Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Chester Township grades C− overall, ranked 972nd of 1032 in Pennsylvania, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. 6% of its land is conserved and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. On the other side, its public schools trail 93% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. Chester Township’s median age is 26.8 years, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 43.2 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. On safety, just 56 of Pennsylvania’s 634 towns do worse. Chester Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 99% of U.S. towns.
Where Chester Township 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 11 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Chester Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chester Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw15 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw15 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
Big draw21 mi MuseumLynnewood HallUSS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Lincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0 · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain · Lynnewood Hall: Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chester Township, 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 Township.
Chester Township has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in Pennsylvania and draws workers from Philadelphia and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
2.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Chester Township’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Camp Upland Park, at 23 acres.
| Chester Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.4% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Camp Upland Park | — | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Chester-Upland SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toby Farms Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–8 | Grades 4–8 | 359 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
2,842 jobs are based in Chester Township, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 19.3 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Chester Township for work: only 3% work in town. 16% of Chester Township residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Chester Township has added 622 jobs, to 2,842 in 2023.
| Chester Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 33.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 90% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
The property crime rate in Chester Township is 17.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Chester Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.9 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Philadelphia Intl Ap weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 224 days, the highest of 3,547 Pennsylvania places with climate records.
Chester Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 23 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $309 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on. 140 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 16 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 140 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chester Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 8,381 U.S. towns with household incomes like Chester Township’s, it is healthier than 77%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Chester Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 43% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Chester Township.
| Chester Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Chester Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 7.8% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
29 within 15 miles of the center of Chester Township
About 12 of every 100 Chester Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Chester Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
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)
5 towns share a border with Chester Township.
Aston Township next door grades higher for schools (A− to Chester Township’s D) and lower for cost of living (C− to B).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Township | #972 | C− | B | C− | D | B− |
| Aston Township | #235 | A | C− | A− | A− | A− |
| Chester | #1013 | D | A− | D | D | D− |
| Upland | #988 | D | B+ | D | D | D |
| Brookhaven | #465 | B+ | C | C | A− | A− |
| Upper Chichester Township | #790 | C+ | C | C+ | C | B |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Chester Township grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #972 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B− for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
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