years, 18.6% between 18 and 34 years, 38.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.5% were men and 53.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

11.7%

Uninsured

38.2%

Employer Coverage

20.1%

Medicaid

15.7%

Medicare

12.9%

Non-Group

1.32%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Chester County, SC declined by 0.455% from 11.8% to 11.7%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 79.2 in Chester County, SC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Chester County, SC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 41.9% in Chester County, SC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Chester County, SC.