Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 149, settled in 1883.
Chester’s average trip to work is 37 minutes, against 21 minutes in Arkansas’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Among 124 Arkansas towns, just 1 have a higher median age than Chester. Chester has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Col. Jacob Yoes Building and Chester Masonic Lodge and Community Building. Chester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 222 in 1890, 144 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1887 and 3 maps from 1898 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chester, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Chester.
Chester’s median household income is $29,000, below both the Arkansas town median ($55,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Chester. Most working residents leave Chester for work: only 0% work in town.
| Chester | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $29,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 18% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 77% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Chester has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Chester is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Chester beats the Arkansas average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 28% of Chester adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Chester | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Chester | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.8% | 18.6% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 50.3% | 54.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Chester; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Chester residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
Where Chester’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Chester on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Arkansas, United States
Chester is a town in Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 Census the population was 144.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Chester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
