Mary's River Covered Bridge · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainChester spent less per resident in 2022 than 91% of similar cities
Chester’s city government spent $4.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, about $636 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Chester is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$495 per resident in 2022: less than 91% of them
Chester’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($495 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $884, and the middle half spent $702–$1,158. Chester spent less than 91% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($328,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Chester itself left out).
About $636 per resident a year, or $1.74 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 7% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Chester reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $495 · 2024: $636. Per resident it went from $495 to $636 (up 28%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 8,145 to 6,782.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,807 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.62% of the home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois.
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.
One full-time city employee for every 147 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 (6,782).
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.
Chester Community Unit School District 139
Chester’s K–12 school district, shared with Ellis Grove, Kaskaskia, Rockwood. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,112 per pupil, $9,220 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.
Illinois districts overall: 52% local, 38% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
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.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.4%1,792 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.8%606 votesOthers: 1.8% (45 votes).
Most votes in Chester: Donald J Trump
Randolph County: Trump 73.9%, Harris 24.1% · Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
of Chester’s 5,915 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Illinois: 62%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Mike Bost
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Chester, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | 73.4% | 24.8% | 1.8% | 2,443 |
| Randolph County | 73.9% | 24.1% | 2.0% | 14,374 |
| Illinois | 43.5% | 54.4% | 2.2% | 5,633,310 |
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.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Chester.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Illinois HouseState representatives
- 3Illinois SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Chester’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Chester’s government
How much does Chester spend per resident?
About $636 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $495 was less than 91% of 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Chester?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,807 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.62% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Chester’s government?
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, Donald J Trump 73.4%, Kamala D Harris 24.8% (2,443 votes, official results). Randolph County: Trump 73.9%, Harris 24.1%. Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%.
How many people work for Chester?
46 full-time and 43 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $215,918 (about $2.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Chester in the state legislature?
State Senate District 58 (Terri Bryant) and State House District 115 (David Friess). The House district also covers 54 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from 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; 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 →