Chester County's housing additions are outpacing most of the Northeast

Chester County is building a lot of homes — so many that it stands out both locally and nationally.

By the numbers: Chesco is one of two counties in Pennsylvania that beat out the national average growth rate for the number of housing units between July 2020 and July 2021, according to new Census data. In fact, it's one of only a handful of counties that did so across the entire Northeast.

• The construction of 3,743 new housing units in 2021 was the county's most in two decades.

Why it matters: The exurban county, branded by the Inquirer as Pennsylvania's "wealthiest, healthiest and best-educated" in 2020, is booming. Between now and 2050, administrators are planning for a 25%+ population growth rate.

Yes, but: New housing doesn't mean lower prices. The county's median home listing price was up 11.4% last month when compared to 2021, per Realtor.com.

Interactive version of this map: Hover to see data for counties across America.