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COUNTY · 2010 ACS

Chester County

Pennsylvania · 498,886 residents · 751 sq mi
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The short version

With 498,886 people, Chester County is a county in Pennsylvania. Households here earn about 68% more than in Pennsylvania as a whole. This is an unusually credentialed place: 48% of adults have a four-year degree. Households take in $84,741 a year at the median, 61% more than the country as a whole. 76% of homes are owner-occupied. The typical home is worth $334,300, having more than doubled since 2000.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $52,703
Older
median age 39.3
US median: 37.2
More educated
48% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Less affordable
home values up 48%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
498,886
+15%since 2000
from 433,501 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
39.3
+7%since 2000
from 36.9 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
751 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
359K411K462K514K565K19902000201020202024Chester County
2024548K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 56.2%(31,126)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 97%(34,929)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 147.2%(35,717)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 197.3%(36,401)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 246.1%(30,284)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3410.9%(54,473)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4413.8%(68,933)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5416.4%(81,576)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6412.3%(61,572)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 746.8%(34,016)
US avg: 7%
75 to 844.1%(20,592)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1.9%(9,267)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$84,741
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $65,295 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$41,251
+30%since 2000
from $31,627 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
55.8%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 55.4% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
6.2%
+1.0 ptssince 2000
from 5.2% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.447
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Retail trade12.6%
US avg: 10.9%
Information11%
US avg: 11.5%
Other services10%
US avg: 7%
Public administration8.1%
US avg: 4.9%
Wholesale trade5.7%
US avg: 7.2%
Finance & insurance3.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing3.4%
US avg: 3.1%
Professional, scientific, technical3.1%
US avg: 4.2%
Arts, entertainment, food2.2%
US avg: 2.4%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction1.9%
US avg: 1.4%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$334,300
+48%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $178,900 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,077
+13%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $754 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
76.2%
−0.1 ptssince 2000
from 76.3% in 2000
23.8% rent
Vacancy rate
4.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 4.3% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.63 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.68 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
30.4%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 30.1% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
40.7%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 40.3% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
3.9
Unchangedsince 2009
from 3.9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic87.2%(377,925)
Black6.1%(26,395)
Hispanic / Latino3.7%(16,126)
Asian1.9%(8,400)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic82.1%(409,561)
Black5.9%(29,388)
Hispanic / Latino6.5%(32,503)
Asian3.9%(19,216)
Other1.5%(7,421)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.5%(17,315)
Puerto Rican1.3%(6,279)
South American0.4%(1,950)
Cuban0.2%(1,033)
Colombian0.1%(701)
Ecuadorian0.1%(610)
Dominican0.1%(472)
Spaniard0.1%(354)
Honduran0%(238)
Guatemalan0%(227)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Venezuelan0%(193)
Salvadoran0%(177)
Argentine0%(167)
Peruvian0%(109)
Chilean0%(92)
Bolivian0%(70)
Ancestry
Irish24.3%(119,155)
German23.5%(115,452)
Italian15.6%(76,621)
English13.7%(67,172)
Polish5.3%(26,173)
American4.5%(22,106)
Scottish2.8%(13,498)
French2.6%(12,757)
Scotch-Irish2.6%(12,559)
Dutch1.9%(9,185)
Welsh1.7%(8,539)
Russian1.7%(8,193)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish1%(5,046)
Ukrainian0.9%(4,651)
Slovak0.9%(4,513)
Hungarian0.8%(4,146)
Greek0.8%(3,768)
British0.7%(3,658)
Norwegian0.7%(3,474)
Lithuanian0.6%(2,943)
Swiss0.6%(2,750)
Austrian0.5%(2,620)
Czech0.4%(2,013)
French Canadian0.4%(1,886)
Arab0.4%(1,783)
Danish0.3%(1,228)
West Indian0.2%(1,163)
Canadian0.2%(1,038)
Croatian0.2%(839)
Romanian0.2%(836)
Armenian0.2%(811)
Portuguese0.2%(751)
Lebanese0.1%(631)
Jamaican0.1%(565)
Finnish0.1%(490)
Serbian0.1%(458)
Nigerian0.1%(426)
Brazilian0.1%(425)
Belgian0.1%(376)
Latvian0.1%(374)
Iranian0.1%(373)
Egyptian0.1%(333)
Turkish0.1%(299)
Slovene0%(241)
Haitian0%(199)
Syrian0%(192)
Australian0%(135)
Israeli0%(99)
Jordanian0%(96)
Moroccan0%(84)
Bulgarian0%(80)
Kenyan0%(73)
Guyanese0%(66)
Barbadian0%(34)
Ethiopian0%(23)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
47.8%
+5.3 ptssince 2000
from 42.5% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
92.5%
+3.2 ptssince 2000
from 89.3% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
18.3%
+2.4 ptssince 2000
from 15.9% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
27.9 min
+43%since 2000
from 19.5 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
81.3%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 81.1% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
7.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.7% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
2.7%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.6% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
5.3%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
2.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.3% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
4.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.6% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
9.4%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 9.1% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
47.3%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 46.6% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 49.4% in 2009
Female
50.9%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 50.6% in 2009
Foreign born
8.3%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 7.5% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
9.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married32.4%(71,905)
Married58.9%(130,692)
Widowed2.1%(4,662)
Divorced6.6%(14,685)
Women 15+
Never married28.9%(66,031)
Married54.8%(125,170)
Widowed7.3%(16,679)
Divorced8.9%(20,404)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
4.4%
−3.7 ptssince 2013
from 8.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
68.6%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 68.6% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 15.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.6%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 16.6% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
10.9%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 10.4% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.6%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
81.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 81.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
27.2%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 26.0% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)18.6%(3,834)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)15.4%(3,180)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era40.1%(8,272)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War6.3%(1,304)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.3%(273)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 20,620 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Chester County to nearby counties

CHESTER COUNTY VS
Delaware County
Income$89,546+6%
Home value$332,200−1%
Population580,937+4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHESTER COUNTY VS
Montgomery County
Income$113,915+34%
Home value$436,700+31%
Population877,643+58%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHESTER COUNTY VS
Lancaster County
Income$86,959+3%
Home value$301,100−10%
Population563,159+1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CHESTER COUNTY VS
New Castle County
Income$91,166+8%
Home value$352,200+5%
Population588,026+6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Chester County, Pennsylvania?

Chester County, Pennsylvania has about 498,886 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Chester County, Pennsylvania?

The typical household in Chester County, Pennsylvania earns about $84,741 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Chester County, Pennsylvania expensive?

In Chester County, Pennsylvania, the median home is worth about $334,300, and the typical rent is about $1,077 a month.

How educated are people in Chester County, Pennsylvania?

About 47.8% of adults age 25 and over in Chester County, Pennsylvania hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Chester County, Pennsylvania?

About 6.2% of people in Chester County, Pennsylvania live below the federal poverty line.

Has Chester County, Pennsylvania grown since 1990?

Yes, Chester County, Pennsylvania has grown since 1990. The population has added about 122,490 residents, a change of about 33 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →