Villa Bella Vista · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ. M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0In Chester, 83% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Connecticut
Chester’s town government spent $13.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $3,621 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Chester didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Chester is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Regional School District 04
Chester’s middle and high school district, shared with Deep River, Essex. The schools are run by Chester, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $32,549 per pupil, $16,115 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Connecticut districts overall: 58% local, 35% state, 8% federal.
Chester School District · $34,396 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $3,621 per resident a year, or $9.92 a day
Schools are part of the town’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 52% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Chester runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget.
Chester didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Chester yet
Every year of Chester’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $6,364 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.44% of the home’s value, vs 1.81% across Connecticut.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Chester’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Chester’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Chester →
Who’s in charge in Chester
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Chester’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on chesterct.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 78 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (3,757).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
How Chester voted in 2024
Official results for Chester’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat64.6%1,666 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican33.6%866 votesOthers: 1.8% (47 votes).
Most votes in Chester: Kamala D Harris
Connecticut: Harris 56.4%, Trump 41.9%
of Chester’s 3,093 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Connecticut: 66%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Chester: Christopher S Murphy
Connecticut: Murphy 58.6%, Corey 39.7%
President, 2024: Chester, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | 64.6% | 33.6% | 1.8% | 2,579 |
| Connecticut | 56.4% | 41.9% | 1.7% | 1,759,010 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
How Chester compares with the towns next door
Chester’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 4 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $964 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lyme | $964 | $7,328 |
| Deep River | estimate | $6,092 |
| Haddam | estimate | $7,045 |
| East Haddam | estimate | $5,724 |
| Chester | estimate | $6,364 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Chester’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Chester’s government
How much does Chester spend per resident?
About $3,621 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Chester didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $13.8 million.
What is the property tax rate in Chester?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,364 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.44% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.81% across Connecticut. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see chesterct.com.
Who runs Chester’s government?
See chesterct.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Chester yet.
How did Chester vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 64.6%, Donald J Trump 33.6% (2,579 votes, official results). . Connecticut: Harris 56.4%, Trump 41.9%.
How many people work for Chester?
48 full-time and 34 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $291,360 (about $3.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Chester’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Chester, the Bureau’s estimates); day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →