City

Chester area guide

Who lives in Chester, how they live, and how it compares on crime, schools and transport.

Council: Cheshire West and Chester
Region: North West
Population: 96,322 (2024)

ChesterCity

At a glance

What Chester is like

Chester is a city in Cheshire West and Chester in the North West. It is home to about 96,322 people across 41,003 households. 59.9% of households own their home, 21.4% rent privately and 17.5% are in social housing. The largest age group is 20–24, and 54.4% of adults are in work. On deprivation, it sits near the middle of the scale for England. Higher-harm crime is broadly in line with the England and Wales average.

Scores

How Chester compares

Headline figures for Chester, set against England as a whole.

AffluenceMore

6.6/ 10

Around the middle. Scored from 1 (most deprived in England) to 10 (least deprived).

CrimeMore

7/ 10

Around the middle: 32.5 higher-harm crimes per 1,000 people a year vs 31.1 nationally.

TransportMore

7.0/ 10

Very good: 2 stations within a mile, 77 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

86%

Rated good or better across 29 inspected schools in Chester.

Household incomeMore

£50,645

Average annual income before tax, higher than 44% of neighbourhoods in England and Wales.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where Chester differs most from the national average.

01
A young populationPositive
22.2% of residents are aged 20 to 34 (the peak renting age), against 19.6% across England.
02
Well connectedPositive
2 stations within a mile and 77 bus stops within a ten-minute walk.

Questions

Chester FAQs

Is Chester a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 6.6 out of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 10 is the least deprived in England. Higher-harm crime runs at 32.5 per 1,000 people a year, band 7 of 10 nationally. 86% of the inspected schools nearby are rated good or better. Transport connectivity scores 7.0 out of 10 (very good).

Is Chester safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Higher-harm crime (violence, robbery, burglary, vehicle crime and weapons offences) runs at 32.5 offences per 1,000 people a year around Chester, broadly in line with the 31.1 average across England and Wales, band 7 of 10.

Who lives in Chester?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 20–24, at 7.8% of residents. 59.9% of households own their home. The most common property type is semi-detached (35.4%).

Which council covers Chester?

The local authority for Chester is Cheshire West and Chester.

Chester comes under Cheshire West and Chester in the North West. Council tax, planning applications and bin collections are handled there.

How well connected is Chester?

Connectivity scores 7.0 out of 10.

There are 77 bus stops within 800m and 2 stations and tram stops within a mile, scoring 7.0 out of 10 (very good). The nearest station is Chester Rail Station, 0.5 miles away.

Sources: Census 2021 (ONS); ONS mid-year population estimates; police recorded crime; the English, Welsh and Scottish indices of deprivation; ONS small area income estimates; ONS private rents; DfE, Welsh and Scottish school registers and Ofsted; DfT NaPTAN; ORR estimates of station usage. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.

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