Chester, Virginia Population 2024

23,415

Chester Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Chester was:

  • White: 59.87%
  • Black or African American: 25.43%
  • Two or more races: 5.86%
  • Other race: 5.33%
  • Asian: 2.03%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.9%
  • Native American: 0.58%
Land Area (mi²)
13.2 sq mi
Density (mi²)
1,779.30/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
5.96% (1,317)
The current population of Chester, Virginia is 23,415 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 22,098.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White13,81159.87%
Black or African American5,86625.43%
Two or more races1,3515.86%
Other race1,2305.33%
Asian4692.03%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander2070.9%
Native American1340.58%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Other race

Asian

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Native American

Chester Population by Race

Chester Population Pyramid 2024

Chester Median Age

40.6

Total

36.3

Male

45.2

Female

Chester Adults

There are 17,965 adults, (3,594 of whom are seniors) in Chester.

Chester Age Dependency

60.5

Age Dependency Ratio

25

Old Age Dependency Ratio

35.5

Child Dependency Ratio

Chester Sex Ratio

Female11,51449.91%
Male11,55450.09%

Chester Population by Age

Chester Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All8,9892.5773.126.9
Married4,4533.0788.911.1
Non Family2,5681.186238
Female1,4383.3546.553.5
Male5302.9566.833.2

3

Average Family Size

2.57

Average Household Size

73.1%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Chester Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade6744.16%
Associates Degree1,90511.75%
Bachelors Degree3,14819.41%
Graduate Degree1,98612.25%
High School Graduate4,35126.83%
Less Than 9th Grade9315.74%
Some College3,22019.86%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Chester Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Chester Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White10,0309,5503,686
Black4,0483,614807
Hispanic1,375722218
Other Race652315111
2+ Races629499260
Asian266266231
Native American54549
Islander48480

The highest rate of high school graduation is among native american people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 86.84%.

Chester Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$65,167$82,813$51,556
Graduate Degree$93,519$123,375$71,058
High School Graduate$47,001$54,961$33,333
Less Than 9th Grade$30,616$32,832$22,567
Overall$53,872$59,849$46,156
Some College$48,714$54,858$38,355

$53,872

Average Earnings

$59,849

Average Male

$46,156

Average Female

Chester Earnings by Educational Attainment

Chester Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Chester Language

88.74% of Chester residents speak only English, while 11.26% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 9.11% of the population.

Chester Language

Chester Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Black5,86678513.38%
White13,0767805.97%
Hispanic2,56245917.92%
Other1,17022919.57%
Multiple1,35118713.84%
Native1344936.57%
Asian44792.01%

9.45%

Overall Poverty Rate

7.7%

Male Poverty Rate

11.22%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Chester

The race most likely to be in poverty in Chester is Native, with 36.57% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Chester is Asian, with 2.01% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 0.76%. Among those working part-time, it was 11.09%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 18.92%.

Chester Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade16.57%
High School10.18%
Some College8.41%
Bachelors or Greater3.37%

Chester Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed22.42%
Male Unemployed14.02%
Female Employed6.13%
Male Employed1.47%

Chester Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Chester Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$106,545$121,631
Households$87,242$106,144
Married Families$123,381$-999,999,999
Non Families$41,414$58,825

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Chester Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

50.6%

Overall Marriage Rate

51.6%

Male Marriage Rate

49.7%

Female Marriage Rate

Chester Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Chester Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Chester Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Chester Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

1,667

Number of Veterans

1,437

Male Veterans

230

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
First Gulf War572
Vietnam439
Second Gulf War422
Korea111
World War II15

Chester Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
35 to 54526
55 to 64455
65 to 74323
75+256
18 to 34107

Chester Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White1,0919.77%
Black4179.59%
2+ Races15918.55%
Hispanic1477.94%

Chester Veterans by Race

Chester Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

8.16%

Veteran Poverty Rate

31.61%

Veteran Disability Rate

Chester Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

66.6%

Labor Force Participation

63.2%

Employment Rate

3.5%

Unemployment Rate

Chester Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Chester Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Chester Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

55.92%

Born in Chester

92.42%

Native Born

7.58%

Foreign Born

4.81%

Non Citizen

2.77%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

92.42% of Chester residents were born in the United States, with 55.92% having been born in Virginia. 4.81% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Chester Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202423,4151740.75%
202323,2411730.75%
202223,0685562.47%
202122,5124141.87%
202022,098660.3%
201922,032-112-0.51%
201822,1441870.85%
201721,957-607-2.69%
201622,5646372.91%
201521,9275722.68%
201421,3557493.63%
201320,6062081.02%
201220,3985922.99%
201119,806-1,181-5.63%
201020,98700%

Chester Population by Year