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EconPulse

Local economy signal dashboard

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COUNTYThriving

Chester County, PA

Thriving overall. Population is the clearest support signal, while gdp / output needs the most attention. Housing reads as affordable for a median-income household.

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Overall score77out of 100
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74
78
80
77
NA

Population

547,840

Data freshness

Unknown

GDP / Output

+5.0% YoY

74

$60.2B

Output changed +5.0% in 2024.

Vintage date unknown

State growth4.3%
U.S. growth5.3%

Jobs

Unemployment rate

78

2.9%

Unemployment is 2.9% for April 2026.

Vintage date unknown

State avg4.2%
U.S. avg4.3%

Population

+5.0% 5-year

80

547,840

Population moved +5.0% over the latest ACS window.

Vintage date unknown

State population13,018,639
U.S. population334,922,499

Housing

Rent share of income

77

16.6%

Median rent consumes 16.6% of median household income: Affordable.

Vintage date unknown

State rent$1.2K
U.S. rent$1.4K
HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

Federal Funds

Unavailable per resident

NA

Unavailable

Federal spending data is unavailable for this geography.

Vintage date unknown

State total$281.5B
U.S. total$5.3T
USAspending federal inflow temporarily unavailable.

Population and output

Trend Snapshot

Reported share

Industry Breakdown

FY2025

Federal Money

Federal obligations

Unavailable

No federal obligations were reported for this geography.

Top agencies

Dollars

No agencies reported.

Top recipients

Dollars

No recipients reported.

Affordable

Housing Affordability

16.6%

of median income

1BR estimate$1,446
2BR estimate$1,904
Median income$127,208
Median home value$485,600

ACS context

Quick Facts

Population

547,840

Median age

40.8

Bachelor's degree+

57.1%

Poverty rate

6.0%

Labor force participation

67.6%

Prime rate

6.8%

CPI YoY

+3.9%

U.S. GDP YoY

+5.9%

Sources and warnings

Data Provenance

Census ACS 5-year

2024

BLS LAUS / CPS

April 2026

BEA regional CAGDP1

2024

USAspending

FY2025

FRED

2026-06-10

HUD Fair Market Rent

Latest available

Data notes
  • USAspending federal inflow temporarily unavailable.
  • HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

5-year compound growth

Historical Trends

Population CAGR

+1.0%

GDP CAGR

+5.2%

Federal flow

N/A

Population (5 years)
2020521,980
2021531,704
2022536,474
2023540,896
2024547,840
GDP (5 years)
2020$46.6B
2021$49.8B
2022$53.8B
2023$57.3B
2024$60.2B

2-year linear forecast

Predictive Outlook

Population forecast

2024547,840
2025554,052 *
2026560,144 *

R² = 97.9% · * projected

GDP forecast

2024$60.2B
2025$63.9B *
2026$67.4B *

R² = 99.7% · * projected

Linear regression over available historical data. Projections are estimates based on past trends and do not account for policy changes, economic shocks, or other external factors.

housing affordability breakdown

Cost of Living

Median household income$127,208/yr
Median rent$1,763/mo
Rent share of income16.6%
Est. mortgage (30yr, 6.5%)$29,465/yr
Mortgage share of income23.2%

Rent data from Census ACS 5-year. Mortgage estimate assumes 20% down, 6.5% APR, 30-year fixed.

employment snapshot

Job Market

Unemployment rate2.9%
State avg4.2%
U.S. avg4.3%
Labor force participation67.6%
Poverty rate6.0%

Data from BLS LAUS / CPS. April 2026.

valuation snapshot

Real Estate

Median home value$485,600
Median monthly rent$1,763
Price-to-rent ratio23.0x

High price-to-rent ratio — renting may be more economical than buying in this market.

composite score

Investment Climate

Investment climateStrong
Composite score77/100
Economic growth74/100
Labor market78/100
Population momentum80/100
Overall stability77/100

Composite score weighs economic growth, labor market health, population momentum, and overall stability. Not financial advice.

Location Context

Chester County, Pennsylvania

County

Part of

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Nearby locations

Thorndale, PACaln, PAModena, PASouth Coatesville, PADowningtown, PA