Chester Co. Among Top Underage Drinking Counties In PA

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Chester County is one of the top 10 Pennsylvania counties for underage drinking offenses over the past five years, according to a new state report.

The data from Pennsylvania Courts has Chesco accounting for 8.41 percent of all the state's offenses since 2020.

That rate has been steadily climbing, too, with 2024, the most recent year on record, marking the highest number of offenses in Chester County. Charges have grown from 295 in 2020, to 489 in 2021, 552 in 2022, 567 in 2023, to 654 in 2024.

Statewide, Chester's 2,557 total offenses and 8.41 percent rate trailed only Centre County, home of Penn State, in all of Pennsylvania. Centre has seen 3,286 offenses, for a 10.81 percent rate since 2020.

Chester was notably higher than Bucks (2.6 percent), Delaware (3.2 percent), Montgomery (4.1 percent), and Philadelphia (4.2 percent).

An "underage drinking offense" is considered when anyone under 21 is caught possessing, consuming, transporting, purchasing, or attempting to purchase an alcoholic beverage.

The state figures do not include driving under the influence statistics.

With reporting from Patch correspondent Max Bennett