City safety & data profile

ChesterPA

Chester, PA is a 34K-resident city in Delaware County with a median household income of $41,342.

Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Chester, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Chester has a population larger than 68% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $83,100.

Data updated 2026-07-20

34K
Population
Top 32%
By size
$41,342
Median income
$83,100
Median home
29%
Poverty rate

The read on Chester

Chester posts a median household income higher than 2% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 98%
by median income, US cities

Where Chester income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$41,342 Bottom 2% higher than 2% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. PA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Chester, PA beyond the headline numbers

Chester sits inside Delaware County, Pennsylvania, at roughly 39.85°N, -75.36°W. Population 34,092, $41,342 median household income. Median home value $83,100, median rent $1,091. Poverty rate 29%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Chester's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 52.6%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Chester from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
34,092
Chester
Median Income
$41,342
-39% vs avg
Median Home Value
$83,100
-64% vs avg
Median Age
33.9
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Delaware County) - Chester's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
579K+3%
Median Income
$89,546+40%
Median Home Value
$332,200+42%
Poverty Rate
10.2%-1%
Unemployment
6.8%-25%

Economics

Economics indicators for Chester, PA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,091/mo
Poverty Rate
29% +104% vs avg
Unemployment 17.6%
Bachelor's Degree+ 14.4%
Work From Home 9.5%
Public Transit 9.7%

Population

White 13.7%
African American 72%
Asian 0.8%
Two or More Ethnicities 2.4%

Health Profile 2 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
52.6%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 46.4%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Chester, PA? ▼
Chester, PA has a population of 34,092 people, located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
What is the median household income in Chester? ▼
The median household income in Chester, PA is $41,342 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 29%.
What is the median home value in Chester? ▼
The median home value in Chester, PA is $83,100. Median rent is $1,091/month.
What are the top health concerns in Chester? ▼
The top health indicators in Chester include Short Sleep Duration (52.6%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Chester? ▼
The median age in Chester, PA is 33.9 years. 14.4% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Chester, PA is located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. With a population of 34K and a $41,342 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration. Safety alerts for the Chester area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Pennsylvania

Real-time AQI for every monitored Pennsylvania location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Springfield, PA 23K Drexel Hill, PA 28K Darby, PA 11K Lansdowne, PA 11K Broomall, PA 11K Yeadon, PA 12K Paschall, PA 12K Havertown, PA 50K
All cities in Pennsylvania → Compare Chester vs Springfield → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Chester's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Chester area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Chester against Pennsylvania peers on any ranking lens. Explore Pennsylvania

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Delaware County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.