ChesterGA
A town of 1,476, settled in 1891.
Is Chester a good place to live?
Chester’s best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 38% of residents live below the poverty line in Chester, against 15% in Georgia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. No town in Georgia scores higher than Chester on cost of living. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 94% of U.S. towns. Chester has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Chester stand out
Where Chester beats most towns.
Chester has shrunk 67% since 2010
1,596 counted in 2010 and 525 in 2020; an estimated 1,476 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Chester grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Chester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Chester: who provides what
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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Chester.
A job hub: Chester has 1.6 jobs for every working resident and draws in 167 commuters
Most working residents leave Chester for work: only 0% work in town. Chester’s average trip to work is 37 minutes, above both the Georgia town median (26 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Chester fell to 167 in 2023, 88 fewer than in 2013.
| Chester | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Chester is less healthy than 87% of U.S. towns
Chester beats the Georgia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 46% of Chester adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Chester | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 40% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 39% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 14% |
| What stands out | Chester | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.4% | 7% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 20.6% | 24.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.6% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median rent in Chester is lower than in the typical Georgia or U.S. town
The median rent in Chester is $386 a month. Typical home values rose 14% in the year to September 2026.
| Chester | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $386 a month | $1,154 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 59% | 58% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Mild winters and hot summers in Chester
Chester has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Chester’s July high is 92°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Cold waves leads a low hazard risk in Chester
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Chester
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Chester; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Chester residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
1,476 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
About Chester
Town in Georgia, United States
Chester is a town in Dodge County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,596 at the 2010 census, up from 305 in 2000, due to inclusion of Dodge State Prison within the town limits. By 2020, its township population was 525.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 367 ft
- ZIP code
- 31012
- Area code
- 478
Questions about Chester
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Chester, GA expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.