Population
Chester
33,209
Gary
68,604
Median Income
Chester
$39,809
Gary
$37,380
Home Value
Chester
$85,400
Gary
$85,300
Rent
Chester
$1,080
Gary
$975
Crime Rate
Chester
5.23
Gary
8.98
Cost of Living
Chester
81.8
Gary
78.6
Avg Temp
Chester
N/A
Gary
N/A
Unemployment
Chester
17.6%
Gary
13.0%
How Similar Are Chester & Gary?
Gary is Chester's #6 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chester
33,209
Gary
68,604
Gary (68,604) is about 2.1x larger than Chester (33,209).
Violent Crime
Chester
5.23
Gary
8.98
Gary has a 42% higher violent crime than Chester.
Property Crime
Chester
18.17
Gary
28.28
Gary has a 36% higher property crime than Chester.
Political Leaning
Chester
37.6%
Gary
46.5%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Gary has a stronger Democratic lean (19% difference).
Unemployment
Chester
17.6%
Gary
13.0%
Chester has a 26% higher unemployment than Gary.
Median Income
Chester
$39,809
Gary
$37,380
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Chester
$85,400
Gary
$85,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 0% difference.
Education
Chester
8.2%
Gary
9.1%
Gary has a 11% higher education than Chester.
Demographics
Chester
16.4%
Gary
12.8%
Chester has a 22% higher demographics than Gary.
Cost of Living
Chester
81.8
Gary
78.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Chester and Gary differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Chester
0
Gary
Chester leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Gary leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDGary has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,082 vs $1,520 in Chester (40% lower). Gary has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,317 vs $1,810 in Chester (37% lower). Chester scores 78.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 90.2 in Gary.
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 — Gary leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGary has a median property tax of $936 vs $1,676 in Chester (79% lower). Chester has a vacancy rate of 15.3% compared to 27.7% in Gary. Gary has a owner-occupied of 47.4% compared to 40.9% in Chester.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Chester leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChester has a work from home of 8.6% compared to 5.4% in Gary. Gary: 25,950 vs Chester: 15,521 for labor force. Gary has a unemployment rate of 13.0% compared to 17.6% in Chester.
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 UCRChester has a property crime clearance of 17.8% compared to 2.1% in Gary. Chester has a violent crime clearance of 57.1% compared to 9.7% in Gary. Chester has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.70 in Gary.
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 BureauChester has a high school diploma or higher of 38.2% compared to 32.9% in Gary. Gary has a bachelor's degree or higher of 9.1% compared to 8.2% in Chester.
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 ACSGary has a population of 68,604, about 2.1x the size of Chester (33,209). Chester skews younger with a median age of 33.3 vs 36.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chester
Gary
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGary: 5 vs Chester: 4 for with emergency services. Chester: 2.8 vs Gary: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Chester leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChester has a public transit of 9.6% compared to 2.6% in Gary. Chester has a work from home of 8.6% compared to 5.4% in Gary. Gary has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.1% in Chester.
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.