Commercial Real Estate Market in Chester, PA
Updated monthly: sale, lease, property records, location trend, and more… · Last update: August 31
138 active listings and 1,736 off-market properties in Chester, PA. Commercial property asks $199/SF to buy and $4.63/SF/Yr to lease.
Market Trends
Chester, PA spans 19.1 square miles in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Figures below refresh monthly; last updated 31 August 2026.
Office
Office space in Chester, PA asks $168/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 19.9% across the Northeast region in 2025, up from 13.1% in 2019.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate % in Northeast region
Retail
Retail space in Chester, PA asks $188/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 6% across the Northeast region in 2025, little changed from 6% in 2019. Down from a 2020 peak of 7.1%.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate % in Northeast region
Industrial
Industrial vacancy in Chester, PA runs 7.6% across the Northeast region in 2025, up from 5.4% in 2019. Nearly 2.4x the 2021 low of 3.2%.
Vacancy Rate % in Northeast region
Multifamily
Multifamily space in Chester, PA asks $195/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 5.6% across the Northeast region in 2025, up from 4% in 2022.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate % in Northeast region
Zoning & Land Use
Land Use Mix share of zoned land by category
- Residential 36.9%
- Industrial 19.9%
- Commercial 19%
- Open space 10.8%
- Mixed use 6.7%
- Civic 6.7%
Largest Zones share of zoned land by district
Medium Density Residential
General Commercial Residential
Conservation
Medium Industrial Commercial
Single Family Residential
Chester, PA zones 3,052 acres across 13 districts. Commercial zoning covers 19% of zoned land, residential 36.9%, open space 10.8% and industrial 19.9%. The largest single district is Medium Density Residential at 23.7%. For commercial buyers the practical constraint is that only 39% of land carries a commercial or industrial designation.
Medium Density Residential (R-3)
R-3 Medium Density Residential District. To provide for medium density neighborhoods with a mix of housing types. D.
Market overview
Demographics & Economy
Chester, PA has 75,951 residents in 32,797 households. Density runs 3,976 people per square mile. Median household income here is $65,675 and median gross rent $1,175 a month.
75,951
Population
32,797
Households
2.3
Avg Household Size
37
Median Age
23%
College-Educated
91%
High-School Grad
19.1 sq mi
ZIP Area
3,976
Density / Sq Mi
$65,675
Median Household Income
$40,333
Median Earnings
$1,175
Median Rent
$179,196
Median Home Value
Tools
Nearby Markets
| Market | Average Sale Price, $/SF | Average Lease Price, $/SF/Yr |
|---|---|---|
| Chester Township | $199 (county avg) | — |
| Upland | $199 (county avg) | — |
| Parkside | $199 (county avg) | — |
| Brookhaven | $199 (county avg) | — |
Commercial property in Chester, PA asks $199/SF. The 4 bordering markets run from $199/SF in Chester Township to $199/SF in Chester Township, and the city sits in line with their $199/SF median.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average price per square foot for commercial property in Chester?
Commercial property in Chester, PA asks an average of $199 per square foot. The 5 most recent recorded sales traded at a median of $145/SF, so asking sits 37% above the achieved median. Multifamily carries the highest asking price at $195/SF.
How much does it cost to lease commercial space in Chester?
Asking lease rates in Chester, PA average $4.63 per square foot per year.
How does Chester compare to nearby markets on price?
Chester, PA asks $199/SF against $199/SF in Chester Township, $199/SF in Upland, $199/SF in Parkside and $199/SF in Brookhaven.
What zoning applies to commercial property in Chester?
Chester, PA zones 3,052 acres across 13 districts, of which 19% is commercial and 19.9% industrial. The largest single district is Medium Density Residential at 23.7% of zoned land. R-3 Medium Density Residential District. To provide for medium density neighborhoods with a mix of housing types. D. Residential zoning covers 36.9% and open space 10.8%.
Where does Realmo's Chester market data come from?
Realmo compiles Chester, PA figures from 8 recent recorded sales, 100 active sale listings, 38 active lease listings, 1,736 tracked off-market properties, the current Chester zoning release. Sale and lease figures refresh monthly; vacancy annually. Last updated 31 August 2026.
Methodology & data sources
- Asking prices and averages
- Computed from 100 active for-sale and 38 active for-lease listings in Chester, PA. These are ASKING figures from live listings, not closed-transaction prices, and a segment carried by a handful of listings reads as indicative rather than an average.
- Price per square foot
- The county-level $/SF blends closed sales aggregated over the trailing months of available data, not a single day's snapshot — it can differ from any one month's own median.
- Vacancy rates
- Published per-sector market series, taken at the metro level where one exists and otherwise at the Census-region level — a chart reading "in <region> region" is a regional number, not this city's.
- Zoning and land use
- The current municipal zoning release: 3,052 zoned acres across 13 districts. Shares are of zoned land, so parcels the release leaves unclassified are excluded from the mix.
- Refresh
- The monthly aggregates close at the end of the previous month, so 31 August 2026 — not today — is the honest last update.
- Known limitations
- office vacancy is reported at Northeast region level, retail vacancy is reported at Northeast region level and industrial vacancy is reported at Northeast region level.
- Coverage
- Metrics below the 10-observation threshold fall back one geographic level. The geography used is named on each figure.
Compiled by the Realmo Data team · reviewed 31 August 2026 · report a data issue
