Chester, SC

Census Place

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

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.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chester, SC

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
3.25k ± 468
White (Non-Hispanic)
1.65k ± 469
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
85 ± 70

2.43%

Hispanic Population

127 people

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.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
65,146 ± 6,228 people
India
21,511 ± 3,594 people
Colombia
15,785 ± 3,080 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 65,146 South Carolina residents, followed by India with 21,511 and Colombia with 15,785.

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.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
125 ± 94
Gulf War (2001-)
72 ± 69
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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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 $50k - $60k range.

Wage Distribution

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

0.462

2024 Wage GINI in South Carolina

0.464

2023 Wage GINI in South Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in South Carolina was 0.462 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.296% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 2024

Drove Alone (85.3%)
Carpooled (10.4%)
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.

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.

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.

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.

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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