In Chester Township, 3.2% of residents live below the poverty line, below both the Illinois town median (8.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). The typical household income locally is $99,000. The top destinations are Springfield (15%), Lincoln (12%) and Decatur (8%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 28 miles.

0%work in town

	Chester Township	Illinois towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	20 minutes	26 minutes	25 minutes
Below the poverty line	3.2%	8.4%	9.6%
Median household income	$99,000	$83,000	$80,000

Where working residents work

In Chester Township0%

Springfield15%

Lincoln12%

Decatur8%

Mount Pulaski7%

28 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Chester Township

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageChester Township’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here47 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work0% work in Chester Township Commute times20 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 28 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Who lives here

A older population than Illinois as a whole

For adults 25 and older in Chester Township, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 37%. People 65 and older are just over a quarter of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 13% of residents (22% statewide). The midpoint age for Chester Township comes to 49.8 years, where Illinois’ towns sit at 40.7 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years.

49.8median age · IL 39

	Chester Township	Illinois towns	U.S. towns
Median age	49.8 years	40.7 years	40.5 years
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+	37%	29%	29%

Chester TownshipIllinoisUnited States

ILU.S.

Ages · share of residents

20%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma0%

High school40%

Some college17%

Associate’s6%

Bachelor’s23%

Graduate13%

Women and men · all residents

Somewhere between 34% and 73% women

The Census survey reached too few of Chester Township’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±19.2 points. Across Illinois, 50.6% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Chester Township
	Chester Township	IL	U.S.
Under 10	12.6%	11.5%	11.6%
10 to 17	0.6%	10.4%	10.3%
18 to 24	8.5%	9.1%	9.1%
25 to 34	14.4%	13.6%	13.7%
35 to 44	8.3%	13.3%	13.2%
45 to 54	12.8%	12.4%	12.2%
55 to 64	17.1%	12.8%	12.7%
65 to 74	20.3%	10%	10.2%
75 and older	5.5%	7%	7%
No diploma	0%	9.5%	10.4%
High school	40.2%	25.1%	26%
Some college	17.1%	19.2%	19.1%
Associate’s	6.3%	8.3%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	23.4%	22.6%	21.6%
Graduate	13.1%	15.3%	14.1%

Full pageChester Township by the numbersOpen the page

Ages49.8 median age · 26% are 65 or older Schooling37% have a four-year degree Homes91% own their home · Homeowners Income$99K a year · Median household income

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points

Climate

Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Chester Township’s year

Chester Township has chilly winters and warm summers. Summer afternoons peak near 86° in July, and January nights bottom out around 18°; snowfall runs to about 19 inches a winter.

19″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter21–38°

Spring42–64°

Summer63–84°

Fall43–66°

Oct 16

typical first frost

Apr 20

typical last frost

+0.9°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageChester Township’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 86°, January lows 18°Rain & snow19″ of snow a winter · 39 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+0.9° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Chester Township is

Among adults in Chester Township, 18% binge drink. The town beats the Illinois average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. Two figures for adults in the town: 39% have obesity, 18% report frequent mental distress.

	Chester Township	Illinois towns	U.S. towns
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	16%	13%	14%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)	39%	37%	35%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	18%	17%	17%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	18%	18%	16%

32 measures vs. Illinois

1 better22 too close to call9 worse

What stands out	Chester Township	IL
Fewer uninsured adults	8.3%	9.9%
More older adults who have lost all their teeth	13.6%	10.3%

Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital

5.9 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageChester Township’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby5.9 miles to an ER · Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distress Every CDC estimateBetter than IL on 1 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazards

The biggest natural risk in Chester Township is inland flooding, at a moderate overall level

Expected losses in Chester Township break down as 34% from inland flooding and 17% from drought. Its natural-hazard score from FEMA comes in at 56 of 100. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Chester Township once, in 1999.

56risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingDroughtCold waves

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageChester Township’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesModerate risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters1 federal disaster · Paid out in Chester Township Get ready1.6 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Outdoors

Conservation land takes up 1.4% of Chester Township

The trail network density is 0.1 miles per square mile.

1.4%conserved

	Chester Township	Illinois towns	U.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile	0.1 miles per square mile	0.3	0.4
Conserved land	1.4%	3.7%	4.3%

1.4%

conserved · 336 of 24,399 acres

1.9 mi

of trails · 0 per sq mi

Full pageChester Township’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map1.9 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walkPick a walk Conserved land1.4% conserved · 336 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Chester Township?”

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Chester Township

17pages on Chester Township

The big questions

HealthBetter than IL on 1 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingWork & commute$99K median household income · 47 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 56% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

Outdoors2 mi of trails · 1% conserved land PlacesAttractions34 nearby · Lincoln Tomb 26 mi LibraryLincoln Public Library District Colleges

The story

HistoryTown Hall & politicsClimate86° summer highs · 19″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Chester Township; the nearest are

Millikin UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Decatur24.8 mi$26,892 tuition Richland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Decatur26.5 mi$4,680 in-state tuition University of Illinois SpringfieldUniversity or college · Public · Springfield29.8 mi$12,252 in-state tuition

About 3 of every 100 Chester Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Chester Township for work

Where Chester Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

47jobs based in Chester Township

0%of working residents work in town

28 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Chester Township

Township in Illinois, United States

Chester Township is located in Logan County, Illinois. As of the 2020 census, its population was 654 and it contained 265 housing units. Chester Township changed its name from Madison Township sometime prior to 1921.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 38 sq mi

Questions about Chester Township

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Chester Township, IL a good place to live?

Chester Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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Is Chester Township a good place to live?

640 people, and everyone knows the way

Chester Township in pictures

Moving to Chester Township: who provides what

The data

With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Chester Township’s workers commute out