Overall, Chester County has a strong and diverse economy, with particular strengths in management of companies, finance, professional and technical services, and agriculture, and this strength will help the county economy come back from the COVID-19 pandemic impacts.

With the pandemic taking a toll of much of the nation’s economy, the Chester County Planning Commission, in partnership with the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC), prepared an Economy Report for the Restore Chester County Initiative, which was created to focus on the reopening and restoration of Chester County post-COVID-19.

Through the Economy Report, local data and information about the structure of the county’s economy (pre-COVID-19) can be used to help guide an Economic Recovery Plan for the county.

While the report does not account for the impact of COVID-19 and mostly reflects data from 2018-2019, it can, however, be used to assess the county’s economic strengths and weaknesses prior to the pandemic.

Additionally, comparing Chester County’s data to others (locally, regionally, and nationally) helps provide a better understanding of how our economy is performing on a wider scale.

This information can also be used to inform recommendations for the implementation of the county’s comprehensive plan, Landscapes3.

The Economy Report is divided into six chapters that describe Chester County’s economy. Chapters include: Resident Characteristics; Employment Characteristics; Business Characteristics (including industry and location); Gross Domestic Product; Key Industrial Groups (from the nine key industries in Chester County as identified by CCEDC); and finally, Real Estate Characteristics.

To learn more and view the Chester County Economy Report, visit https://www.chescoplanning.org/EconDev/CountyEconomy.cfm.