Census-designated place · Chester County, Pennsylvania

Exton, Pennsylvania

Exton is a census-designated place in Chester County, Pennsylvania, part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area. It has 6,772 residents. Exton, Pennsylvania has a quality-of-life score of 98 out of 100 (very high), ranking #265 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Pennsylvania it ranks #3 of 997 cities and towns. It ranks best on high school diploma or higher (high), frequent mental distress (low) and flu vaccinations (high). It ranks worst on time spent in the emergency room (high), drought exposure (high) and child care cost burden (high).

98Very high

Quality-of-life score: #265 of 15,651 cities and towns
Pennsylvania: #3 of 997 in PA
Population: 6,772 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 2,165.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 4224440

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety96#609/15,637
Economy90#1,585/15,631
Housing84#2,414/14,977
Health97#534/15,609
Healthcare91#1,437/15,650
Environment47#8,230/15,453
Education100#12/15,649
Infrastructure92#1,291/15,650
Community88#1,837/15,651
Leisure & amenities55#7,044/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Exton, Pennsylvania ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Chester County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

High school diploma or higher · high99.2%
100/100Pennsylvania 92.1%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Frequent mental distress · low12.3%
99/100Pennsylvania 15.9%United States 18.6%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Flu vaccinations · high60.0%
99/100Pennsylvania 52.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChester County value
Reading scores · high3.50
98/100Pennsylvania 3.10United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChester County value
Poor or fair health · low10.3%
97/100Pennsylvania 17.0%United States 19.9%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Rent-burdened households · low30.5%
97/100Pennsylvania 48.2%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Weaknesses

Time spent in the emergency room · high222 min
12/100Pennsylvania 191 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesChester County value
Drought exposure · high74%
19/100Pennsylvania 26%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAChester County value
Child care cost burden · high35.1%
22/100Pennsylvania 34.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChester County value
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
27/100Pennsylvania 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesChester County value
Home price to income ratio · high4.6×
28/100Pennsylvania 3.3×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Grocery stores · low1.3 /10k
28/100Pennsylvania 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsChester County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
5,382 (2015-2019) → 6,772 (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
59.2% (2015-2019) → 68.6% (2020-2024)
+9.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateImproving
10.5% (2015-2019) → 3.9% (2020-2024)
−6.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.5× (2015-2019) → 4.6× (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
25.7% (2015-2019) → 30.5% (2020-2024)
+4.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateImproving
7.8% (2015-2019) → 3.2% (2020-2024)
−4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Exton, Pennsylvania improved on 1 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Bachelor's++9.4 points59.2% → 68.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Exton, Pennsylvania between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.4 min2015-2019	27.6 min2020-2024	+3.2 min	Within the margin of error	18%
Bachelor's degree or higher	59.2%2015-2019	68.6%2020-2024	+9.4 points	Improved	88%
Broadband subscriptions	98.3%2015-2019	98.2%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Effective property tax rate	1.28%2015-2019	1.13%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	49%
High school diploma or higher	96.9%2015-2019	99.2%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Home price to income ratio	3.5×2015-2019	4.6×2020-2024	+1.1×	Within the margin of error	20%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4192015-2019	0.3782020-2024	−0.041	Within the margin of error	80%
Median household income	$103,6942015-2019	$120,6972020-2024	+16%	Within the margin of error	26%
Rent as share of income	21.2%2015-2019	24.4%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Rent-burdened households	25.7%2015-2019	30.5%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Within the margin of error	38%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Exton, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Exton, Pennsylvania in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Exton, Pennsylvania itself moved −1.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

6,772 residents (±1,000)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 60–69 men (−3.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

6,772 residents (±1,000)

Exton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

White65%4,380
Black1.8%†121
Hispanic or Latino3.4%†229
Asian25%†1,670
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races5.5%†372

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Other or two or more races (+4.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

4,854 residents (±633)

Exton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

No high school diploma0.8%†38
High school or GED12%†595
Some college11%†535
Associate degree7.3%†355
Bachelor's degree39%1,878
Graduate degree30%1,453

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Graduate degree (+8.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,899 households (±335)

