Chester, WV

Census Place

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2024 Population
2,179
US Senator
Shelley Moore Capito
Republican Party
US Senator
Jim Justice
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
52.8
4.69% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
15.6%
54.2% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$56,607
11.2% 1-year decline
2024 Median Property Value
$112,000
1.27% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
855
3.72% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Chester, WV 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, WV are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Chester, WV was $112,000, and the homeownership rate was 75.4%.

Most people in Chester, WV drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 29.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Chester, WV was 2 cars per household.

United StatesWest VirginiaHancock County, WVWeirton-Steubenville, WV-OHOhio, Marshall, Hancock, Brooke Counties PUMA, WV

Population & Diversity

Chester, WV is home to a population of 2.18k people, from which 100% are citizens. As of 2024, 0% of Chester, WV residents were born outside of the country (0 people).

In 2024, there were 24.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.04k people) in Chester, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 84 Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander (Non-Hispanic) and 34 White (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, WV residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chester, WV was 100%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been maintaining.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Chester, WV 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, WV
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    2.04k ± 431
  2. Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander (Non-Hispanic)
    84 ± 106
  3. White (Hispanic)
    34 ± 42
1.56%
Hispanic Population
34 people

In 2024, there were 24.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.04k people) in Chester, WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 84 Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander (Non-Hispanic) and 34 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

1.56% of the people in Chester, WV are hispanic (34 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Chester, WV 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 West Virginia.
Most Common Origin
  1. India
    2,277 ± 1,171 people
  2. Mexico
    2,211 ± 1,154 people
  3. Germany
    1,987 ± 1,094 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of West Virginia was India, the natal country of 2,277 West Virginia residents, followed by Mexico with 2,211 and Germany with 1,987.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (1990s)
    29 ± 39
  2. Vietnam
    27 ± 27
  3. Gulf War (2001-)
    24 ± 48

Chester, WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 1.07 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Chester, WV employs 855 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chester, WV were Manufacturing (220 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (115 people), and Retail Trade (109 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($120,221), Construction ($100,819), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($65,066).

Employment

Occupations

855
2024 Value
± 204
−3.72%
1 Year decline
± 36%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chester, WV declined at a rate of −3.72%, from 888 employees to 855 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chester, WV, are Production Occupations (131 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (113 people), and Health Technologists & Technicians (101 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chester, WV.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in West 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

855
2024 Value
± 204
−3.72%
1 Year decline
± 36%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chester, WV declined at a rate of −3.72%, from 888 employees to 855 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chester, WV, are Manufacturing (220 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (115 people), and Retail Trade (109 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chester, WV, though some of these residents may live in Chester, WV and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$53,902
Median earning men ± $10,285
$30,217
Median earning women ± $8,175

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Construction ($100,819), Retail Trade ($68,155), and Manufacturing ($53,173).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($65,592), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,333), and Retail Trade ($35,833).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for West Virginia.
Y-Axis
0.583%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 690k people employed in West Virginia. This represents a 0.583% 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 15%.

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

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Chester, WV was $112,000 in 2024, which is 0.337 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $110,600 to $112,000, a 1.27% increase. The homeownership rate in Chester, WV is 75.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chester, WV have an average commute time of 29.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chester, WV is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$112,000
Median Property Value 2024
±$31,525
$856
Median Property Taxes
±$228

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

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

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Rent vs Own

75.4%
Homeownership
2024
65.8%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 75.4% of the housing units in Chester, WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 81.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Chester, WV 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.
$56,607
Median Household Income
± $11,281
1.14k
Number of Households
± 249

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.14k households in Chester, WV declined from $56,607 from the previous year's value of $63,750.

The following chart displays the households in Chester, WV 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 $100k - $125k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chester, WV is from West Virginia.
0.443
2023 Wage GINI in West Virginia
0.449
2022 Wage GINI in West Virginia

In 2023, the income inequality in West Virginia was 0.443 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.39% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for West Virginia was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in West Virginia in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in West 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 (81.8%)
  2. Worked At Home (6.67%)
  3. Carpooled (6.43%)

In 2024, 81.8% of workers in Chester, WV drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (6.67%) and those who carpooled to work (6.43%).

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

29.9 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chester, WV have a longer commute time (29.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in Chester, WV have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Chester, WV 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, WV distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Chester, WV have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chester, WV (340 out of 2.18k 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 45 - 54, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Chester, WV is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

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

93.6% of the population of Chester, WV has health coverage, with 32.3% on employee plans, 27.3% on Medicaid, 23.5% on Medicare, 8.9% on non-group plans, and 1.7% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in West Virginia see 1,319 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,319 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1705 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 506 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 40.2% were men and 59.8% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 15.1% under 18 years, 9.27% between 18 and 34 years, 45.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 30% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 40.2% were men and 59.8% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

6.38%
Uninsured
32.3%
Employer Coverage
27.3%
Medicaid
23.5%
Medicare
8.9%
Non-Group
1.7%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Chester, WV declined by 44% from 11.4% to 6.38%.

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

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