Population
Chester
33,209
Melvindale
12,605
Median Income
Chester
$39,809
Melvindale
$41,356
Home Value
Chester
$85,400
Melvindale
$113,100
Rent
Chester
$1,080
Melvindale
$1,116
Crime Rate
Chester
5.23
Melvindale
3.02
Cost of Living
Chester
81.8
Melvindale
83.4
Avg Temp
Chester
N/A
Melvindale
N/A
Unemployment
Chester
17.6%
Melvindale
7.0%
How Similar Are Chester & Melvindale?
Melvindale is Chester's #16 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chester
33,209
Melvindale
12,605
Chester (33,209) is about 2.6x larger than Melvindale (12,605).
Violent Crime
Chester
5.23
Melvindale
3.02
Chester has a 42% higher violent crime than Melvindale.
Property Crime
Chester
18.17
Melvindale
11.66
Chester has a 36% higher property crime than Melvindale.
Political Leaning
Chester
37.6%
Melvindale
33.7%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Chester has a stronger Democratic lean (10% difference).
Unemployment
Chester
17.6%
Melvindale
7.0%
Chester's unemployment is significantly higher than Melvindale's — 60% difference.
Median Income
Chester
$39,809
Melvindale
$41,356
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
Chester
$85,400
Melvindale
$113,100
Melvindale has a 24% higher home values than Chester.
Education
Chester
8.2%
Melvindale
8.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Chester
16.4%
Melvindale
72.2%
Melvindale's demographics is significantly higher than Chester's — 77% difference.
Cost of Living
Chester
81.8
Melvindale
83.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Chester and Melvindale differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Chester
0
Melvindale
Chester leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Chester leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDMelvindale has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,122 vs $1,520 in Chester (35% lower). Melvindale has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,411 vs $1,810 in Chester (28% lower). Melvindale scores 63.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 78.1 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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMelvindale has a vacancy rate of 7.8% compared to 15.3% in Chester. Melvindale has a owner-occupied of 60.0% compared to 40.9% in Chester. Melvindale has a median home value of $113,100 vs $85,400 in Chester (24% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChester: 15,521 vs Melvindale: 5,350 for labor force. Melvindale has a unemployment rate of 7.0% compared to 17.6% in Chester. Chester has a work from home of 8.6% compared to 7.2% in Melvindale.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Melvindale leads
Source: FBI UCRMelvindale has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.33 compared to 1.49 in Chester. Chester has a property crime clearance of 17.8% compared to 5.6% in Melvindale. Chester has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.16 in Melvindale.
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 28.4% in Melvindale. Melvindale has a bachelor's degree or higher of 8.6% 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 ACSChester has a population of 33,209, about 2.6x the size of Melvindale (12,605). Melvindale skews younger with a median age of 31.6 vs 33.3.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chester
Melvindale
Healthcare — Chester leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareChester: 2.8 vs Melvindale: 1.3 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 0.9% in Melvindale. Chester has a work from home of 8.6% compared to 7.2% in Melvindale. Melvindale has a drive alone of 64.0% compared to 61.3% 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.