Work & commute · West Chester

Work & commute in West Chester, PA

Most working residents leave West Chester for work: only 9% work in town. The top destinations are West Goshen (10%), Philadelphia (9%) and Tredyffrin (5%). Half commute less than 13 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

674 of 7,398 working residents

Typical commute

13 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

21 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

17%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 6,724 West Chester residents head out of town to work, 674 work right here, and 7,903 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in West Chester.

6,724live here, work elsewhere

674live and work here

7,903work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where West Chester goes to work

West Goshen1.1 mi away

10%718

Philadelphia25.2 mi away

9%682

West Chester (in town)right here

9%674

Tredyffrin11.1 mi away

5%367

Upper Merion14.9 mi away

3%225

West Whiteland4.6 mi away

3%212

East Whiteland6.6 mi away

2%160

Uwchlan7.2 mi away

2%154

Lower Merion17.9 mi away

2%116

Downingtown6.1 mi away

1%86

Everywhere elseother towns and states

54%4,004

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far West Chester commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

43%

35%

11%

43%Under 10 mi

35%10–24 mi

11%25–50 mi

11%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

West Chester is balanced between jobs and homes

1.16jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.16 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in West Chester are

8,577 jobs are based in West Chester. Here is what they are, next to the jobs West Chester’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in West Chester

8,577 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)5%

Trade, transport & utilities6%

Services (health, schools, offices…)89%

$1,250 a month or less19%

$1,251–$3,333 a month20%

Over $3,333 a month61%

Jobs West Chester residents hold

7,398 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)10%

Trade, transport & utilities18%

Services (health, schools, offices…)72%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month18%

Over $3,333 a month70%

+5%

Jobs based in West Chester, 2013 → 2023: 8,176 → 8,577. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.