Exton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $25k3.1%†91
$25k–50k8.4%†244
$50k–75k7.9%†230
$75k–100k19%†551
$100k–150k28%†807
$150k–200k14%†403
$200k or more20%†573

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−7.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,899 households (±335)

Exton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Own29%844
Rent71%2,055

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−12.1 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

2,051 households (±336)

Exton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,5004.0%†82

Home values

844 homes (±188)

Exton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $150k0.0%0
$150k–250k3.7%†31
$250k–400k29%†242

Age of homes

3,204 homes (±368)

Exton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

2010 or later25%816
2000–200912%†383
1980–199933%†1,057

Size of homes

3,204 homes (±368)

Exton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Studio4.7%†150
1 bedroom17%†555
2 bedrooms44%1,417

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,605 workers (±586)

Exton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Drive alone58%2,093
Carpool0.9%†32
Public transit1.5%†54
Walk0.6%†20
Bike0.0%0
Work from home38%†1,371
Other1.0%†35

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+35.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,234 workers (±400)

Exton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under 15 min21%473
15–29 min45%1,016
30–44 min14%†320

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Chester County, the county holding most of Exton's residents.

Chester County has 15,102 employer establishments, 274 for every 10,000 residents (1.10× the US rate of 248; 1.16× Pennsylvania's), with 262,454 paid employees at an average annual pay of $84,366. The Census Bureau also counts 48,677 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 15,102; 48,677 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 274; US 248 · Pennsylvania 236
Paid employees: 262,454
Average annual pay: $84,366; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Chester County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	1,110	20.1	0.97×About typical	15,992	$75,954	2,678
Specialty trade contractors	959	17.4	1.12×About typical	8,770	$79,253	3,012
Restaurants and other eating places	829	15	0.82×About typical	13,880	$22,194	149
Management, scientific and technical consulting	617	11.2	1.67×More than typical	4,472	$131,233	3,419
Services to buildings and dwellings	607	11	1.63×More than typical	5,491	$45,649	1,794
Lessors of real estate	593	10.8	0.87×About typical	2,600	$73,088	6,232
Computer systems design and related services	577	10.5	2.42×More than typical	6,166	$123,214	880
Construction of buildings	530	9.6	1.27×More than typical	3,594	$81,149	1,126
Landscaping services	412	7.5	2.13×More than typical	2,816	$57,647	656
Offices of other health practitioners	382	6.9	1.14×About typical	2,213	$50,204	1,656
Full-service restaurants	372	6.7	0.88×About typical	8,210	$24,146	57
Building equipment contractors	360	6.5	1.09×About typical	3,868	$85,594	543

Rank places for an industry Open Chester County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 551,316 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $8.5M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Exton, Pennsylvania: $1,252 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $8.5M; +24% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,252; US $1,994
Sole-source: 25%; US 30%
Single offer: 13%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Air Force$5.2M61%
Department of the Army$1.8M21%
Department of the Navy$1.1M12%
Bureau of Engraving and Printing$105.8K1.2%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$74.6K0.9%
Offices, Boards and Divisions$68.4K0.8%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$50.9K0.6%
National Institutes of Health$49.7K0.6%

Top recipients

ANSYS GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES, LLC$5.1M60%
BENTLEY SYSTEMS, INCORPORATED$1.8M21%
DANIEL H WAGNER ASSOCIATES INC$639.6K7.5%
QUANTICS INCORPORATED$293.8K3.5%
RICOH USA INC$236.3K2.8%

Spending by fiscal year

5.2MFY2017
5.7MFY2018
5.9MFY2019
5.9MFY2020
7.4MFY2021
7.4MFY2022
9.6MFY2023
7.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$4.9M58%
Software publishers · 5132$1.8M22%
Software publishers · 5112$859.4K10%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$317.6K3.7%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$162.1K1.9%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Exton, Pennsylvania, so they do not add up across cities.

Exton, Pennsylvania's figures are part of those of Chester County, PA ($359.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.4% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Exton is mostly in Chester County.

See federal money in Chester County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Exton, Pennsylvania is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Chester County94100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD73

Other cities and towns in Chester County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4224440

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends