West Chester is a somewhat small borough located in the state of Pennsylvania. With a population of 17,873 people and 22 constituent neighborhoods, West Chester is the 59th 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 is a decidedly white-collar borough, with fully 85.77% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, West Chester is a borough of sales and office workers, service providers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in West Chester who work in office and administrative support jobs (17.01%), sales jobs (11.39%), and food service (9.71%).

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.

Of important note, West Chester is also a borough of artists. West Chester has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape West Chester's character.

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.

In addition, West Chester is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates." Urban sophisticates are people who are both educated and wealthy, and thus tend to be older, richer, and more established than young professionals. "Urban sophisticates" is not just about being educated and well-off financially: it is a point of view and state of mind, one that you might call 'urbaneness.' But such people can and do regularly live in small towns, suburbs and rural areas, as well as in big cities. They read, support the arts and high-end shops, and love travel.

Because of many things, West Chester is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making West Chester a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The borough's good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, West Chester has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, West Chester's overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

Although West Chester is a relatively small borough, quite a few people get to and from work by way of the bus, often traveling to the central city in the area.

West Chester Information and Demographics

The population of West Chester is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 14.96% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 39.00% of adults in West Chester have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in West Chester in 2000 was $19,073, which is middle income relative to Pennsylvania, and upper middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $76,292 for a family of four.

West Chester is a very ethnically-diverse borough. The people who call West Chester home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in West Chester is White, followed by African-American. Important ancestries of people in West Chester include Irish, German, Italian, English, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in West Chester is English. Some people also speak Spanish.