Loan Limits / Pennsylvania / Chester County
2026 Loan Limits · Pennsylvania · PHILADELPHIA-CAMDEN-WILMINGTON, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Chester County, PA.
2026 conforming and FHA loan limits, calibrated to a median sales price of $548,000.
Median Sales Price
$548,000
Per HUD CHUMS, 2026
Conforming 1u Limit
$832,750
Standard conforming
FHA 1u Limit
$630,200
Mid-tier
Jumbo Threshold
> $832,750
1-unit · loans above this are jumbo
Conforming (Fannie / Freddie)
Standard conforming| 1-unit (single-family) | $832,750 |
| 2-unit (duplex) | $1,066,250 |
| 3-unit (triplex) | $1,288,800 |
| 4-unit (fourplex) | $1,601,750 |
FHA Forward (203b)
Mid-tier| 1-unit (single-family) | $630,200 |
| 2-unit (duplex) | $806,750 |
| 3-unit (triplex) | $975,200 |
| 4-unit (fourplex) | $1,211,950 |
About this county
About Chester County
Chester County, colloquially referred to as Chesco, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the Delaware Valley region, located in the southeastern part of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 545,823. increasing by 7.1% from 498,886 in 2010. The county seat is West Chester. The most populous of the county's 73 municipalities, including cities, boroughs, and townships,) is Tredyffrin Township. The most populous boroughs are West Chester and Phoenixville. Coatesville is the only municipality in the county that is classified as a city. The county is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Read more on Wikipedia →
Population
540,896
U.S. Census ACS 2023
Median Household Income
$123,041
U.S. Census ACS 2023
Median Home Value (Census)
$461,800
Owner-occupied · ACS 2023
Owner-Occupancy Rate
75%
Of occupied housing
What these limits mean for buyers in Chester County
The 2026 conforming 1-unit limit for Chester County is $832,750. Loans at or below this amount can be sold by the originating lender to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which keeps pricing tight and underwriting consistent. Chester County uses the standard national conforming baseline.
For FHA financing, the 2026 1-unit limit is $630,200. The HUD CHUMS table pegs the median sales price for Chester County at $548,000. Chester County is in HUD's FHA high-cost tier — its limit sits between the national floor of $541,287 and the ceiling of $1,249,125, calculated as 115% of the area median.
Practical takeaway. The median sales price in Chester County ($548,000) is below both limits — FHA, conventional, and VA financing all cover median-priced purchases here. Choice between programs comes down to credit, down payment, and overlay differences.
How the limits are set
Conforming limits come from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which adjusts them each year based on changes in the FHFA Housing Price Index. FHA limits come from HUD: the national floor is $541,287 (65% of conforming baseline), the ceiling is $1,249,125 (150% of conforming baseline), and counties between are calculated as 115% of the area median sales price.
Multi-unit and house-hacking math
Chester County 2-, 3-, and 4-unit conforming limits are $1,066,250, $1,288,800, and $1,601,750 respectively. If you're house-hacking — owner-occupying one unit of a 2-4 unit property — these are the limits that matter, and the rental income on the other units can be used to qualify. FHA and VA both finance owner-occupied 2-4 unit properties at their own multi-unit limits.
Limits effective 2026 per HUD CHUMS publication. Sourced GSE and FHA files. Generated 2026-04-26.
Buying in Chester County?
We'll structure the loan against the right limit and the right program. Conforming, FHA, VA, jumbo — all in-house.