Chester, VA

Census Place

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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 (1,490 degrees awarded in 2023).

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 StatesVirginiaChesterfield County, VARichmond, VAChesterfield County (East)--James River Region PUMA, VAChesterfield County (Central)--Chester & Rockwood PUMA, VAChesterfield 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.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chester, VA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    13.4k ± 1.34k
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    5.46k ± 927
  3. Other (Hispanic)
    1.92k ± 841
16.4%
Hispanic Population
4.02k 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.

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.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Virginia.
Most Common Origin
  1. El Salvador
    107,827 ± 8,012 people
  2. India
    97,961 ± 7,641 people
  3. Mexico
    63,695 ± 6,173 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Virginia was El Salvador, the natal country of 107,827 Virginia residents, followed by India with 97,961 and Mexico with 63,695.

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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.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    549 ± 272
  2. Vietnam
    486 ± 169
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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

Voting results are not available for Chester, VA. Showing the available data for Virginia.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (51.8%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (46.1%)
    Republican Party
  3. 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.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Virginia

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Virginia.
Mark Warner
Senator from Virginia2
Assumed office on January 3, 2009
Tim Kaine
Senator from Virginia1
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.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Chester, VA awarded 1,490 degrees. The student population of Chester, VA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 3,884 male students and 5,139 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Chester, VA are White (866 and 58.6%), Black or African American (294 and 19.9%), Hispanic or Latino (166 and 11.2%), and Two or More Races (72 and 4.87%).

The largest universities in Chester, VA by number of degrees awarded are Brightpoint Community College (1,490 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Chester, VA are Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities (190 and 12.8%), Electrical, Electronic, & Communications Engineering Technology (122 and 8.19%), and General Health Services (115 and 7.72%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 9,023 students enrolled in Chester, VA, 43% men and 57% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 4,675 records, of which 55.1% were women and 44.9% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Health Services
    115 degrees awarded
  2. General Studies
    110 degrees awarded
  3. Registered Nursing
    89 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Chester, VA was General Health Services with 115 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Brightpoint Community College
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
1,490 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Brightpoint Community College with 1,490 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 714 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Chester, VA, which is 0.92 times less than the 776 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 866 degrees mean that there were 2.95 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 294 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($4,788) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($150) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.
$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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chester, VA is from Virginia.
0.472
2023 Wage GINI in Virginia
0.475
2022 Wage GINI in Virginia

In 2023, the income inequality in Virginia was 0.472 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.599% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (72.6%)
  2. Worked At Home (17.4%)
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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