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Chester, PA
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
33,619
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
33.9
years ∙ half population younger than 33.9, half older
Diversity Index
47.2%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
5.1%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
Chester is a city within Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC39.845558° N, 75.371882° W
DMS39° 50′ 44.01″ N, 75° 22′ 18.78″ W
Population Density & area
6,960/sq mi
(2,685/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
48.7%
male
Male
48.7%
Female
51.3%
males per 100 females
Chester
94.8
Delaware County
94
Pennsylvania
97.2
Nativity
5.1%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
Chester
5.1%
Delaware County
11.2%
Pennsylvania
7.7%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
33.9
years ∙ half population younger than 33.9, half older
Dependency ratio
64
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Chester
64
Delaware County
65.2
Pennsylvania
66.4
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| Chester | Delaware County | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 23.5% | 22% | 20.4% |
| Working age (18-64) | 61% | 60.6% | 60.1% |
| Senior (65+) | 15.5% | 17.4% | 19.5% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 64 | 65.2 | 66.4 |
| Child dependency ratio | 38.5 | 36.4 | 34 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 25.5 | 28.8 | 32.4 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.
Diversity Index
47.2%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Chester
47.2%
Delaware County
55.5%
Pennsylvania
44.6%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.
RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Chester population
| Chester | Delaware County | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 11.1% | 5% | 8.7% |
| Mexican | 0.1% | 0.9% | 1.4% |
| Puerto Rican | 6.6% | 1.6% | 3.7% |
| Cuban | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 4.1% | 2.3% | 3.4% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 88.9% | 95% | 91.3% |
| One race | 86.1% | 91.2% | 87.7% |
| White | 13.3% | 62.4% | 73% |
| Black or African American | 70.5% | 21.9% | 10.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0% | 0% | 0.1% |
| Asian | 0.8% | 6.3% | 3.8% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Some Other Race | 1.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 2.8% | 3.8% | 3.6% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
52.7%
family
Family
52.7%
Non family
47.3%
% family households
Chester
52.7%
Delaware County
64.9%
Pennsylvania
62.4%
Average household size
2.44
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of Chester population
| Chester | Delaware County | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 12,537 | 216,946 | 5,274,853 |
| Average houshold size | 2.44 | 2.56 | 2.39 |
| Family households | 6,606 | 140,756 | 3,291,192 |
| Average family size | 3.37 | 3.24 | 3.01 |
| Married couple family | 1,769 | 98,702 | 2,437,812 |
| Other families | 4,837 | 42,054 | 853,380 |
| Male householder | 932 | 11,267 | 246,246 |
| Female householder | 3,905 | 30,787 | 607,134 |
| Non-family households | 5,931 | 76,190 | 1,983,661 |
| One-person households | 5,243 | 65,273 | 1,629,974 |
| Male householder | 1,867 | 27,157 | 733,485 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 734 | 9,137 | 246,162 |
| Female householder | 3,376 | 38,116 | 896,489 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 1,643 | 19,431 | 477,851 |
| Other living arrangements | 688 | 10,917 | 353,687 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
14,929
housing units
Chester
14,929
Delaware County
229,715
Pennsylvania
5,806,452
Occupancy status
84%
occupied
Occupied
84%
Vacant
16%
vacancy rate
Chester
16%
Delaware County
5.6%
Pennsylvania
9.2%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
69.7%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1951
Half of houses were built before 1951, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| Chester | Delaware County | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 5.7 | 6.3 | 6 |
| 1–3 rooms | 16.4% | 11.9% | 11.7% |
| 4–6 rooms | 64% | 43.2% | 47.7% |
| 7+ rooms | 19.6% | 44.9% | 40.7% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 2.5% | 2% | 2.3% |
| 1 bedroom | 18.4% | 11.5% | 10.4% |
| 2 bedrooms | 17.7% | 17.8% | 22.5% |
| 3 bedrooms | 52.9% | 44% | 42.3% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 8.5% | 24.7% | 22.6% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1951 | 1957 | 1966 |
| Total housing units | 14,929 | 229,715 | 5,806,452 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
40%
owners
Renter-occupied
60%
Owner-occupied
40%
homeownership rate
Chester
40%
Delaware County
69.6%
Pennsylvania
69.3%
Average household size
2.36
Owner-occupied
2.5
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Chester
2.36
Delaware County
2.76
Pennsylvania
2.53
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Chester | Delaware County | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 12,537 | 216,946 | 5,274,853 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 19.3% | 19.5% | 20.2% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 41.8% | 36.5% | 36.1% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 16.1% | 18.6% | 17.5% |
| 1999 or earlier | 22.7% | 25.4% | 26.2% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 97% | 98.5% | 98.4% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 1.4% | 0.9% | 1% |
| 1.51 or more | 1.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 29.2% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| 1 vehicle | 45.8% | 38.1% | 35.1% |
| 2 vehicles | 18.2% | 35.8% | 35.9% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 6.7% | 16.4% | 18.6% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 50% | 62.6% | 56.4% |
| Electricity | 30.3% | 22.9% | 25.3% |
| Solar | 0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 18.2% | 13.2% | 14% |
| All other fuels | 1.4% | 0.8% | 3.7% |
| No fuel used | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 1% | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| No telephone service available | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.9% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$83,100
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
36.1%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.
