Chester, Virginia Population 2024

23,415

Chester Demographics

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

  • White: 56.21%
  • Black or African American: 28.14%
  • Two or more races: 6.79%
  • Other race: 5.5%
  • Asian: 2.18%
  • Native American: 0.66%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.51%
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)
White13,21956.21%
Black or African American6,61928.14%
Two or more races1,5986.79%
Other race1,2935.5%
Asian5132.18%
Native American1560.66%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander1210.51%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Other race

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Chester Population by Race

Chester Population Pyramid 2024

Chester Median Age

41.2

Total

38.5

Male

42.6

Female

Chester Adults

There are 18,152 adults, (3,700 of whom are seniors) in Chester.

Chester Age Dependency

62.7

Age Dependency Ratio

25.6

Old Age Dependency Ratio

37.1

Child Dependency Ratio

Chester Sex Ratio

Female11,86450.44%
Male11,65549.56%

Chester Population by Age

Chester Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All9,2032.5672.927.1
Married4,5693.187.912.1
Non Family2,7991.2564.635.4
Female1,3413.3345.754.3
Male4942.7955.144.9

2.99

Average Family Size

2.56

Average Household Size

72.9%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Chester Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade4662.86%
Associates Degree1,97712.15%
Bachelors Degree3,48421.41%
Graduate Degree1,82811.23%
High School Graduate4,47927.52%
Less Than 9th Grade7114.37%
Some College3,32820.45%

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
White9,5879,1613,431
Black4,5284,213995
Hispanic1,390982378
Other Race758455171
2+ Races697615379
Asian294294219
Native American676711
Islander44440

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 74.49%.

Chester Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$69,509$83,524$63,182
Graduate Degree$79,071$128,000$65,236
High School Graduate$49,133$58,251$35,894
Less Than 9th Grade$34,074$34,628$23,971
Overall$54,396$62,029$47,779
Some College$49,858$57,648$38,125

$54,396

Average Earnings

$62,029

Average Male

$47,779

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

90.57% of Chester residents speak only English, while 9.43% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 7.48% of the population.

Chester Language

Chester Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White12,6836445.08%
Hispanic2,59160923.5%
Black6,6195318.02%
Other1,21325320.86%
Multiple1,5981026.38%
Native1565635.9%
Asian5025310.56%

7.79%

Overall Poverty Rate

7.54%

Male Poverty Rate

8.04%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Chester

The race most likely to be in poverty in Chester is Native, with 35.9% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Chester is White, with 5.08% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 0.98%. Among those working part-time, it was 6.54%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 15.93%.

Chester Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
High School10.11%
Less Than 9th Grade8.84%
Some College4.28%
Bachelors or Greater3.29%

Chester Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed43.22%
Male Unemployed27.35%
Female Employed3.76%
Male Employed0.93%

Chester Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Chester Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$104,172$111,008
Households$88,455$100,379
Married Families$122,951$-999,999,999
Non Families$52,133$66,003

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Chester Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

51.2%

Overall Marriage Rate

52.9%

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 Over 65, 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

1,847

Number of Veterans

1,672

Male Veterans

175

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
First Gulf War581
Vietnam526
Second Gulf War414
Korea96
World War II0

Chester Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
35 to 54537
55 to 64523
65 to 74423
75+235
18 to 34129

Chester Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White1,12110.63%
Black50110.33%
2+ Races22522.48%
Hispanic20510.67%

Chester Veterans by Race

Chester Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

4.44%

Veteran Poverty Rate

24.09%

Veteran Disability Rate

Chester Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

66.8%

Labor Force Participation

63.3%

Employment Rate

3.4%

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

93.76%

Native Born

6.24%

Foreign Born

3.85%

Non Citizen

2.39%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

93.76% of Chester residents were born in the United States, with 55.92% having been born in Virginia. 3.85% 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