Chester TownshipIN
A town of 6,958.
Why does Chester Township grade so well?
Because it does well by almost any measure. Chester Township earns an A, ranked 41st of 585 in Indiana. A typical home costs about $147K, 2.2 years of the Wabash area’s $67K median household income, and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a B−, is in health. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns. 33% of working residents work locally in Chester Township, above both the Indiana town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 13 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is Warvel Park, at 27 acres.
What makes Chester Township stand out
Where Chester Township beats most towns.
Chester Township has shrunk 13% since 2010
8,009 counted in 2010 and 7,001 in 2020; an estimated 6,958 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Chester Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Chester Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Chester Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chester Township, 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 Township.
Chester Township’s schools rank ahead of 69% of Indiana districts
Its public schools are run by the Manchester Community Schools. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Manchester Jr-Sr High School, with 618 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 474 | A |
| Manchester Jr-Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 618 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IN on state tests and graduation
Low risk in Chester Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chester Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Chester Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Chester Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in three working residents works right in Chester Township
About one in 3 of Chester Township’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Chester Township has lost 319 jobs, to 2,935 in 2023. The top destinations are North Manchester (29%), Warsaw (9%) and Wabash (5%).
| Chester Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $67,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.7% | 10% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
More young adults than Indiana overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 29% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (37% statewide). 19% of Chester Township residents are under 18. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 30% across Indiana.
| Chester Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.8 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 22% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 87 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.2 points). Across Indiana, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Chester Township | IN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.8% | 12.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 16.4% | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.2% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.7% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.7% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.9% | 9.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41.4% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.7% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.2% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.4% | 18.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.4% | 10.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Residents of Chester Township are less healthy than 53% of U.S. towns
Against the 10,163 U.S. towns with household incomes like Chester Township’s, it is healthier than 63%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Indiana it is healthier than 68% of the 589 graded towns: much of Indiana scores lower on these measures.
Chester Township beats the Indiana average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 31% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Chester Township.
| Chester Township | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 37% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 80% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Chester Township | IN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.3% | 8.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.7% | 11.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Warvel Park | 0.2 mi | 27 |
| 2. Flory-Gemmer Marsh Preserve | — | 27 |
| 3. Ruppel Sports Complex | 0.2 mi | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Chester Township
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Chester Township
About 12 of every 100 Chester Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
About Chester Township
Township in Indiana, United States
Chester Township is one of seven townships in Wabash County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,001 (down from 8,009 at 2010) and it contained 3,115 housing units. The township's name most likely is a transfer from Chester, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 65 sq mi
- Elevation
- 807 ft
Chester Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Chester Township.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Township | #41 | A | A | — | B+ | B− |
| Pleasant Township | — | — | B− | — | B+ | C+ |
| Jackson Township | — | — | A+ | — | C+ | C |
| North Manchester | #53 | A | A | — | B+ | B− |
| Warren Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lagro Township | #483 | C | A− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Liberty Mills | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Pleasant Township and Jackson Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Chester Township, Pleasant Township, Jackson Township, North Manchester and Lagro Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Warren Township and Liberty Mills aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Chester Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Chester Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Chester Township, IN a good place to live?
Yes, by almost any measure. Chester Township grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #41 of 585 in Indiana. It grades B− for health and B+ for schools.
Is Chester Township, IN 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.