Population
Chester
33,209
Rock Island
36,758
Median Income
Chester
$39,809
Rock Island
$57,292
Home Value
Chester
$85,400
Rock Island
$118,400
Rent
Chester
$1,080
Rock Island
$819
Crime Rate
Chester
5.23
Rock Island
5.44
Cost of Living
Chester
81.8
Rock Island
88.8
Avg Temp
Chester
N/A
Rock Island
N/A
Unemployment
Chester
17.6%
Rock Island
6.5%
How Similar Are Chester & Rock Island?
Rock Island is Chester's #15 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chester
33,209
Rock Island
36,758
Both cities have similar populations — Chester at 33,209 and Rock Island at 36,758.
Violent Crime
Chester
5.23
Rock Island
5.44
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.
Property Crime
Chester
18.17
Rock Island
27.15
Rock Island has a 33% higher property crime than Chester.
Political Leaning
Chester
37.6%
Rock Island
44.4%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Rock Island has a stronger Democratic lean (15% difference).
Unemployment
Chester
17.6%
Rock Island
6.5%
Chester's unemployment is significantly higher than Rock Island's — 63% difference.
Median Income
Chester
$39,809
Rock Island
$57,292
Rock Island has a 31% higher median income than Chester.
Home Values
Chester
$85,400
Rock Island
$118,400
Rock Island has a 28% higher home values than Chester.
Education
Chester
8.2%
Rock Island
14.4%
Rock Island has a 43% higher education than Chester.
Demographics
Chester
16.4%
Rock Island
68.0%
Rock Island's demographics is significantly higher than Chester's — 76% difference.
Cost of Living
Chester
81.8
Rock Island
88.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 8% difference.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Chester and Rock Island differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Chester
0
Rock Island
Cost of Living & Affordability — Chester leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDRock Island has a fair market rent (1br) of $928 vs $1,520 in Chester (64% lower). Rock Island has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,143 vs $1,810 in Chester (58% lower). Chester scores 80.4 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 93.8 in Rock Island.
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 — Rock Island leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRock Island has a vacancy rate of 9.2% compared to 15.3% in Chester. Chester has a median property tax of $1,676 vs $2,861 in Rock Island (41% lower). Rock Island has a owner-occupied of 63.5% compared to 40.9% in Chester.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Rock Island leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRock Island has a unemployment rate of 6.5% compared to 17.6% in Chester. Rock Island has a poverty rate of 20.9% compared to 30.8% in Chester. Rock Island has a median household income of $57,292 vs $39,809 in Chester (31% higher).
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 UCRRock Island has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.14 compared to 1.49 in Chester. Chester has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.06 in Rock Island. Chester has a property crime clearance of 17.8% compared to 8.9% in Rock Island.
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 BureauRock Island has a bachelor's degree or higher of 14.4% compared to 8.2% in Chester. Chester has a high school diploma or higher of 38.2% compared to 34.2% in Rock Island.
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 ACSRock Island has a population of 36,758, about 1.1x the size of Chester (33,209). Chester skews younger with a median age of 33.3 vs 37.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chester
Rock Island
Healthcare — Chester leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareChester: 2.8 vs Rock Island: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Rock Island leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChester has a public transit of 9.6% compared to 2.4% in Rock Island. Chester has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.1% in Rock Island. Rock Island has a drive alone of 76.4% 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.