Census-designated place · Chester County, Pennsylvania

Lincoln University, Pennsylvania

Lincoln University is a census-designated place in Chester County, Pennsylvania, part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area. It has 2,017 residents. Lincoln University, Pennsylvania has a quality-of-life score of 97 out of 100 (very high), ranking #515 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Pennsylvania it ranks #10 of 997 cities and towns. It ranks best on flu vaccinations (high), depression (low) and reading scores (high). It ranks worst on unemployment rate (high), time spent in the emergency room (high) and drought exposure (high).

97Very high

Quality-of-life score: #515 of 15,651 cities and towns
Pennsylvania: #10 of 997 in PA
Population: 2,017 (2020-2024)
Land area: 0 mi²
Density: 7,064.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 4243544

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 63 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
Economy—
Housing—
Health95#797/15,609
Healthcare77#3,563/15,650
Environment47#8,238/15,453
Education92#1,185/15,649
Infrastructure99#169/15,650
Community88#1,837/15,651
Leisure & amenities55#7,044/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lincoln University, 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

Flu vaccinations · high60.0%
99/100Pennsylvania 52.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChester County value
Depression · low13.8%
99/100Pennsylvania 23.9%United States 20.7%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Reading scores · high3.50
98/100Pennsylvania 3.10United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChester County value
Voter turnout · high81.3%
97/100Pennsylvania 71.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionChester County value
Math scores · high3.51
97/100Pennsylvania 3.12United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChester County value
Frequent mental distress · low13.8%
95/100Pennsylvania 15.9%United States 18.6%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Unemployment rate · high21.0%
1/100Pennsylvania 4.3%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
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 25%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 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
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
1,834 (2015-2019) → 2,017 (2020-2024)
+10%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
18.4% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Unemployment rateWorsening
8.9% (2015-2019) → 21.0% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Public transit commutersImproving
0.6% (2015-2019) → 4.0% (2020-2024)
+3.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%

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, Lincoln University, Pennsylvania improved on 0 of 2 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 2 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 2 measures

Change of every measure of Lincoln University, Pennsylvania between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.9 min2015-2019	13.8 min2020-2024	−0.0 min	Within the margin of error	47%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.7%2015-2019	10.0%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	55%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 10077 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 Lincoln University, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lincoln University, 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.

No place that looked like Lincoln University, Pennsylvania five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Lincoln University, Pennsylvania itself moved +0.4 points in standing on average over the same 1 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

2,017 residents (±78)

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: 20–29 men (−11.4 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,017 residents (±78)

Lincoln University, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

White47%†952
Black38%†769
Hispanic or Latino9.8%†

Education

20 residents (±30)

Lincoln University, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

No high school diploma0.0%0
High school or GED40%†8
Some college60%†12

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.

The Census Bureau publishes no detailed tables for Lincoln University, Pennsylvania.

Homes

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

The Census Bureau publishes no detailed tables for Lincoln University, Pennsylvania.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

815 workers (±207)

Lincoln University, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Drive alone23%†191
Carpool14%†118
Public transit4.0%†33
Walk31%†254
Bike0.0%0
Work from home22%†176
Other5.3%†43

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† 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

639 workers (±160)

Lincoln University, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under 15 min52%†332
15–29 min39%†247
30–44 min7.5%†

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 Lincoln University'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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Lincoln University 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.

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