Chester County, PA
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 39.97, -75.75.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 96th pct · 121st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 100th pct · 1st of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median $231,558
- 100th pct · 1st of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median $381,762
- 50th pct · 1,523rd of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 45th pct · 37th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median +3.3%
- 60th pct · 5th of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median +2.6%
- 91st pct · 121st of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 97th pct · 2nd of 49 Pennsylvania counties · median $1,322
- 80th pct · 3rd of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median $2,013
- 95th pct · 130th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 92nd pct · 6th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median 27,809
- 60th pct · 5th of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median 217,338
- 98th pct · 56th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 98th pct · 2nd of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median $1,102
- 90th pct · 2nd of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median $1,505
- 75th pct · 753rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 90th pct · 7th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median 3.7
- 80th pct · 3rd of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median 4.8
Typical home value divided by the average annual wage of one covered job.
A percentile here is a min-max scaling of average rank: the smallest published value in the cohort is 0 and the largest is 100, and tied values share the average of the ranks they span. It is not the share of entities below the value, so 0 means smallest, not none below. Entities that did not publish the metric are outside the cohort entirely and are counted in neither the rank nor its denominator.
Home values #
Typical home $579,006 (Sep 2026), +2.9% over one year, +32.5% over five
- 96th pct · 121st of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 100th pct · 1st of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median $231,558
- 100th pct · 1st of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median $381,762
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Chester County, PA | $579,006 · +2.9% 1-yr |
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), typical value of homes in the 35th to 65th percentile, smoothed and seasonally adjusted; a model estimate of value, not a sale price. Data through Zillow Research.
Rents #
Typical rent $2,242/mo (Sep 2026), +3.5% over one year; price-to-rent 21.5
- 91st pct · 121st of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 97th pct · 2nd of 49 Pennsylvania counties · median $1,322
- 80th pct · 3rd of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median $2,013
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Chester County, PA | $2,242/mo · +3.5% 1-yr |
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), smoothed, all homes and multifamily; price-to-rent = typical home / (typical rent × 12).
What the typical home costs to carry #
Principal and interest of $3,207 a month on $579,006 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $8,532 a month: 37.6% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $579,006 × 80% = $463,205, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $3,207/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,969 × 52 / 12 = $8,532) = 38% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $579,006 / ($1,969 × 52) = 5.7
- price-to-rent = $579,006 / ($2,242 × 12) = 21.5
The wage is one covered job’s average, not a household’s income, so this is the share of a single paycheque and not a mortgage underwriting ratio.
Estimate. Principal and interest on the typical home with 20% down over 30 years at this week's Freddie Mac average rate; compared with the average weekly wage of all jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the area (BLS QCEW), which is pay per job, not household income.
Jobs & wages #
250,992 jobs at 16,951 employers (2026 Q1); -0.2% jobs and +4.0% average weekly wage over the year
- 95th pct · 130th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 92nd pct · 6th of 67 Pennsylvania counties · median 27,809
- 60th pct · 5th of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro · median 217,338
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Chester County, PA | 250,992 jobs · $1,969/wk · -0.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 36,230 | $1,234 | 0.96 | +1.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 24,392 | $3,215 | 1.41 | -1.2% |
| Finance and insurance | 24,316 | $4,440 | 2.38 | +1.8% |
| Retail trade | 23,488 | $928 | 0.96 | -1.3% |
| Manufacturing | 17,677 | $1,812 | 0.88 | -2.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 16,915 | $506 | 0.75 | -1.7% |
| Construction | 12,862 | $1,770 | 0.98 | +5.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 12,005 | $1,235 | 0.84 | +0.1% |
| Other services | 9,677 | $854 | 1.29 | +1.4% |
| Management of companies | 8,688 | $5,341 | 2.07 | -1.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 8,222 | $2,607 | 0.86 | -3.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 7,382 | $1,217 | 0.70 | -3.0% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, all ownerships, total covered employment in the quarter's third month; over-the-year changes as published. Suppressed cells stay blank.
Drought #
No drought class at this point (USDM covers the United States only)
Sites found: 5, searched within 0 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 0 km away are not.
US Drought Monitor current week; the highest class of any polygon containing the point.
Reservoirs #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, searched within 150 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 150 km away are not.
Σ(capacity × percent full) / Σ capacity over TWDB reservoirs within 150 km. Texas only; elsewhere USGS reservoir elevation/storage is listed without a capacity to normalise by.
Stream gauges #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
USGS latest readings screened against EPA freshwater criteria (DO ≥ 5 mg/L, pH 6.5–9, conductance, turbidity, temperature); NWS flood categories where a NWPS gauge is co-located.
