Population 547,840 · Census ACS 2020–24
Choose a measure to map it.Tap a measure to map it. Swipe the row for more. Arrows show the change since 2006–10.
Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Younger residents
Older residents
Colorblind friendly
off
More maps of Chester County: Best Neighborhoods · Walk Grade · Household income · Home prices · Race · Politics · Traffic noise · Internet
Population and households in Chester County
Household size in Chester County
| Period | Chester County | Philadelphia area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.70 | 2.64 | 2.51 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.71 | 2.68 | 2.53 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.70 | 2.65 | 2.50 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.68 | 2.57 | 2.46 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.02 | −0.07 | −0.05 | −0.03 |
At 2.68 people per household, Chester County sits close to the national average of 2.65. The typical household here is bigger than in the Philadelphia area overall, where it has 2.57 people. Only one other Pennsylvania county has larger households.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Chester County
| Period | Chester County | Philadelphia area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 39.3 | 38.5 | 40.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 40.4 | 39.3 | 41.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 41.3 | 40.3 | 41.8 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 42.0 | 40.4 | 42.0 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.7 | +1.9 | +1.7 | +2.3 |
The median resident of Chester County is 42.0 years old, a bit older than the national median of 40.1. The median age has climbed from 39.3 in 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Compared with other Pennsylvania counties, though, Chester County is younger than most.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Chester County
| Period | Chester County | Philadelphia area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.5% | 12.2% | 10.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 7.4% | 11.8% | 10.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 7.5% | 11.7% | 10.5% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.4% | 12.1% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.1 pts | −0.1 pts | +0.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 7.4% of households in Chester County, well below the national share of 11.6%. Only six of Pennsylvania's 67 counties have a lower share of single-parent households.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Chester County
Renters in Chester County
| Period | Chester County | Philadelphia area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 22.9% | 30.2% | 29.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 24.7% | 32.1% | 30.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 25.0% | 32.7% | 31.1% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 24.9% | 33.2% | 30.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | +2.1 pts | +3.0 pts | +1.7 pts | +1.5 pts |
Most households in Chester County own their homes; 24.9% rent, below the national share of 34.8%. Among homeowners, 31.9% have no mortgage at all, below the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the east and least common in the southwest. The renter share has risen 2.1 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Chester County
| Period | Chester County | Philadelphia area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.3% | 9.1% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 5.5% | 9.2% | 10.5% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.7% | 9.0% | 10.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 4.8% | 6.9% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | −0.4 pts | −2.2 pts | −1.2 pts | −1.8 pts |
Empty homes are scarce in Chester County: just 4.8% sit vacant, compared with 9.6% nationally, a sign of a tight housing market. Of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, only three have a lower vacancy rate.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Chester County
| Period | Chester County | Philadelphia area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1978 | 1964 | 1963 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1978 | 1965 | 1964 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1980 | 1965 | 1965 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1983 | 1968 | 1967 | 1980 |
| Change | +6 | +4 | +4 | +6 |
The typical home in Chester County was built around 1983, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). Homes here are newer than in the Philadelphia area overall, where the median home dates to 1968. Newer construction is concentrated in the southwest, while the northeast has the oldest housing. Only one other Pennsylvania county has newer homes.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Chester County
| Period | Chester County | Philadelphia area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,175 | $1,049 | $829 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,313 | $1,147 | $923 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,407 | $1,281 | $1,039 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,842 | $1,631 | $1,323 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$667 | +$582 | +$494 | +$606 |
The median renter in Chester County pays $1,842 a month for rent and utilities, above the national median of $1,571. Rents are up $667 a month from 2006–10, a 57% rise, a slower climb than the nation's. The typical renter here spends 30.7% of household income on rent, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. Chester County has the highest rents of any Pennsylvania county.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Chester County
Bachelor's degrees in Chester County
| Period | Chester County | Philadelphia area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 47.9% | 32.7% | 27.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 48.9% | 34.4% | 28.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 53.2% | 37.9% | 31.8% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 57.9% | 42.3% | 35.6% | 35.6% |
| Change | +10.0 pts | +9.6 pts | +8.3 pts | +7.2 pts |
College graduates are unusually common in Chester County: 57.9% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's degree or higher, against 35.6% nationally. Education tends to track local incomes and the kinds of jobs nearby. Since 2006–10, the share with a degree has risen 10.0 points, as it has nationally. No other Pennsylvania county has a higher share of college graduates.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Chester County
| Period | Chester County | Philadelphia area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 92.3% | 87.5% | 87.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 92.7% | 88.9% | 88.8% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 93.5% | 90.5% | 90.3% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 94.2% | 91.9% | 91.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +1.9 pts | +4.4 pts | +4.5 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Chester County is above the national rate: 94.2% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. Since 2006–10, the share with a diploma has risen 1.9 points, as it has nationally. Chester County has a higher share of high school graduates than at least four in five Pennsylvania counties.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Chester County
| Period | Chester County | Philadelphia area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.0% | 8.4% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 6.3% | 10.2% | 8.8% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.9% | 6.3% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.7% | 6.1% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.3 pts | −2.3 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been easier to find in Chester County than nationally: unemployment was 3.7%, against 5.4%. Unemployment is down 1.3 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Chester County compared with nearby counties
| County | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester County | 2.68 | 42.0 | 7.4% | 24.9% | 4.8% | 1983 | $1,842 | 57.9% | 94.2% | 3.7% |
| Delaware County | 2.67 | 40.5 | 11.5% | 30.4% | 6.5% | 1959 | $1,576 | 42.4% | 93.4% | 6.8% |
| Philadelphia County | 2.39 | 36.6 | 17.4% | 48.2% | 10.2% | 1953 | $1,433 | 35.0% | 87.3% | 8.7% |
| Lancaster County | 2.63 | 40.6 | 8.8% | 30.2% | 4.4% | 1975 | $1,407 | 32.3% | 87.2% | 3.4% |
| Camden County | 2.67 | 39.7 | 14.7% | 35.3% | 6.3% | 1966 | $1,573 | 35.9% | 89.2% | 7.0% |
| Burlington County | 2.67 | 42.4 | 9.7% | 23.9% | 6.2% | 1977 | $1,826 | 43.2% | 94.3% | 5.4% |
| York County | 2.56 | 42.2 | 11.4% | 23.7% | 5.9% | 1976 | $1,277 | 27.8% | 92.0% | 4.6% |
| Ocean County | 3.25 | 40.1 | 8.2% | 19.3% | 10.6% | 1985 | $1,854 | 34.8% | 92.9% | 5.5% |
| Adams County | 2.53 | 44.1 | 8.8% | 21.1% | 6.7% | 1979 | $1,200 | 25.5% | 91.4% | 3.4% |
| Franklin County | 2.52 | 42.5 | 10.4% | 26.5% | 6.9% | 1977 | $1,149 | 24.5% | 91.1% | 3.9% |
| Fulton County | 2.29 | 47.0 | 8.5% | 22.4% | 11.4% | 1976 | $821 | 17.7% | 89.3% | 2.9% |
All figures 2020–24.
Counties with similar populations: Tulare County, CA · Plymouth County, MA · Burlington County, NJ · Camden County, NJ · Ada County, ID · Washoe County, NV · Passaic County, NJ · Lake County, IN · Monterey County, CA · Montgomery County, OH
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Chester County. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
No other site shows detail at this level for free. We are able to keep this site free by receiving a small commission from the referring links on this page. Please share or cite this page if you aren’t able to otherwise support our work.