Financial characteristics
Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Chester | Delaware County | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $83,100 | $332,200 | $254,500 |
| Under $100,000 | 59.5% | 7.6% | 13.9% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 29.9% | 16.3% | 22.4% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 6.6% | 20.6% | 22.9% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 2.6% | 29.7% | 25.9% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 0.7% | 21.7% | 12.8% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 0.6% | 3.9% | 2.1% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 40.1% | 63.1% | 58% |
| Without a mortgage | 59.9% | 36.9% | 42% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $1,157 | $2,222 | $1,762 |
| Without a mortgage | $464 | $884 | $644 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $1,091 | $1,372 | $1,209 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
14.4%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Chester
14.4%
Delaware County
41.9%
Pennsylvania
35.2%
Adults without a high school diploma
15.7%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Chester
15.7%
Delaware County
6.1%
Pennsylvania
7.9%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
9,564
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
49.5%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| Chester | Delaware County | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 9,564 | 145,679 | 2,913,513 |
| Nursery / preschool | 5.3% | 6.3% | 5.7% |
| K–12 | 62% | 63.7% | 66.9% |
| Kindergarten | 5.4% | 4.4% | 4.8% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 17.8% | 18.3% | 19.7% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 20.5% | 19.8% | 20.7% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 18.4% | 21.3% | 21.7% |
| College or graduate school | 32.8% | 30% | 27.4% |
| College, undergraduate | 29.3% | 23.9% | 21.2% |
| Graduate, professional school | 3.5% | 6.1% | 6.2% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 49.5% | 50% | 44% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 70.7% | 68.1% | 75.3% |
| Private school | 29.3% | 31.9% | 24.7% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
20,681
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| Chester | Delaware County | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 20,681 | 395,146 | 9,189,697 |
| Less than 9th grade | 5.1% | 2.4% | 2.9% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 10.6% | 3.7% | 5% |
| High school diploma or GED | 45.8% | 27.3% | 32.9% |
| Some college, no degree | 17.2% | 16.6% | 15.1% |
| Associate's degree | 7% | 8% | 8.9% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.4% | 41.9% | 35.2% |
| Bachelor's degree | 9.3% | 23.5% | 20.9% |
| Graduate or professional | 5% | 18.4% | 14.3% |
| High School or higher | 84.3% | 93.9% | 92.1% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$36,405
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
10.5%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| Chester | Delaware County | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $36,405 | $58,678 | $53,549 |
| Less than high school graduate | $26,429 | $32,366 | $33,591 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $33,108 | $40,954 | $40,643 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $40,944 | $47,859 | $47,736 |
| Bachelor's degree | $58,237 | $75,046 | $69,335 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $48,873 | $99,086 | $87,132 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 38% | 25.2% | 25.2% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 22.8% | 14% | 13.3% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 19% | 8.4% | 9.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 10.5% | 3.8% | 4.1% |
About Neilsberg Research
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.
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