County · Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania has a quality-of-life score of 94 out of 100 (very high), ranking #205 of 3,143 US counties. Within Pennsylvania it ranks #3 of 67 counties. It ranks best on flu vaccinations (high), median household income (high) and poor or fair health (low). It ranks worst on time spent in the emergency room (high), public libraries (low) and effective property tax rate (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #205 of 3,143 counties
- Pennsylvania
- #3 of 67 in PA
- Population
- 557,116 (2025)
- Land area
- 751 mi²
- Density
- 742.3 /mi²
- FIPS code
- 42029
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 77 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.
- Safety97#89/3,096
- Economy97#106/3,143
- Housing22#2,448/3,140
- Health99#29/3,144
- Healthcare97#110/3,143
- Environment34#2,046/3,108
- Education100#11/3,144
- Infrastructure94#179/3,144
- Community90#307/3,144
- Leisure & amenities66#1,069/3,143
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Chester County, Pennsylvania ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Flu vaccinations · high60.0%
- Median household income · high$130,877
- Poor or fair health · low12.5%
- Frequent mental distress · low14.2%
- Bachelor's degree or higher · high57.1%
- Average weekly wage · high$1,746
Weaknesses
- Time spent in the emergency room · high222 min5/100Pennsylvania 191 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
- Effective property tax rate · high1.22%
- Child care cost burden · high35.1%17/100Pennsylvania 34.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Drought exposure · high74%20/100Pennsylvania 26%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA
- Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.4 µg/m³22/100Pennsylvania 8.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 74% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+74 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- High ozone daysImproving
7 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
- Child care cost burdenWorsening
20.5% (2020 & 2021) → 35.1% (2023 & 2024)
+15 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
- Drug overdose deathsImproving
19.8 /100k (2021) → 9.6 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−52%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
- Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
81.4% (2010 & 2021) → 90.9% (2022 & 2024)
+9.5 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
- Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
25.0% (Dec 2021) → 33.3% (Aug 2026)
+8.3 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
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.
Counties like Chester County, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Chester County, 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
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-MDLocal 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.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Public money & outcomes
Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.
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.
Metro area
The metro or micro area Chester County belongs to. A county is in at most one.
Cities and towns in Chester County
Places whose residents live mostly in Chester County, largest first.
- West Chester20,666
- Phoenixville19,452
- Coatesville13,353
- Downingtown8,255
- Lionville7,683
- Exton6,772
- Paoli6,362
- Kennett Square6,243
- Chesterbrook5,839
- Oxford5,825
- Parkesburg3,937
- Thorndale3,854
- Berwyn3,680
- Spring City3,657
- Malvern3,435
- Frazer3,389
- West Grove2,798
- Caln2,220
- Eagleview2,050
- Lincoln University2,017
- Kenilworth2,013
- Honey Brook1,941
- South Coatesville1,928
- South Pottstown1,893
Neighboring counties
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar counties
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Montgomery County, PA92Alike on Weekly wage, Flu vaccination, Some college
- Bucks County, PA90Alike on Broadband, Food environment, Voter turnout
- Morris County, NJ96Alike on Bachelor's+, Mental distress, Reading
- Howard County, MD96Alike on Weekly wage, Premature death, Flu vaccination
- Somerset County, NJ93Alike on Bachelor's+, Real income, Household income
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
- Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08
