Chester, PA

Census Place

2024 Population

33,619

US Senator

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

US Senator

Dave McCormick

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

33.9

1.8% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

29%

6.01% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$41,342

3.85% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$83,100

2.69% 1-year decline

Population & Diversity

Chester, PA is home to a population of 33.6k people, from which 97.4% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.04% of Chester, PA residents were born outside of the country (1.7k people).

In 2024, there were 5.3 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (23.7k people) in Chester, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.48k White (Non-Hispanic) and 2.39k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.4%

2024 Citizenship

97.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.4% of Chester, PA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chester, PA was 97.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chester, PA

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
23.7k ± 1.08k
White (Non-Hispanic)
4.48k ± 637
Other (Hispanic)
2.39k ± 815

11.1%

Hispanic Population

3.73k people

11.1% of the people in Chester, PA are hispanic (3.73k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in 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

Dominican Republic
103,235 ± 7,857 people
India
102,082 ± 7,813 people
China
73,024 ± 6,616 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Pennsylvania was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 103,235 Pennsylvania residents, followed by India with 102,082 and China with 73,024.

Foreign-Born Population

5.04%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.7k people

4.12%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.37k people

As of 2024, 5.04% of Chester, PA residents (1.7k 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, PA was 4.12%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
472 ± 170
Gulf War (1990s)
182 ± 89
Gulf War (2001-)
156 ± 99

Chester, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.59 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Chester, PA employs 12.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chester, PA were Health Care & Social Assistance (3,756 people), Retail Trade (1,335 people), and Transportation & Warehousing (1,207 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($110,125), Utilities ($74,688), and Public Administration ($55,726).

Employment

Occupations

12.9k

2024 Value

± 1,023

1.15%

1 Year growth

± 11.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chester, PA grew at a rate of 1.15%, from 12.8k employees to 12.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chester, PA, are Healthcare Support Occupations (1,818 people), Material Moving Occupations (1,325 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,079 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of 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

12.9k

2024 Value

± 1,023

1.15%

1 Year growth

± 11.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chester, PA grew at a rate of 1.15%, from 12.8k employees to 12.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chester, PA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (3,756 people), Retail Trade (1,335 people), and Transportation & Warehousing (1,207 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chester, PA, though some of these residents may live in Chester, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$33,190

Median earning men ± $3,158

$35,814

Median earning women ± $2,433

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($68,667), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($58,041), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($51,098).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($58,813), Information ($58,269), and Public Administration ($41,923).

Education

The student population of Chester, PA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,984 male students and 3,729 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Chester, PA are White (961 and 64.3%), Black or African American (197 and 13.2%), Unknown (140 and 9.37%), and Hispanic or Latino (103 and 6.89%).

The largest universities in Chester, PA by number of degrees awarded are Widener University (1,563 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Chester, PA are Law (290 and 18.6%), Social Work (207 and 13.2%), and Registered Nursing (198 and 12.7%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $54,660.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Chester, PA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 70.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 13.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 5,713 (34.7% men and 65.3% 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 2024 there were 5,713 students enrolled in Chester, PA, 34.7% men and 65.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,156 records, of which 63.2% were women and 36.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
198 degrees awarded
General Psychology
45 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
29 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Chester, PA was Registered Nursing with 198 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Widener University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

1,563 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Widener University with 1,563 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 507 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Chester, PA, which is 0.48 times less than the 1,056 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 961 degrees mean that there were 4.88 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 197 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

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($54,660) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,070) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,408) 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 Chester, PA was $83,100 in 2024, which is 0.25 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $85,400 to $83,100, a 2.69% decrease. The homeownership rate in Chester, PA is 40%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chester, PA have an average commute time of 22.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chester, PA is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$83,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,041

$5,010

Median Property Taxes

±$602

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, PA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

40%

Homeownership

2024

65.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 40% of the housing units in Chester, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 40.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in 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.

$41,342

Median Household Income

± $4,759

12.5k

Number of Households

± 1,021

In 2024, the median household income of the 12.5k households in Chester, PA grew to $41,342 from the previous year's value of $39,809.

The following chart displays the households in 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 Chester, PA is from Pennsylvania.

0.463

2024 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

0.463

2023 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

In 2024, the income inequality in Pennsylvania was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0903% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Pennsylvania was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (58.1%)
Carpooled (11.1%)
Public Transit (9.67%)

In 2024, 58.1% of workers in Chester, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.1%) and those who used public transit to get to work (9.67%).

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

22.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chester, PA have a shorter commute time (22.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.72% of the workforce in Chester, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Chester, PA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Chester, PA have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

29% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chester, PA (8.92k out of 30.8k 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 Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 18 - 24.

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

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.

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