Housing data for Chester, PA
Chester, PA has an estimated 33,619 residents and 14,929 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Delaware County.
60.0% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,091 a month.
Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−1.1%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 33,619 (±59)
- Housing units
- 14,929 (±527)
- Households that rent
- 60.0%
- Median gross rent
- $1,091
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −1.1%
What stands out in Chester
Households without a vehicle: 29.2% (±3.7 points) in Chester, higher than in Delaware County (9.6%).
Households that rent: 60.0% (±3.8 points) in Chester, higher than in Delaware County (30.4%).
Median home value: $83,100 (±$7,041) in Chester, lower than in Delaware County ($332,200).
Median real estate taxes: $1,675 (±$166) in Chester, lower than in Delaware County ($6,124).
- Commute and cars in Chester
- Renters and owners in Chester
- Home values in Chester
- Property taxes in Chester
Housing in Chester at a glance
- Median rent: $1,091 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,111 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 64.6% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 60.0% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $41,342 median household income
- Home values: $83,100 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,157 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,675 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 17.2% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 61.4% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 84.7% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 3.4% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 49.1% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 22.9 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 494 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: −1.1% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 19.3% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 3.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room
- Fair Market Rent: $1,510 Small Area FMR, 2 bedrooms (ZIP 19013)
Chester against Delaware County, its state and the nation
| Chester | Delaware County | Pennsylvania | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 33,619 (±59) | 579,222 (exact) | 13,018,639 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 14,929 (±527) | 229,715 (±174) | 5,806,452 (±672) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 60.0% (±3.8 points) | 30.4% (±0.8 points) | 30.7% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,091 (±$36) | $1,372 (±$22) | $1,209 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $41,342 (±$4,759) | $89,546 (±$1,375) | $77,971 (±$342) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $83,100 (±$7,041) | $332,200 (±$4,050) | $254,500 (±$767) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,675 (±$166) | $6,124 (±$63) | $3,311 (±$12) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 84.7% (±5.7 points) | 79.3% (±1.4 points) | 67.3% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 22.9 minutes (±1.7) | 28.1 minutes (±0.4) | 26.3 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 88.6% (±2.4 points) | 93.3% (±0.5 points) | 89.7% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 33.9 years (±2.0) | 39.1 years (±0.2) | 40.9 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Chester covers 4.8 square miles of land, about 6,956 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Chester has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 33,982 (±38) | 33,619 (±59) | −1.1% | Measurable decrease |
| Housing units | 14,150 (±501) | 14,929 (±527) | +5.5% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $860 (±$22) | $1,091 (±$36) | +26.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $72,400 (±$5,277) | $83,100 (±$7,041) | +14.8% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $32,403 (±$3,000) | $41,342 (±$4,759) | +27.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,002 (±$57) | $1,157 (±$57) | +15.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,366 (±$122) | $1,675 (±$166) | +22.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 63.9% (±2.5 points) | 60.0% (±3.8 points) | −3.9 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 4.4% (±1.4 points) | 3.4% (±2.3 points) | −1.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Chester
In 2025, the Chester Police Department reported 494 violent and 1,794 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
ZIP codes in Chester
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19013 | 85% | 35,064 | $1,099 | $83,700 | $41,261 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Chester
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upland | 0.8 mi | $1,105 | $184,700 | 57.7% |
| Chester Township | 1.5 mi | $1,268 | $158,900 | 45.0% |
| Parkside | 1.5 mi | $1,158 | $212,600 | 22.5% |
| Eddystone | 2.0 mi | $1,329 | $127,200 | 36.8% |
| Brookhaven | 2.0 mi | $1,487 | $284,700 | 15.1% |
| Trainer | 2.3 mi | $1,309 | $119,800 | 28.3% |
| Woodlyn | 2.6 mi | $1,196 | $230,400 | 32.1% |
| Village Green-Green Ridge | 3.1 mi | $1,356 | $325,800 | 9.1% |
Places in Pennsylvania most like Chester
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKees Rocks | $1,081 | $75,600 | $41,131 | 58.6% |
| Reading | $1,067 | $121,300 | $44,091 | 59.4% |
| York | $1,014 | $119,700 | $48,420 | 56.3% |
| Tamaqua | $996 | $83,700 | $46,176 | 50.0% |
| Plymouth | $930 | $92,500 | $39,167 | 51.4% |
| Lewistown | $797 | $98,500 | $40,236 | 60.4% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Pennsylvania.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Chester, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,438 | $1,558 | $1,860 | $2,216 | $2,445 |
HUD also publishes a Small Area Fair Market Rent for each ZIP code in the area; the Fair Market Rent page for this place lists its ZIP codes.
HUD income limits for Chester, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $25,800 | $42,950 | $68,750 |
| 2 people | $29,450 | $49,100 | $78,550 |
| 3 people | $33,150 | $55,250 | $88,350 |
| 4 people | $36,800 | $61,350 | $98,150 |
| 5 people | $39,750 | $66,300 | $106,050 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $71,200 | $113,900 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $76,100 | $121,750 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $81,000 | $129,600 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $122,700.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Chester
What is the average rent in Chester, PA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Chester is $1,091 (±$36) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Chester?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Chester, PA is $936 (±$80) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Chester rent-burdened?
64.6% of renting households in Chester pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Chester?
Chester has an estimated 7,527 (±597) renting households, 60.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Chester?
The median household income in Chester is $41,342 (±$4,759) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Chester, PA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $83,100 (±$7,041) for owner-occupied homes in Chester (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Chester growing?
In Chester, the number of residents went from 33,982 in 2015–2019 to 33,619 in 2020–2024 (−1.1%), a measurable decrease.
What ZIP codes are in Chester?
The ZIP code that covers Chester is 19013.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 19013?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 19013 is $1,099 (±$33) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester city, Pennsylvania
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester city, Pennsylvania
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester city, Pennsylvania
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester city, Pennsylvania
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester city, Pennsylvania
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester city, Pennsylvania
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester city, Pennsylvania
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Chester Police Department (ORI PA0230400)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Chester city, Pennsylvania (place:13208, in state:42).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .