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EconPulse

Local economy signal dashboard

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PLACEStable

Chester Gap, VA

Stable overall. Federal Funds is the clearest support signal, while population needs the most attention. Housing reads as affordable for a median-income household.

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Overall score58out of 100
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52
59
0
79
100

Population

726

Data freshness

Unknown

GDP / Output

+1.9% YoY

52

$389.8M

Output changed +1.9% in 2024.

Vintage date unknown

State growth5.4%
U.S. growth5.3%

Jobs

Unemployment rate

59

4.5%

Unemployment is 4.5% for Latest available.

Vintage date unknown

State avg4.3%
U.S. avg5.2%

Population

-35.5% 5-year

0

726

Population moved -35.5% over the latest ACS window.

Vintage date unknown

State population8,705,170
U.S. population334,922,499

Housing

Rent share of income

79

14.9%

Median rent consumes 14.9% of median household income: Affordable.

Vintage date unknown

State rent$1.6K
U.S. rent$1.4K
HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

Federal Funds

$8.5K per resident

100

$62.5M

$62.5M in federal obligations flowed here in FY2025.

Vintage date unknown

State total$214.1B
U.S. total$5.3T

Population and output

Trend Snapshot

Reported share

Industry Breakdown

FY2025

Federal Money

Federal obligations

$62.5M

$8.5K per resident in reported federal flow.

Top agencies

Dollars
1. Social Security Administration$58.4M
2. Department of Veterans Affairs$3.5M
3. Railroad Retirement Board$283.1K

Top recipients

Dollars
1. REDACTED DUE TO PII$211.7K
2. ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY, INC$133.2K
3. COSTELLO FARM & LAWN SERVICE INC$100.0K

Affordable

Housing Affordability

14.9%

of median income

1BR estimate$703
2BR estimate$926
Median income$69,063
Median home value$292,600

ACS context

Quick Facts

Population

726

Median age

35.6

Bachelor's degree+

9.3%

Poverty rate

10.6%

Labor force participation

66.1%

Prime rate

6.8%

CPI YoY

+3.2%

U.S. GDP YoY

+6.5%

Sources and warnings

Data Provenance

Census ACS 5-year

2024

BLS LAUS / CPS

Latest available

BEA regional CAGDP1

2024

USAspending

FY2025

FRED

2026-07-31

HUD Fair Market Rent

Latest available

Data notes
  • HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

5-year compound growth

Historical Trends

Population CAGR

-8.4%

GDP CAGR

+5.8%

Federal flow

5 years

Population (5 years)
20201,125
20211,021
20221,069
2023896
2024726
GDP (5 years)
2020$294.2M
2021$327.8M
2022$341.2M
2023$382.6M
2024$389.8M

2-year linear forecast

Predictive Outlook

Population forecast

2024726
2025691 *
2026598 *

R² = 84.0% · * projected

GDP forecast

2024$389.8M
2025$421.0M *
2026$445.6M *

R² = 96.2% · * 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$69,063/yr
Median rent$857/mo
Rent share of income14.9%
Est. mortgage (30yr, 6.5%)$17,755/yr
Mortgage share of income25.7%

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

employment snapshot

Job Market

Unemployment rate4.5%
State avg4.3%
U.S. avg5.2%
Labor force participation66.1%
Poverty rate10.6%

Data from BLS LAUS / CPS. Latest available.

valuation snapshot

Real Estate

Median home value$292,600
Median monthly rent$857
Price-to-rent ratio28.5x

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

composite score

Investment Climate

Investment climateModerate
Composite score45/100
Economic growth52/100
Labor market59/100
Population momentum0/100
Overall stability58/100

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

Location Context

Chester Gap CDP, Virginia

City/Town

Part of

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Nearby locations

Apple Mountain Lake, VAFront Royal, VAFlint Hill, VASkyland Estates, VAShenandoah Shores, VA