Chester, VA

Census Place

Add Comparison

2024 Population

24,474

US Senator

Mark Warner

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tim Kaine

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

38.7

6.07% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

8.05%

3.41% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$95,104

7.52% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$327,200

12.6% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

12,155

1.77% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Chester, VA 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.

95.6% of the residents in Chester, VA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Chester, VA are Brightpoint Community College (1,538 degrees awarded in 2024).

In 2024, the median property value in Chester, VA was $327,200, and the homeownership rate was 71.3%.

Most people in Chester, VA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 27.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Chester, VA was 2 cars per household.

United States Virginia Chesterfield County, VA Richmond, VA Chesterfield County (East)--James River Region PUMA, VA Chesterfield County (Central)--Chester & Rockwood PUMA, VA Chesterfield County (West)--Brandermill & Woodlake PUMA, VA

Population & Diversity

Chester, VA is home to a population of 24.5k people, from which 95.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 6.69% of Chester, VA residents were born outside of the country (1.64k people).

In 2024, there were 2.45 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (13.4k people) in Chester, VA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.46k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.92k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.6%

2024 Citizenship

96.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.6% of Chester, VA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chester, VA was 96.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chester, VA

White (Non-Hispanic)
13.4k ± 1.34k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
5.46k ± 927
Other (Hispanic)
1.92k ± 841

16.4%

Hispanic Population

4.02k people

16.4% of the people in Chester, VA are hispanic (4.02k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Chester, VA 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 Virginia.

Most Common Origin

El Salvador
108,778 ± 8,047 people
India
98,440 ± 7,659 people
Mexico
58,677 ± 5,927 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Virginia was El Salvador, the natal country of 108,778 Virginia residents, followed by India with 98,440 and Mexico with 58,677.

Foreign-Born Population

6.69%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.64k people

6.24%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.47k people

As of 2024, 6.69% of Chester, VA residents (1.64k 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, VA was 6.24%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
549 ± 272
Vietnam
486 ± 169
Gulf War (1990s)
439 ± 242

Chester, VA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.13 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Health

93.2% of the population of Chester, VA has health coverage, with 49.2% on employee plans, 13.2% on Medicaid, 10.5% on Medicare, 17.1% on non-group plans, and 3.14% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Virginia see 1,341 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,341 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1329 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 379 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.5% were men and 50.5% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.3% under 18 years, 16.4% between 18 and 34 years, 42.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.5% were men and 50.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.81%

Uninsured

49.2%

Employer Coverage

13.2%

Medicaid

10.5%

Medicare

17.1%

Non-Group

3.14%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Chester, VA grew by 30.6% from 5.21% to 6.81%.

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

Economy

The economy of Chester, VA employs 12.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chester, VA were Retail Trade (1,740 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,571 people), and Public Administration (1,378 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($115,586), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($87,418), and Public Administration ($79,029).

Employment

Occupations

12.2k

2024 Value

± 1,054

1.77%

1 Year growth

± 12.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chester, VA grew at a rate of 1.77%, from 11.9k employees to 12.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chester, VA, are Management Occupations (1,494 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,486 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (1,162 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chester, VA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Virginia (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

12.2k

2024 Value

± 1,054

1.77%

1 Year growth

± 12.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chester, VA grew at a rate of 1.77%, from 11.9k employees to 12.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chester, VA, are Retail Trade (1,740 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,571 people), and Public Administration (1,378 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chester, VA, though some of these residents may live in Chester, VA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,257

Median earning men ± $5,531

$44,522

Median earning women ± $7,996

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($106,875), Public Administration ($100,655), and Wholesale Trade ($100,402).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($88,750), Public Administration ($60,900), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($57,125).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

2.48%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.1M people employed in Virginia. This represents a 2.48% 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 10.8%.

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

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Virginia went to Kamala Harris with 51.8% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.1%), followed by Other (0.905%).

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are the senators currently representing the state of Virginia. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Virginia is currently represented by 11 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Chester, VA. Showing the available data for Virginia.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (51.8%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (46.1%)
Republican Party
Other (0.905%)
Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Virginia went to Kamala Harris with 51.8% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.1%), followed by Other (0.905%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Virginia for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Virginia

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Virginia.

Mark Warner

Senator from Virginia

Assumed office on January 3, 2009

Tim Kaine

Senator from Virginia

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are the senators currently representing Virginia.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Virginia over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2024, universities in Chester, VA awarded 1,538 degrees. The student population of Chester, VA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 3,956 male students and 5,424 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Chester, VA are White (878 and 57.5%), Black or African American (275 and 18%), Hispanic or Latino (203 and 13.3%), and Asian (67 and 4.39%).

The largest universities in Chester, VA by number of degrees awarded are Brightpoint Community College (1,538 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Chester, VA are Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities (194 and 12.6%), Registered Nursing (144 and 9.36%), and Electrical, Electronic, & Communications Engineering Technology (122 and 7.93%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 9,380 students enrolled in Chester, VA, 42.2% men and 57.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 4,753 records, of which 55.5% were women and 44.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
144 degrees awarded
General Studies
97 degrees awarded
General Health Services
94 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Chester, VA was Registered Nursing with 144 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Brightpoint Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

1,538 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Brightpoint Community College with 1,538 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 698 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Chester, VA, which is 0.831 times less than the 840 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 878 degrees mean that there were 3.19 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 275 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

Public, 2-year ($4,932) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($150) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,460) 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, VA was $327,200 in 2024, which is 0.983 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $290,600 to $327,200, a 12.6% increase. The homeownership rate in Chester, VA is 71.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chester, VA have an average commute time of 27.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chester, VA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$327,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$13,823

$6,682

Median Property Taxes

±$751

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, VA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

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

Rent vs Own

71.3%

Homeownership

2024

66%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 71.3% of the housing units in Chester, VA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 72.9%.

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

$95,104

Median Household Income

± $9,839

9.38k

Number of Households

± 902

In 2024, the median household income of the 9.38k households in Chester, VA grew to $95,104 from the previous year's value of $88,455.

The following chart displays the households in Chester, VA 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, VA is from Virginia.

0.47

2024 Wage GINI in Virginia

0.472

2023 Wage GINI in Virginia

In 2024, the income inequality in Virginia was 0.47 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.376% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Virginia in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (72.6%)
Worked At Home (17.4%)
Carpooled (7.74%)

In 2024, 72.6% of workers in Chester, VA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17.4%) and those who carpooled to work (7.74%).

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

27.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chester, VA have a longer commute time (27.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.38% of the workforce in Chester, VA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.05% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chester, VA (1.96k out of 24.3k 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 Males < 5 and then Females 45 - 54.

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

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.