Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Chester earns a D, 1013th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania, mostly because of health and schools. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 98% of the country. Its schools rank behind 93% of the state's. What it does well: a typical home costs about $83K, less than a year of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Chester, against 7.6% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. On safety, just 16 of Pennsylvania’s 634 towns do worse.
Where Chester beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its founding year, 1682, comes before those of 97% of the Pennsylvania towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 657 in 1820, a peak of 66,039 in 1950, 32,605 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Chester takes its name from Chester in Cheshire, England, 3,410 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionChester, settled in 1682, takes its name from Chester, a large town in Cheshire, England.
3 more U.S. towns are named after Chester:Chester Township, NJ7,795Chester, IL6,847Chester, NY3,991
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Chester is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 2%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chester. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw14 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw14 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw14 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
10 mi Park & preserveSchuylkill RiverLincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0 · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain · Schuylkill River: Emy111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chester, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Chester.
Chester has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Pennsylvania rate and has poverty well above the Pennsylvania rate.
31% of Chester adults say their health is fair or poor. Chester beats the Pennsylvania average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 22% of Chester adults report frequent mental distress.
| Chester | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Chester | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5% | 8.8% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 14.5% | 18.3% |
| More uninsured adults | 12.8% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Community CSLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 3,782 | D− |
| Chester HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 806 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 4.7 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Pennsylvania rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Reported crimes fell from 1,197 to 786 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Chester’s violent crime rate is 4.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Chester | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.1 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
2.2 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Chester Park, at 86 acres.
| Chester | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.5% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chester Park | 0.6 mi | 86 |
| 2. Memorial Field and the Bown Garden | 0.4 mi | 4 |
| 3. Veterans Memorial Park | — | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
148 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 29 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 148 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chester.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Chester has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Chester is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 2013, Chester has lost 1,679 jobs, to 9,153 in 2023. Most working residents leave Chester for work: only 9% work in town. The top destinations are Philadelphia (18%), Middletown Township (3%) and Ridley Township (2%).
| Chester | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $41,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 9.5% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.7% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 0.9 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 99% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. 64.6% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.2% across Pennsylvania.
40% of households own their home in Chester.
| Chester | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 40% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,091 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
33 within 15 miles of the center of Chester
About 9 of every 100 Chester residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
8 places in Chester on the National Register of Historic Places.
56 notable people were born in Chester.
First city in Pennsylvania, United States
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area and located on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. The population of Chester was 32,605 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester is the oldest city in Pennsylvania and was the location of William Penn's first arrival in the Province of Pennsylvania. It was the county seat for Chester County from 1682 to 1788 and of Delaware County from 1789 to 1851. From the second half of the 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, the city was a major center of heavy industry, manufacturing, and shipping. The city be…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Chester.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Upland (D) is closest. Nether Providence Township next door grades higher for schools (A+ to Chester’s D) and lower for cost of living (D to A−).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | #1013 | D | A− | D | D | D− |
| Chester Township | #972 | C− | B | C− | D | B− |
| Upland | #988 | D | B+ | D | D | D |
| Nether Providence Township | #15 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Woodlyn | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ridley Township | #480 | B+ | C | B | C+ | B+ |
| Trainer | — | — | B | C | C | C− |
| Eddystone | — | — | B− | D | C+ | C |
Trainer and Eddystone have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Woodlyn isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Chester with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Chester grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #1013 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D− for health, D for safety and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $83,000, 71% below the Pennsylvania typical home. That is 0.9 years of the area's median household income ($91,289 across the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
56 notable people were born here, including Ethel Waters and Jameer Nelson.
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