Living in West Chester, Pennsylvania: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 2.6% above the U.S. average in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 6.3 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood44 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1.8 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 9.6 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town17 public schools: 11 elementary, 3 middle and 3 high schools.
A hospital close byChester County Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityPhiladelphia is about 25 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means West Chester meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

West Chester runs into the built-up area around Philadelphia (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

College town. About 37% of residents are college students, with West Chester University of Pennsylvania in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $490,700U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 23%Chester County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,731 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $78,385U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 35%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,890 a yearPennsylvania: $3,311
Homes built before 1940: 43%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 12%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 102.6U.S. average = 100 (the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 23% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area, not West Chester alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 19,5912020: 18,667
Median age: 25.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 12%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 9%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 59%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 20%U.S.: 6%
College students: 37%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (23%); professional and business services (15%); retail (14%)
Unemployment rate: 7%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 21 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 17%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 20%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Chester County Hospital, West Chester, PA, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 5 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

17 public schools in West Chester, run by West Chester Area SD and Unionville-Chadds Ford SD.

Colleges in or next to town: West Chester University of Pennsylvania (10,000 to 19,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Pennsylvania's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 77%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 91%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 20°F
July average high: 86°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 27 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 131 a year
Rain and melted snow: 50.9 inches a year
Snow: 30 inches a year
Elevation: 460 feet

Weather station: W Chester 2 NW (2 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Wilmington, DECity of 74,00016

Philadelphia, PAMetro of 6.3 million25

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Wilmington, Philadelphia.

Chester County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

25 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Strode's Mill Historic District, West Chester Boarding School for Boys, the West Chester Downtown Historic District and West Chester Historic District (Boundary Increase).

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

First State National Historical Park8 miles
Valley Forge National Historical Park11 miles
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site18 miles
Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site24 miles
Independence National Historical Park24 miles

Campus life. Check West Chester University of Pennsylvania's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about West Chester's history on Wikipedia.

Know West Chester?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Exton, PA6,800 people, 5 miles
Frazer, PA3,400 people, 6 miles
Downingtown, PA8,400 people, 6 miles
Lionville, PA7,700 people, 7 miles
Malvern, PA3,400 people, 7 miles
Thorndale, PA3,900 people, 8 miles

Smaller places

Marshallton, PA (unincorporated)438 people, 4 miles
Cheyney University, PA (unincorporated)308 people, 4 miles
Dilworthtown, PA (unincorporated)1,090 people, 4 miles
Chadds Ford, PA (unincorporated)1,341 people, 6 miles
Hamorton, PA (unincorporated)138 people, 7 miles
Unionville, PA (unincorporated)652 people, 8 miles
Eagleview, PA (unincorporated)2,050 people, 8 miles
Eagle, PA (unincorporated)413 people, 9 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.