Over the past several years, New York City has emerged as the largest source of new residents in Chester County outside of the tristate area, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

This is true for the entire region. People from more expensive markets, especially New York City, have been flocking to Philadelphia and its collar counties due to the affordability, walkability, and more space. The start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote work has only served to expedite the process.

In 2019 and 2020, Chester County recorded 13,061 new tax filers from outside the tristate area. The total adjusted gross income they brought to the county is more than $1.3 million, or an average of $103,070 per filer.

During that time, the average adjusted gross income for people relocating to the county from Manhattan was over $198,000. Meanwhile, Chester County’s median household income in 2020 was $104,161.

This has affected median home values in the county, pushing them up by more than 30 percent to $495,000 between January 2021 and July 2022.

Read more about the influx of new residents in the Philadelphia Business Journal.