Chester, MD

Census Place

2024 Population

4,797

US Senator

Chris Van Hollen

Democratic Party

US Senator

Angela Alsobrooks

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

46.9

7.08% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.07%

24.1% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$102,399

12.6% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Chester, MD is home to a population of 4.8k people, from which 95.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 8.38% of Chester, MD residents were born outside of the country (402 people).

In 2024, there were 11.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.86k people) in Chester, MD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 341 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 170 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.7%

2024 Citizenship

94.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.7% of Chester, MD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chester, MD was 94.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chester, MD

White (Non-Hispanic)
3.86k ± 551
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
341 ± 245
Other (Hispanic)
170 ± 236

7.73%

Hispanic Population

371 people

7.73% of the people in Chester, MD are hispanic (371 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Chester, MD 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 Maryland.

Most Common Origin

El Salvador
133,677 ± 8,879 people
India
61,989 ± 6,082 people
Nigeria
50,832 ± 5,513 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Maryland was El Salvador, the natal country of 133,677 Maryland residents, followed by India with 61,989 and Nigeria with 50,832.

Foreign-Born Population

8.38%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

402 people

10.1%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

458 people

As of 2024, 8.38% of Chester, MD residents (402 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 Chester, MD was 10.1%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
116 ± 81
Gulf War (2001-)
63 ± 55
Gulf War (1990s)
22 ± 30

Chester, MD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.84 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Chester, MD employs 2.69k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chester, MD were Educational Services (282 people), Retail Trade (262 people), and Construction (243 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($240,446), Manufacturing ($145,195), and Public Administration ($130,231).

Employment

Occupations

2.69k

2024 Value

± 404

13.4%

1 Year growth

± 18.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chester, MD grew at a rate of 13.4%, from 2.37k employees to 2.69k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chester, MD, are Management Occupations (541 people), Sales & Related Occupations (452 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (161 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chester, MD.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Maryland (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

2.69k

2024 Value

± 404

13.4%

1 Year growth

± 18.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chester, MD grew at a rate of 13.4%, from 2.37k employees to 2.69k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chester, MD, are Educational Services (282 people), Retail Trade (262 people), and Construction (243 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chester, MD, though some of these residents may live in Chester, MD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$74,678

Median earning men ± $11,810

$45,536

Median earning women ± $16,469

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($240,446), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($173,958), and Manufacturing ($145,195).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($130,583), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($67,202), and Retail Trade ($45,662).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Chester, MD was $487,400 in 2024, which is 1.46 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $441,200 to $487,400, a 10.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Chester, MD is 71.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chester, MD have an average commute time of 33 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chester, MD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$487,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$32,453

$1,505

Median Property Taxes

±$227

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, MD the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

71.1%

Homeownership

2024

66.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 71.1% of the housing units in Chester, MD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 64.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Chester, MD 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.

$102,399

Median Household Income

± $24,228

2.12k

Number of Households

± 317

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.12k households in Chester, MD grew to $102,399 from the previous year's value of $90,938.

The following chart displays the households in Chester, MD 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 $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chester, MD is from Maryland.

0.448

2024 Wage GINI in Maryland

0.451

2023 Wage GINI in Maryland

In 2024, the income inequality in Maryland was 0.448 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.523% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Maryland was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Maryland in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (74.2%)
Worked At Home (13%)
Carpooled (6.84%)

In 2024, 74.2% of workers in Chester, MD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13%) and those who carpooled to work (6.84%).

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

33 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chester, MD have a longer commute time (33 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 6.49% of the workforce in Chester, MD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.07% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chester, MD (387 out of 4.79k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 12 - 14 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Chester, MD is White, followed by Other 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

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

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

Keep Exploring