Chester County grew faster than any county in the state from 2020-2024 and outpaced some of the fastest growing in the nation.
No county in Pennsylvania grew as quickly as Chester County in the last 4 years, from 2020-2024, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. The growth in Chester County was responsible for nearly 31% of the population increase in that time span in the greater Philadelphia metro area, adding 26,327 new residents. Pennsylvania’s total growth of 75,800 was led by a total of 28 counties adding residents, including Pike and Cumberland. As of July 2024, Chester County had a population of 560,745 people, making it still among the smaller counties in southeast Pennsylvania.
Chester County commissioners addressed the rapid population growth, and some expressed concerns about what the increased population would mean for the economy, traffic and pedestrian congestion. Several commissioners pointed to a lack of available public space that could make parking and day-to-day life in city centers more difficult. They also pointed to Chester County’s growth in the previous 4-year census data stretch as potentially marking an issue for residents. The county is also the most expensive home buying market in greater Philadelphia, with a median sale price of $495,000. The market has seen its most rapid growth with single-family construction, where inventory in Chester County was at historically low levels as of January 2024.
Philadelphia had the largest total number of new residents recorded from 2020-2023, according to census data. While the city gained 10,567 people – 0.7% increase – its total population of 1.57 million people is still lower than the 1.6 million residents prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The pandemic led to many fleeing the heavily congested city for suburban areas, but this most recent data seems to indicate a turnaround that some are returning to the city now 5 years after the pandemic.
Some county officials also expressed concern about the strain on Chester’s infrastructure the growing population could cause. Most specifically, officials fear that with increased traffic and more cars backed up farther on city streets, expensive upgrades could need to be made to accommodate those individuals, including new stoplights and even drainage pipes. Major intersections could also spur the need for new crosswalks, censor technologies and safety precautions for pedestrians. Some current residents of the county expressed support for the county executives plan to preserve open spaces and farmland, which they pointed to as a reason Chester County had become so desirable in the first place.
Officials also argued population growth would bring about new stimulations in the local economy, which in turn would increase tax revenues and upgrades to the local school systems creating an attractive option for families.
