Chester is a city of 34,100 in Delaware County, about 13 miles southwest of downtown Philadelphia · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Chester?
Property crime is high in Chester: a B-, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 76% of Americans live. Theft makes up 41% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades B, and vehicle theft grades B-.
B-
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 571 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
24% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Chester as a whole, and 76% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Chester scores 571.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Chester, PA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Chester, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out about property crime in Chester
Acts of vandalism run high. Chester has acts of vandalism at about double the US rate: 10.4 a year per 1,000 residents, against 5.5 nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Chester
Areas graded C for property crime are home to 53% of residents in Chester; 35% live in areas graded A or B and 12% in areas graded D or F. Property crime grades across Chester run from B+ to D-.
35%53%12%
A or B 35%C 53%D or F 12%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Is property crime going up in Chester?
Reported property crime in Chester has fallen 34% since 2019. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 30 to 20 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 14%.
Property crime, change since 2019
ChesterUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Chester. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Chester
Property, US
2016
+2%
+15%
2017
+9%
+12%
2018
+12%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-26%
-8%
2021
-23%
-10%
2022
-12%
-6%
2023
-24%
-7%
2024
-34%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in Chester
CrimeGrade™ estimates Chester has about 31 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 30% more than the US as a whole and 58% more than Pennsylvania.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Theft is the most common property crime in Chester, about 41% of the total, followed by vandalism and vehicle theft.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
The Chester Police Department reports to the FBI in a format that leaves out vandalism, so CrimeGrade™ makes its own vandalism estimate.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Property crime in Chester and nearby cities
Of the 10 cities closest to Chester, 9 have less property crime. Wallingford and Rose Valley have the least.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Chester apart: it has 16.0% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 77% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary and vandalism run high here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.16.0% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 97% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more car theft.77% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 92% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft.C+ (46 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 90% of US city residents
Show all 6
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Chester: C- (30 of 100).11 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 87% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.6.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 83% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Chester on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What property crime costs Chester
Property crime costs Chester about $8.1 million a year, or $237 per resident and about $666 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$1.1 million
$31
Theft
$2.3 million
$66
Vehicle theft
$2.2 million
$64
Arson
$79,000
$2
Vandalism
$2.5 million
$74
Total
$8.1 million
$237
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
