Chesterfield County · Virginia · South · 24k residents
Chester, VA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Chester: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Virginia median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,213/wk. Virginia's corporate income tax rate is 6%. Commercial electricity averages 8.7¢/kWh.
Compare Chester side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,213/wk
Corporate income tax
6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
33.8%
Commercial electricity
8.7¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Chester's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
89/100
Heating
Ranks Chester's jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $327,200 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $220 |
| Property tax rate | 0.87% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,160/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,449/mo |
| State & local income tax | 4.36% |
| Sales tax | 5.75% |
| Corporate income tax | 6% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,213/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33.8% |
| Commercial electricity | 8.7¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 26.8/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $132,120 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $93,580 |
| Wage: General manager | $108,670 |
| Wage: Customer service | $42,660 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $37,180 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $58,190 |
| Wage: Electrician | $61,350 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $33,580 |
| Cost of living index | 99 |
| Groceries index | 100 |
| Utilities | $175/mo |
| Transit pass | $70/mo |
| Gas price | $3.15/gal |
| Healthcare index | 98 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,250/mo |
| Median household income | $95,104 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% |
| Population | 24k |
| Crime index | 32/100 |
| School rating | 6.8/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 85/100 |
| Avg. commute | 28 min |
| Sunny days / year | 210 days |
| July high | 89°F |
| January low | 28°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | +2.1% |
| Home price MoM | +0.1% |
| Rent YoY | 0.0% |
| Rent MoM | -0.4% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +1.9% |
| Building permits YoY | — |
| Ocean coast | 86 mi |
| Big lake | 62 mi |
| Mountains | 98 mi |
| Major airport | 13 mi |
| Ski resort | 91 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Colonial Heights, VA · 18k
- Meadowbrook, VA · 21k
- Hopewell, VA · 23k
- Petersburg, VA · 34k
- Midlothian, VA · 19k
Similar size
- Brambleton, VA · 25k
- Herndon, VA · 25k
- Bailey's Crossroads, VA · 24k
- Chantilly, VA · 24k
- Fairfax, VA · 25k
Real listings in Chester
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Chester a good place to run a business?
- Virginia's corporate income tax rate is 6%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,213/wk; commercial electricity averages 8.7¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Chester, VA?
- Chester indexes at 99 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,449/mo and a acs median home value of $327,200.
- How much does a house cost in Chester?
- The acs median home value in Chester is $327,200 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Chester?
- A two-bedroom in Chester rents for about $1,449/mo.