Best Online Healthcare Programs in Chester, PA (2026)

Chester, Pennsylvania has a population of about 33,209. The city’s median household income is $39,809 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 13.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Our directory has 230 accredited schools offering healthcare programs near Chester, with tuition ranging from $13,920 to $13,920 per year for indexed programs. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, the top-earning healthcare-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $119,250 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2024).


Closest Healthcare Schools to Chester

The 10 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 230 schools in our directory that offer healthcare programs near Chester. Distances are calculated from Chester city center.

SchoolCityDistanceTuitionOnline
Widener UniversityChester, PA1.4 miContact school for pricing
All-State Career SchoolEssington, PA3.9 miContact school for pricing
Neumann UniversityAston, PA4.1 miContact school for pricing
Pennsylvania Institute of TechnologyMedia, PA4.4 miContact school for pricing
Delaware County Community CollegeMedia, PA8.4 miContact school for pricing
Salem Community CollegeCarneys Point, NJ11.4 miContact school for pricing
Strayer University-DelawareWilmington, DE11.7 mi$13,920
Haverford CollegeHaverford, PA11.7 miContact school for pricing
University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA11.9 miContact school for pricing
Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA12.3 miContact school for pricing

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Pennsylvania schools on the Pennsylvania healthcare page.


Healthcare Wages Near Chester

Chester is part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (BLS area code 37980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical and Health Services Manager$119,250Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$116,228
Health Information Technologist or Medical Registrar$63,930Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$62,310
Medical Records Specialist$47,930Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$46,715
Medical Secretary or Administrative Assistant$45,530Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$44,376
Healthcare Social Worker$71,220Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$69,415
Epidemiologist$82,700Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$80,604

Source: BLS, May 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Chester at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population33,209Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$39,809Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+13.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)102.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Healthcare-related employment in Delaware County46,997 workers, 2,282 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Chester-Area Cities With Healthcare Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited healthcare schools are near Chester, PA?

Our directory has 230 accredited schools offering healthcare programs near Chester. The closest is Widener University in Chester, PA (1.4 miles), and the farthest in our top picks is Drexel University (12.3 miles). 0 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying healthcare roles near Chester?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2024 wage data, the top-paying healthcare-related roles near Chester are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($119,250), Epidemiologist ($82,700), Healthcare Social Worker ($71,220). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Wilmington instead of Chester?

Wilmington, DE is 11.3 miles from Chester and has its own set of local healthcare programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Chester an affordable place to study healthcare?

Chester’s median household income of $39,809 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chester while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Data verified: May 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2024; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.