Chester County Demographics

A map of Chester County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	18,579	18,591	57.7%	57.6%
Black	11,102	11,287	34.5%	35.0%
Multiracial	1,243	1,183	3.9%	3.7%
Hispanic	974	795	3.0%	2.5%
Native American/Other	158	292	0.5%	0.9%
Asian	126	146	0.4%	0.5%

Chester County, South Carolina has an estimated population of 32,182, a less than 1% change from the 32,294 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 57.7% White, 34.5% Black, 3.9% Multiracial, 3.0% Hispanic, 0.5% Native American/Other, and 0.4% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Chester County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Chester is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is about as diverse as South Carolina overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Chester County, that probability was 54.4% in 2020 and 54.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Chester County is ranked the 28th most populous county in South Carolina, out of 46 counties. Chester County was ranked the 28th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Chester County's White Population

18,579 residents of Chester County, or 57.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Chester County is slightly lower than in South Carolina overall, where 61.9% of the population is White. Chester County ranks 26th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 46 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chester County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Chester County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 57.7%.

Chester County is more White than neighboring Fairfield County (38.9% White). Chester County is less White than neighboring York County (66.3% White), Lancaster County (67.2% White), Union County (64.2% White), and Cherokee County (69.7% White).

Chester County's Black Population

11,102 residents of Chester County, or 34.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Chester County is higher than in South Carolina overall, where 24.6% of the population is Black. Chester County ranks 19th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 46 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chester County's Black population has declined by an estimated 1.6%. Black residents' share of Chester County's population has decreased from 35.0% to 34.5%.

Chester County is more Black than neighboring York County (18.2% Black), Lancaster County (19.3% Black), Union County (27.5% Black), and Cherokee County (18.7% Black). Chester County is less Black than neighboring Fairfield County (54.5% Black).

Chester County's Asian Population

126 residents of Chester County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Chester County is comparable to the share in South Carolina overall, where 1.7% of the population is Asian. Chester County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 46 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chester County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 13.7%. Asian residents' share of Chester County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Chester County is more Asian than neighboring Fairfield County (0.1% Asian), and Union County (0.2% Asian). Chester County is less Asian than neighboring York County (3% Asian), Lancaster County (2.5% Asian), and Cherokee County (0.5% Asian).

Chester County's Hispanic Population

974 residents of Chester County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Chester County is slightly lower than in South Carolina overall, where 7.4% of the population is Hispanic. Chester County ranks 34th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 46 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chester County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 22.5%. Hispanic residents' share of Chester County's population has increased from 2.5% to 3.0%.

Chester County is more Hispanic than neighboring Fairfield County (2.5% Hispanic), and Union County (2.1% Hispanic). Chester County is less Hispanic than neighboring York County (7.4% Hispanic), Lancaster County (7.5% Hispanic), and Cherokee County (5.5% Hispanic).

Chester County's Native American/Other Population

158 residents of Chester County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Chester County is comparable to the share in South Carolina overall, where 0.7% of the population is Native American/Other. Chester County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 46 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chester County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 45.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Chester County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Chester County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Lancaster County (0.4% Native American/Other). Chester County is less Native American/Other than neighboring York County (1% Native American/Other), Fairfield County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Cherokee County (1.6% Native American/Other).

Chester County's Multiracial Population

1,243 residents of Chester County, or 3.9% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Chester County is comparable to the share in South Carolina overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. Chester County ranks 15th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 46 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chester County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 5.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Chester County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.9%.

Chester County is more Multiracial than neighboring Fairfield County (3.5% Multiracial), and Lancaster County (3.2% Multiracial). Chester County is less Multiracial than neighboring York County (4.1% Multiracial), Union County (5.6% Multiracial), and Cherokee County (4% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.