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Facts About Chester County
- Chester County is part of the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area is southeast Pennsylvania.
- The County was created by William Penn in 1682 as one of the three original counties of Pennsylvania. There are now 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
- Chester County is 762 square miles or approximately 487,500 acres in size.
- The highest elevation is 1071 ft. in the Welsh Mountains in Honey Brook Township. The lowest elevation is 70 feet above sea level along the Schuylkill River at the Montgomery County line.
- The County is a Third Class County with a three member Board of County Commissioners.
- There are 73 municipalities, consisting of 1 city, 15 boroughs, and 57 townships.
- 14 school districts provide K-12 public education in the County.
- There are six County parks (Hibernia, Nottingham, Warwick, Springton Manor, Black Rock Sanctuary, and Wolf Hollow) and there are also many Federal, State, and municipal parks.
- There are over 260 miles of existing surfaced trails, including two major County trails (Struble and Chester Valley).
- The population of the County in 2009 was 498,894 people. This is an increase of 65,363 (15.1%) from the 2000 census when the population was 433,501.
- Chester County is the 7th most populated county in the State.
- Of the population 25 years or older, 93% are high school graduates, 49% have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 18% have a graduate or professional degree.
- The Census Bureau estimates there are 186,600 housing units in the county, an increase of 23,000 (14%) from 2000 to 2009.
- The median sales price of all homes sold in the county in 2009 was $276,700.
- There are 166,981 acres of farmland and 1,733 farms in Chester County according to the 2007 U. S. Census of Agriculture. Chester County is a national leader in the production of mushrooms.
- Based on 2008 Census Bureau information, the County:
- Median Household Income is $85,731
- Median Family Income is $101,666
- Per Capita Income is $41,181
- The annual average unemployment rate for Chester County in 2009 was 6.3% compared to 8.1% for Pennsylva0nia and 9.3% for the United States.
- The sectors with the most employment are professional, scientific and technical services, health care and social services, and retail trade.
- Chester County has 3,552 miles of road with 1,022 miles owned and maintained by the State of Pennsylvania.
- The Downingtown exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike is located in Chester County.
- Chester County has 10 railway stations served by SEPTA regional train service to Philadelphia. There was an average of 5,250 daily riders in 2009.
- Amtrak provides service to 5 of the railway stations with trains to Harrisburg, Philadelphia and the northeast rail corridor.
Content Last Modified on 8/16/2010 10:09:02 AM
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