Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,183, settled in 1911.
Chester Heights is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 114th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. Its schools rank ahead of 95% of Pennsylvania towns, the median household earns $104K, and residents are healthier than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $343K, 3.8 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income. Chester Heights’ median rent is $2,454 a month, against $1,114 a month in Pennsylvania’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Chester Heights is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Chester Heights has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Forge Hill and Chamberlain-Pennell House.
Where Chester Heights beats most towns.
2,531 counted in 2010 and 2,897 in 2020; an estimated 3,183 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 9.6% since 2020, after 14.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Chester Heights is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for schools (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 8%), so the A+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 474 in 1950, 2,897 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1922 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chester Heights. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw17 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw16 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 Heights, 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 Heights.
Chester Heights has less tooth loss than most of Pennsylvania and has added a third more jobs in ten years, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 8.8% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Chester Heights. Chester Heights beats the Pennsylvania average on 12 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 11% of adults report frequent physical distress in Chester Heights.
| Chester Heights | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Chester Heights | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.8% | 14.5% |
| Fewer smokers | 10.6% | 15.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chester Heights.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Chester Heights has chilly winters and warm summers. Chester Heights’ July high is 87°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 1,327 in 2013 to 1,730. 29.8% of workers work from home, against 15.6% across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Chester Heights for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Chester Heights has added 403 jobs, to 1,730 in 2023. The average trip to work in Chester Heights is 29 minutes.
| Chester Heights | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $104,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.3% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.6% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
60.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.2% across Pennsylvania. The median property tax bill is $5,122, against $3,311 across Pennsylvania, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
24 within 15 miles of the center of Chester Heights
About 4 of every 100 Chester Heights residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
4 places in Chester Heights on the National Register of Historic Places.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Chester Heights is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Chester Heights had a population of 2,897. Most of the borough lies south of U.S. 1, about a mile southwest of Wawa.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Chester Heights.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Middletown Township (A) comes closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Heights | #114 | A+ | D | — | A+ | A |
| Middletown Township | #120 | A | D− | — | A+ | A |
| Aston Township | #235 | A | C− | A− | A− | A− |
| Concord Township | #199 | A | D− | — | A+ | A |
| Thornbury Township | #246 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
Chester Heights, Middletown Township, Concord Township and Thornbury Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Chester Heights with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Chester Heights grades A+ overall, better than 95% of U.S. towns and #114 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $343,000, 20% above the Pennsylvania typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
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