Chester, SC

Census Place

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2024 Population
5,218
US Senator
Lindsey Graham
Republican Party
US Senator
Tim Scott
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
38.8
4.02% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
19.4%
22.7% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$46,138
11.9% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$123,000
15.6% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
2,185
11.3% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Chester, 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.

100% of the residents in Chester, SC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Chester, SC was $123,000, and the homeownership rate was 59.1%.

Most people in Chester, SC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Chester, SC was 2 cars per household.

United StatesSouth CarolinaChester County, SCCharlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCChester, Fairfield & Lancaster Counties PUMA, SC

Population & Diversity

Chester, SC is home to a population of 5.22k people, from which 100% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.07% of Chester, SC residents were born outside of the country (56 people).

In 2024, there were 1.97 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.25k people) in Chester, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.65k White (Non-Hispanic) and 85 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

100%
2024 Citizenship
100%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 100% of Chester, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chester, SC was 100%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been maintaining.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chester, SC
  1. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    3.25k ± 468
  2. White (Non-Hispanic)
    1.65k ± 469
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    85 ± 70
2.43%
Hispanic Population
127 people

In 2024, there were 1.97 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.25k people) in Chester, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.65k White (Non-Hispanic) and 85 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

2.43% of the people in Chester, SC are hispanic (127 people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for South Carolina.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    63,986 ± 6,172 people
  2. India
    20,779 ± 3,532 people
  3. Honduras
    17,281 ± 3,222 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 63,986 South Carolina residents, followed by India with 20,779 and Honduras with 17,281.

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Foreign-Born Population

1.07%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
56 people
0.42%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
22 people

As of 2024, 1.07% of Chester, SC residents (56 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, SC was 0.42%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    125 ± 94
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    72 ± 69
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    30 ± 36

Chester, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.74 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Chester, SC employs 2.19k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chester, SC were Manufacturing (526 people), Transportation & Warehousing (299 people), and Retail Trade (280 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($70,000), Manufacturing ($42,000), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($40,931).

Employment

Occupations

2.19k
2024 Value
± 398
11.3%
1 Year growth
± 23.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chester, SC grew at a rate of 11.3%, from 1.96k employees to 2.19k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chester, SC, are Production Occupations (479 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (261 people), and Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations (254 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chester, SC.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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

2.19k
2024 Value
± 398
11.3%
1 Year growth
± 23.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chester, SC grew at a rate of 11.3%, from 1.96k employees to 2.19k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chester, SC, are Manufacturing (526 people), Transportation & Warehousing (299 people), and Retail Trade (280 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chester, SC, though some of these residents may live in Chester, SC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$39,518
Median earning men ± $13,294
$25,544
Median earning women ± $4,888

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($79,545), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($50,354), and Manufacturing ($48,375).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($40,083), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($27,159), and Retail Trade ($25,135).

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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.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Chester, SC was $123,000 in 2024, which is 0.37 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $106,400 to $123,000, a 15.6% increase. The homeownership rate in Chester, SC is 59.1%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chester, SC have an average commute time of 28.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chester, SC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$123,000
Median Property Value 2024
±$34,447
$1,251
Median Property Taxes
±$256

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

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

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Rent vs Own

59.1%
Homeownership
2024
72.5%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 59.1% of the housing units in Chester, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 54.4%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$46,138
Median Household Income
± $6,703
2.12k
Number of Households
± 353

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.12k households in Chester, SC grew to $46,138 from the previous year's value of $41,231.

The following chart displays the households in Chester, 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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chester, SC is from South Carolina.
0.464
2023 Wage GINI in South Carolina
0.464
2022 Wage GINI in South Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in South Carolina was 0.464 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.102% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (85.3%)
  2. Carpooled (10.4%)
  3. Walked (1.73%)

In 2024, 85.3% of workers in Chester, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.4%) and those who walked to work (1.73%).

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.

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Commute Time

28.3 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chester, SC have a longer commute time (28.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.524% of the workforce in Chester, SC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

19.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chester, SC (1k out of 5.17k 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 < 5, followed by Females 65 - 74 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Chester, 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.

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Health

82.5% of the population of Chester, SC has health coverage, with 32.4% on employee plans, 20.3% on Medicaid, 11% on Medicare, 18.5% on non-group plans, and 0.309% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in South Carolina see 1,485 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,485 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1682 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 437 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.4% were men and 48.6% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.9% under 18 years, 22.2% between 18 and 34 years, 37.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.4% were men and 48.6% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

17.5%
Uninsured
32.4%
Employer Coverage
20.3%
Medicaid
11%
Medicare
18.5%
Non-Group
0.309%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Chester, SC grew by 17.1% from 14.9% to 17.5%.

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

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