Groundwater #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
USGS latest daily water levels. A single latest reading says where the table is, not which way it is moving; select a well for its 365-day trace.
Water stress #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$16.4 bn in deposits at 132 offices of 29 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 766, unconcentrated. $3.7 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $3.2 bn, contracts $396.5 m), $14,724 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $2.6 bn · 15.7% share · 12 offices | |
| Truist Bank | $1.6 bn · 10.1% share · 13 offices | |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $1.6 bn · 9.9% share · 9 offices | |
| Chester, PA | $3.7 bn FY2026 · $14,724/job |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $2,574,705,000 | 15.7% | 12 |
| Truist Bank | $1,648,729,000 | 10.1% | 13 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $1,619,890,000 | 9.9% | 9 |
| TD Bank, National Association | $1,413,689,000 | 8.6% | 6 |
| Citizens Bank, National Association | $1,408,543,000 | 8.6% | 11 |
| Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB | $1,110,191,000 | 6.8% | 9 |
| Fulton Bank, National Association | $912,604,000 | 5.6% | 8 |
| S&T Bank | $745,110,000 | 4.6% | 11 |
| First Resource Bank | $632,099,000 | 3.9% | 2 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $560,139,000 | 3.4% | 6 |
Deposit concentration is 766 across 28 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls unconcentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 28 banks with deposits in the county = 15.7² + 10.1² + 9.9² + … (25 more) = 766
FDIC Summary of Deposits: deposits at every insured office as of June 30, annual; HHI is the sum of squared county deposit shares (DOJ 1995 bank merger screen: 1000 / 1800). USAspending: obligations by place of performance for the latest complete federal fiscal year (Oct 1 to Sep 30), what agencies committed, not what they paid out; recipients are legal entities. Per-job divides obligations by BLS QCEW covered employment.
Federal obligations #
That is $14,724 per covered job, against 250,992 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $3.7 bn / 250,992 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $14,724
USAspending obligations are recorded where the work is performed, so a prime award performed here is counted here even when the recipient is headquartered elsewhere. Recipients are legal entities, never people.
National context, not this county #
These are United States, single-gauge, single-state and port series. None of them is keyed to this county.
| Series | Latest | As of | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River at Memphis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Mississippi River at St. Louis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Ohio River at Louisville, stage · ft | 17.95 | 2026-10-18 | -2.6% |
| Missouri River at St. Joseph, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Colorado River below Hoover Dam, flow (Hoover releases) · ft³/s | 5,170.00 | 2026-02-05 | -25.3% |
| Texas reservoirs, statewide percent full · % | 72.20 | 2026-10-19 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 258,700.00 | 2026-08-01 | -0.4% |
| Los Angeles + Long Beach container volume, annual · TEU | 10,513,167.00 | 2023-01-01 | -13.5% |
| Containerships waiting for a berth, all US ports · ships | 7.00 | 2026-10-13 | +133.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 101.91 | 2026-10-14 | +1.0% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.40 | 2026-10-15 | +0.0% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,275.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.6% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,403.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.1% |
| Case-Shiller US home price index · index, Jan 2000 = 100 | 337.31 | 2026-07-01 | +0.1% |
| Unemployment rate · % | 4.20 | 2026-09-01 | +2.4% |
| US goods and services trade balance, monthly · $ millions | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| Retail sales excluding food services, monthly · $ millions | 652,115.00 | 2026-09-01 | +0.7% |
The indicator registry has no county-keyed series and no geographic selection: every entry is national, a named gauge, a single state or a port. They are here as the backdrop the county's own numbers move against, and they are never this county's readings.
What changed #
Chester County, PA: 20 findings, 1 at a watch level and 19 noted
watchChester County, PA's covered employment is -0.2% against a year earlier, a watch level here: covered employment below the same quarter a year earlier (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.emp = -0.2 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published; not an official level
noteChester County, PA's average weekly wage was 4.0% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +4 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteChester County, PA's typical home value rose 0.3% from $577,210 in August 2026 to $579,006 in September 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- +0.3% = (579005.9128360082 - 577210.1493020399) / 577210.1493020399 × 100
- 579005.9128360082 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-09
- 577210.1493020399 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
noteChester County, PA's covered employment was 0.2% lower than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- -0.2 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteChester County, PA's typical home value of $579,006 ranks 1st of 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro, against a median of $381,762.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 100 on the 0-to-100 scale across 11 counties in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro that published home.latest
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
Read all 12 findings in the full brief
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.