Town · Massachusetts
Chester, Massachusetts
Chester, town, in Hampden County, Massachusetts. Chester had 1,222 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 0.3% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 1,228 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 1,240 (±259). GEOID 2501313485.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
1,222
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 1,228 · ACS 2020-2024: 1,240 ±259
Median household income
$89,390
±$5,795 (90% margin)
Massachusetts: $103,960
Median home value
$281,900
±$13,837 (90% margin)
Massachusetts: $562,100
Median gross rent
$1,104
±$71 (90% margin)
Massachusetts: $1,762
Where is Chester and what county is it in?
Chester is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts. It covers 36.6 square miles of land, 34 residents per square mile in 2020.
One place lies inside Chester: Chester (CDP, 552 in 2020).
Chester is in the Springfield, MA metropolitan statistical area (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Chester, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 1,222 people lived in Chester on July 1, 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, while Massachusetts grew 1.7%. The 2020 Census counted 1,228 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 1,240 (±259).
| Measure | Chester | Hampden County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 1,240±259 | 462,815 | no clear change |
| Households | 486±69 | 184,471 | −97 |
| Average household size | 2.54±0.39 | 2.44 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 686±97 | 197,591 | no clear change |
Chester's population since 2000
From 1,308 in 2000 to 1,222 in 2025: down 6.6%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Chester as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Chester?
The median resident of Chester is 45.9 years old; 24.1% are under 18 and 16.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 95.2%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 2.2%.
| Measure | Chester | Hampden County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 45.9±3.7 | 40.0 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 24.1%±9.5 pts | 20.9% | – |
| 65 years and over | 16.5%±5.1 pts | 18.3% | – |
| Male | 49.2%±4.9 pts | 48.6% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.2%±1.7 pts | 27.0% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 95.2%±2.3 pts | 59.3% | −3.8 pts |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.6%±0.8 pts | 7.6% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0%±3.4 pts | 2.5% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.2%±0.3 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0%±3.4 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 0.9%±0.8 pts | 3.1% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.8%±0.9 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 2.2%±1.7 pts | 9.4% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 3.3%±2.5 pts | 25.6% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 4.8%±1.9 pts | 5.5% | – |
| With a disability | 12.4%±4.2 pts | 16.9% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 2.7%±1.8 pts | 3.0% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 94.9%±3.8 pts | 87.2% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 27.3%±6.6 pts | 29.3% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 12.6%±4.4 pts | 12.1% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 98.5%±1.1 pts | 91.7% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.6%±0.8 pts | 1.4% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Chester earn?
Half of Chester's 486 households earn less than $89,390 a year (±$5,795), against $71,306 in Hampden County and $103,960 in Massachusetts. In 2015-2019 it was $98,547 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart.
| Measure | Chester | Hampden County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $89,390±$5,795 | $71,306 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $103,321±$11,754 | $94,811 | – |
| Per capita income | $41,424±$6,500 | $38,219 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 1.8%±1.4 pts | 16.3% | – |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 2.7%±3.9 pts | 22.9% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 9.1%±3.7 pts | 25.5% | – |
| Households with a computer | 89.9%±7.6 pts | 92.1% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 88.7%±7.8 pts | 89.0% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Chester?
Owners occupy 82.5% of Chester's occupied homes and renters 17.5%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $281,900 by its owner (±$13,837). The median renter pays $1,104 a month including utilities, and 54.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | Chester | Hampden County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $281,900±$13,837 | $298,800 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $1,104±$71 | $1,136 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 54.1%±28.2 pts | 44.3% | no clear change |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,836±$260 | $1,966 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 82.5%±7.3 pts | 62.2% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 17.5%±7.3 pts | 37.8% | – |
| Housing units | 686±97 | 197,591 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 1.0%±2.0 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 10.5%±15.7 pts | 3.7% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 86.4%±5.5 pts | 56.3% | – |
| Mobile homes | 1.5%±1.3 pts | 1.3% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 1.3%±1.1 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 1.6%±1.6 pts | 2.8% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 44.8%±9.4 pts | 27.9% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 4.9%±3.7 pts | 12.0% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How many new homes is Chester building?
Builders took permits for 1 new housing units in Chester in 2025 (1 in single-family houses), 0.8 per 1,000 residents against 1.7 across Massachusetts.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Chester work and get to work?
83.3% of Chester's workers drive alone and 7.0% work from home. The average trip to work takes 31.8 minutes.
| Measure | Chester | Hampden County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 68.8%±6.0 pts | 60.1% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 1.5%±1.0 pts | 6.0% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 83.3%±5.0 pts | 76.0% | – |
| Carpooled | 7.2%±3.8 pts | 7.9% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0%±6.3 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Walked | 2.5%±2.0 pts | 2.3% | – |
| Worked from home | 7.0%±3.0 pts | 10.5% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 31.8 min±2.6 | 22.7 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Chester?
No census tract lies mostly in Chester; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 8130.01Hampden County | 2,936 | $92,857 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Chester) · Census block assignment files
How does Chester compare with other places in Massachusetts?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Chester is the 6,829th-most populous of the 16,079 U.S. towns and townships that have one and the 233rd-most populous of 266 in Massachusetts.
Chester ranks 333rd of 453 places in Massachusetts with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 233rd | 266 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 233rd | 292 |
| Residents per square mile | 457th | 461 |
| Median household income | 333rd | 453 |
| Per capita income | 406th | 460 |
| Median home value | 436th | 459 |
| Median gross rent | 361st | 410 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 405th | 459 |
| Median age | 197th | 461 |
| Owner-occupied share | 194th | 460 |
| Work from home | 413th | 429 |
| Travel time to work | 164th | 459 |
Chester's figures with every place in Massachusetts (CSV)
Every place in Massachusetts, sortable · Compare Chester with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Chester?
22 of the 57 figures for Chester on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Chester are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.