History
Coatesville is home to the former Lukens Steel Corporation, which was bought by the former Bethlehem Steel Corporation which was bought by the former the Ohio-based International Steel Group (ISG) in 2002 which was bought by Mittal Steel and then merged with Arcelor Steel to form the current ArcelorMittal Steel company.

In 1911, the lynching in Coatesville of Zachariah Walker, a black man who killed a white mill policeman, prompted the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to investigate and called for an end to lynching nationwide. Walker was dragged from a hospital, still chained to his bed, and burned to death in front of thousands of witnesses in a field south of the city. A memorial service one year later was attended by two people, according to a contemporary Harper's Weekly.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,838 people, 3,940 households, and 2,580 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,848.8 people per square mile (2,261.9/km²). There were 4,360 housing units at an average density of 2,352.9/sq mi (909.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 41.91% White, 49.15% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.60% from other races, and 3.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.75% of the population.

There were 3,940 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.7% were married couples living together, 28.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.7% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,912, and the median income for a family was $36,375. Males had a median income of $31,782 versus $24,774 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,079. About 18.3% of families and 22.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.9% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over.

Coatesville had 4360 housing units, of which 90.37% were occupied. Of the occupied housing units, over 45% were owner-occupied.

Notable Coatesville Residents