ChesterIA
A town of 134, settled in 1858.
Is Chester a good place to live?
Chester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
134 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
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.
Fewer middle-aged adults than Iowa overall
Among adults 25 and older in Chester, 22% hold a bachelor’s degree or more, below both Iowa’s towns (25%) and U.S. towns (29%). Adults 35 to 64 are just over a quarter of residents (37% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 33% of residents (23% statewide). Its age of the median resident stands at 34.4 years. 134 people lived in Chester by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, 2.2% fewer than in 2020.
| Chester | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34.4 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 25% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8.6 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Chester | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.7% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.3% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 20.7% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 5.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.3% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 3.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.1% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.3% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.2% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.2% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.1% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.1% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 100, single groups can be off by several points
Chester stands out in Iowa and nationally: a typical July afternoon there is cooler
Winters in Chester are cold, snowy and summers pleasant. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 6° and about 40 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Chester, the median rent runs lower than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town
The typical Chester home is worth about $201,000, up 12.1% in a year, 15% below the Iowa typical home. Among households locally, 79% live in a home they own, above both the Iowa town median (70%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%).
| Chester | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $579 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 70% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
How healthy Chester is
Among adults in Chester, 29% get no exercise outside work. Only 8 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Chester. In Chester, 20% of adults binge drink, and 23% say their health is fair or poor.
| Chester | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Chester | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 19.5% | 14.5% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 16% | 12% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Chester faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Chester once, in 2008. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage locally than in nearly three fifths of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 51% come from inland flooding and 17% from drought.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · 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 Iowa.
About Chester
City in Iowa, United States
Chester is a city in Howard County, Iowa, United States. The population was 139 in the 2020 census, a decrease of 7.9% from the 151 population in the 2000 census. Chester is located close to the state line from Minnesota.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,227 ft
- ZIP code
- 52134
Questions about Chester
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Chester, IA a good place to live?
Chester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.