Population

Chester

33,209

Forest Park

19,619

Median Income

Chester

$39,809

Forest Park

$42,286

Home Value

Chester

$85,400

Forest Park

$119,000

Rent

Chester

$1,080

Forest Park

$1,101

Crime Rate

Chester

5.23

Forest Park

5.72

Cost of Living

Chester

81.8

Forest Park

82.7

Avg Temp

Chester

N/A

Forest Park

N/A

Unemployment

Chester

17.6%

Forest Park

6.4%

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How Similar Are Chester & Forest Park?

Forest Park is Chester's #7 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Chester

33,209

vs

Forest Park

19,619

Different · 41% difference

Chester has a 41% larger population than Forest Park.

Violent Crime

Chester

5.23

vs

Forest Park

5.72

Match · 9% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 9% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Chester

18.17

vs

Forest Park

28.65

Different · 37% difference

Forest Park has a 37% higher property crime than Chester.

Political Leaning

Chester

37.6%

vs

Forest Park

15.1%

Different · 60% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Chester has a stronger Democratic lean (60% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Chester

17.6%

vs

Forest Park

6.4%

Different · 64% difference

Chester's unemployment is significantly higher than Forest Park's — 64% difference.

Median Income

Chester

$39,809

vs

Forest Park

$42,286

Match · 6% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Chester

$85,400

vs

Forest Park

$119,000

Different · 28% difference

Forest Park has a 28% higher home values than Chester.

Education

Chester

8.2%

vs

Forest Park

7.6%

Match · 7% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Chester

16.4%

vs

Forest Park

18.4%

Different · 11% difference

Forest Park has a 11% higher demographics than Chester.

Cost of Living

Chester

81.8

vs

Forest Park

82.7

Match · 1% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Chester and Forest Park share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Chester

vsof 8

0

Forest Park

Chester leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Chester leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Forest Park scores 64.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 78.1 in Chester. Chester has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,520 vs $1,660 in Forest Park (8% lower). Chester scores 91.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 95.7 in Forest Park.

Overall Cost Index

Chester81.8
Forest Park82.7

Housing Index

Chester91.0
Forest Park95.7

Food Index

Chester80.4
Forest Park82.3

Transportation Index

Chester78.1
Forest Park64.6

Healthcare Index

Chester84.3
Forest Park85.9

Utilities Index

Chester86.5
Forest Park88.5

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Chester$36,007
Forest Park$36,370

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Chester$85,107
Forest Park$85,966

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Chester$1,520
Forest Park$1,660

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Chester$1,810
Forest Park$1,820

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Forest Park has a vacancy rate of 7.5% compared to 15.3% in Chester. Forest Park has a median property tax of $1,270 vs $1,676 in Chester (32% lower). Forest Park has a median home value of $119,000 vs $85,400 in Chester (28% higher).

Median Home Value

Chester$85,400
Forest Park$119,000

Median Rent

Chester$1,080
Forest Park$1,101

Median Property Tax

Chester$1,676
Forest Park$1,270

Owner-Occupied

Chester40.9%
Forest Park38.5%

Vacancy Rate

Chester15.3%
Forest Park7.5%

Single-Family Homes

Chester73.4%
Forest Park63.9%

Jobs & Economy — Forest Park leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Forest Park has a unemployment rate of 6.4% compared to 17.6% in Chester. Forest Park has a poverty rate of 16.2% compared to 30.8% in Chester. Chester: 15,521 vs Forest Park: 8,828 for labor force.

Median Household Income

Chester$39,809
Forest Park$42,286

Per Capita Income

Chester$23,451
Forest Park$21,689

Poverty Rate

Chester30.8%
Forest Park16.2%

Unemployment Rate

Chester17.6%
Forest Park6.4%

Labor Force

Chester15,521
Forest Park8,828

Mean Commute

Chester20 min
Forest ParkN/A

Work from Home

Chester8.6%
Forest Park5.3%

Private Sector

Chester83.9%
Forest Park95.2%

Government Sector

Chester40.5%
Forest Park45.5%

Crime & Safety — Chester leads

Source: FBI UCR

Chester has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.31 in Forest Park. Chester has a property crime clearance of 17.8% compared to 12.7% in Forest Park. Chester has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 11.95 compared to 19.13 in Forest Park.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Chester5.23
Forest Park5.72

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Chester18.17
Forest Park28.65

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Chester0.00
Forest Park0.31

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Chester1.49
Forest Park1.09

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Chester3.48
Forest Park4.11

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Chester3.98
Forest Park3.69

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Chester11.95
Forest Park19.13

Violent Crime Clearance

Chester57.1%
Forest Park41.8%

Property Crime Clearance

Chester17.8%
Forest Park12.7%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

ChesterN/A
Forest ParkN/A

Avg Annual High

ChesterN/A
Forest ParkN/A

Avg Annual Low

ChesterN/A
Forest ParkN/A

Sunny Days per Year

ChesterN/A
Forest ParkN/A

Annual Rainfall

ChesterN/A
Forest ParkN/A

Annual Snowfall

ChesterN/A
Forest ParkN/A

Avg Humidity

ChesterN/A
Forest ParkN/A

Schools & Education — Chester leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Chester has a high school diploma or higher of 38.2% compared to 30.8% in Forest Park. Chester has a bachelor's degree or higher of 8.2% compared to 7.6% in Forest Park.

Public Schools

Chester0
Forest Park0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

ChesterN/A
Forest ParkN/A

Colleges & Universities

Chester0
Forest Park0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Chester8.2%
Forest Park7.6%

High School Diploma or Higher

Chester38.2%
Forest Park30.8%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Chester has a population of 33,209, about 1.7x the size of Forest Park (19,619).

Population

Chester33,209
Forest Park19,619

Median Age

Chester33
Forest Park32

Avg Household Size

Chester2.4
Forest Park2.6

Married Population

Chester17.3%
Forest Park26.4%

Foreign Born

Chester4.3%
Forest Park18.0%

White

Chester16.4%
Forest Park18.4%

Black

Chester71.7%
Forest Park50.6%

Hispanic

Chester9.6%
Forest Park24.3%

Asian

Chester0.8%
Forest Park8.1%

Chester

Forest Park

Healthcare — Chester leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Chester: 4 vs Forest Park: 2 for with emergency services. Chester: 2.8 vs Forest Park: 1.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Chester5
Forest Park5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Chester2.8
Forest Park1.5

With Emergency Services

Chester4
Forest Park2

Transportation & Commute — Chester leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Chester has a public transit of 9.6% compared to 5.8% in Forest Park. Chester has a work from home of 8.6% compared to 5.3% in Forest Park. Forest Park has a drive alone of 71.5% compared to 61.3% in Chester.

Mean Commute Time

Chester20 min
Forest ParkN/A

Drive Alone

Chester61.3%
Forest Park71.5%

Public Transit

Chester9.6%
Forest Park5.8%

Bicycle

Chester0.1%
Forest Park0.0%

Work from Home

Chester8.6%
Forest Park5.3%

Airports

Chester0
Forest Park0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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