Population
Chester
33,209
Bay City
32,445
Median Income
Chester
$39,809
Bay City
$47,904
Home Value
Chester
$85,400
Bay City
$89,900
Rent
Chester
$1,080
Bay City
$739
Crime Rate
Chester
5.23
Bay City
5.64
Cost of Living
Chester
81.8
Bay City
78.4
Avg Temp
Chester
N/A
Bay City
N/A
Unemployment
Chester
17.6%
Bay City
6.5%
How Similar Are Chester & Bay City?
Bay City is Chester's #2 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chester
33,209
Bay City
32,445
Both cities have similar populations — Chester at 33,209 and Bay City at 32,445.
Violent Crime
Chester
5.23
Bay City
5.64
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 7% difference.
Property Crime
Chester
18.17
Bay City
18.68
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 3% difference.
Political Leaning
Chester
37.6%
Bay City
56.7%
Chester leans Democratic while Bay City leans Republican.
Unemployment
Chester
17.6%
Bay City
6.5%
Chester's unemployment is significantly higher than Bay City's — 63% difference.
Median Income
Chester
$39,809
Bay City
$47,904
Bay City has a 17% higher median income than Chester.
Home Values
Chester
$85,400
Bay City
$89,900
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Chester
8.2%
Bay City
12.8%
Bay City has a 36% higher education than Chester.
Demographics
Chester
16.4%
Bay City
86.5%
Bay City's demographics is significantly higher than Chester's — 81% difference.
Cost of Living
Chester
81.8
Bay City
78.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Chester and Bay City share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Chester
0
Bay City
Bay City leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Bay City leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBay City has a fair market rent (1br) of $814 vs $1,520 in Chester (87% lower). Bay City has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,030 vs $1,810 in Chester (76% lower). Bay City scores 70.5 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 91.0 in Chester.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Bay City leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBay City has a vacancy rate of 10.0% compared to 15.3% in Chester. Bay City has a median rent of $739 vs $1,080 in Chester (46% lower). Bay City has a owner-occupied of 68.5% compared to 40.9% in Chester.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Bay City leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBay City has a unemployment rate of 6.5% compared to 17.6% in Chester. Bay City has a poverty rate of 21.5% compared to 30.8% in Chester. Chester has a work from home of 8.6% compared to 6.8% in Bay City.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Chester leads
Source: FBI UCRBay City has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.34 compared to 1.49 in Chester. Chester has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.06 in Bay City. Bay City has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.48 compared to 3.98 in Chester.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBay City has a bachelor's degree or higher of 12.8% compared to 8.2% in Chester. Chester has a high school diploma or higher of 38.2% compared to 37.7% in Bay City.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChester has a population of 33,209, about 1x the size of Bay City (32,445). Chester skews younger with a median age of 33.3 vs 39.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chester
Bay City
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareChester: 2.8 vs Bay City: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Bay City: 5 vs Chester: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Bay City leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChester has a public transit of 9.6% compared to 0.6% in Bay City. Bay City has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.1% in Chester. Chester has a work from home of 8.6% compared to 6.8% in Bay City.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Chester, PA
Compare Chester against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.