Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Chester gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $114K for a typical one, or 1.7 years of the county’s $68K median household income. It grades B+ overall, ranked 358th of 767 in Illinois. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 87% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 69% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 91% of U.S. towns. 12% of residents are under 18 in Chester, below both Illinois’ towns (22%) and U.S. towns (22%). Chester has 4 places on the National Register. Only 8 of the 768 Illinois towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Chester.
Where Chester beats most towns.
Frederick Weister House
Census counts: 1,615 in 1870, 6,814 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1857 and 4 maps from 1915 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Chester takes its name from Chester in Cheshire, England, 4,070 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionChester, settled in 1832, takes its name from Chester, a large town in Cheshire, England.
3 more U.S. towns are named after Chester:Chester, PA33,996Chester Township, NJ7,795Chester, NY3,991
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Chester is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D for health (better than 13%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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 Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Chester.
Chester trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and trades workers with Steeleville and other neighbors, but it has poverty well above the Illinois rate.
Homes are within reach (about $114K for the typical one, A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles. At 1.7 years of the county’s $68K median household income, the typical home (about $114K) costs less against local pay than in 88% of Illinois towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living.
Chester’s median rent is $760 a month. The typical Chester home is worth about $114,000, down 1.8% in a year, 62% below the Illinois typical home.
| Chester | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $760 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Chester CUSD 139.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 640 | B− |
| Chester High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 335 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 35 to 15 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Chester is 1.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Chester | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
21% of adults smoke cigarettes in Chester. Chester beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 43% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Chester.
| Chester | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 13% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 13% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Chester | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.7% | 7.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.8% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Cole Memorial Park, at 52 acres.
| Chester | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.4% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cole Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 52 |
| 2. Cohen Fields | — | 38 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Chester has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 24° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Chester has about as many jobs (2,457) as working residents, but only 504 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 3,085 in 2013 to 2,457.
About one in 4 of Chester’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Chester fell to 2,457 in 2023, 628 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Steeleville (9%), Perryville (4%) and Sparta (3%).
| Chester | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Chester; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Chester residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
8,586 counted in 2010 and 6,814 in 2020; an estimated 6,847 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
3 places in Chester on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Chester.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Chester grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #358 of 767 in Illinois. It grades D for health, A for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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+.
5 notable people were born here, including E. C. Segar and Nora Lane.
