West Chester is a medium-sized borough located in the state of Pennsylvania. With a population of 19,531 people and 25 associated neighborhoods, West Chester is the 46th largest community in Pennsylvania. West Chester has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic boroughs in the country.

West Chester home prices are not only among the most expensive in Pennsylvania, but West Chester real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that West Chester has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 11.24% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

West Chester is a small town with a large college student population. Because of this, there is a real youthful, hip vibe to the place, and much of the life in the town is centered on the college. This has helped West Chester to buck the trend of other small towns that have suffered declining populations over the past 20 to 30 years. Spending by students, and faculty and staff jobs, are a big part of the local economy.

West Chester, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the borough.

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to West Chester, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. West Chester is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 55.58% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in West Chester in 2022 was $41,443, which is upper middle income relative to Pennsylvania and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $165,772 for a family of four. However, West Chester contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

West Chester is a very ethnically-diverse borough. The people who call West Chester home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of West Chester residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. West Chester also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 11.31% of the borough’s residents. Important ancestries of people in West Chester include Irish, German, Italian, English, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in West Chester is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Langs. of India.