Growing by leaps and bounds

Chester County to see much growth through 2050, according to Penn State study

Chester County will outpace its suburban Philadelphia neighbors in population growth over the next quarter-decade, according to figures from the Pennsylvania State Data Center in State College.

According to a new release issued this week, the county will see its population grow by 6.9 percent in the period from 2020 to 2050, while the only other county with a growth that comes close to that is Delaware County, which the figures show could grow at a rate of 5.5 percent over the same period.

Montgomery County, still the largest of the four southeastern Pennsylvania “ring” counties outside Philadelphia with a population of 866,005, would see a growth of only 0.2 percent, while the organization estimates that Bucks County would see an overall drop in its growth rate of 7.5 percent.

Since 2020, the date of the last United States census, Chester County has grown from 534,413 residents to 555,744 — a difference of 21,328 people, or 3.9 percent. At the same time, Montgomery County’s population grew from 856,938 people to 866,005 — a difference of 9,067 — while Delaware County lost population, dropping 4,321 from 576,322 to 572,002. Bucks County’s population went from 627,987 to an estimated 640,844 in 2024, according to the Census Bureau.

According to projections from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania State Data Center, Pennsylvania’s population is expected to grow from 13.0 million in 2020 to 13.2 million in 2050. This represents a 1.6 percent increase over the 30-year period. In the preceding decade, from 2010 to 2020, the state’s population witnessed a 2.4 percent growth. Over the past 70 years, Pennsylvania has experienced gradual,

consistent growth, which is anticipated to persist in the near future.

In the southeast and southcentral regions of the state, counties are expected to see growth during the projection period, in line with recent trends. The largest numeric population increases from 2020 to 2050 will occur in Philadelphia (+235,616), Lancaster (+46,385), and Lehigh (+42,333) counties.

Westmoreland County, however, is projected to experience the most significant decline from 2020 to 2050 (-56,857). Other notable population losses will be observed in Bucks (-48,596) and Allegheny (-22,591) counties.

The counties with the largest percentage increases in population from 2020 to 2050 will be Juniata (15.1%), Union (15.0%), Philadelphia (14.7%), Cumberland (14.1%), and Lebanon (12.7%) counties.

To see the data, visit https://pasdc.hbg.psu.edu.