Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
The best of Chester’s subject grades are an A+ for history and an A for the outdoors; the weakest is a C− for walkability. On hazard risk, just 16 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do worse. 30% of the land in Chester is conserved, against 19% in Massachusetts’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 6 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score higher on history. Hiram H. Fox Wildlife Management Area, at 1,499 acres with 2.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Chester has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Chester beats most towns.
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1885.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Chester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chester. Close and well known come first.
21 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
28 mi MountainMount Greylock
23 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
33 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
20 mi TheatreTanglewood
37 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank ArenaSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5
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.
Ordered by what stands out in Chester.
The typical Chester home is worth about $306,000, up 3.2% in a year, 53% below the Massachusetts typical home. Chester’s median rent is $1,104 a month, below the Massachusetts town median ($1,683 a month) and near the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 83% of Chester households own their home.
| Chester | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,104 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Gateway school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 114 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
25 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The trail density in Chester is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hiram H. Fox Wildlife Management Area | 2.8 mi | 1,499 |
| 2. Westfield River Highlands | 2 mi | 255 |
| 3. Wright / Mica Mill Wildlife Conservation Easement | 1.7 mi | 1,651 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Chester. Only 1 of the 284 Massachusetts towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Chester. Chester’s median household income is $89,000.
| Chester | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 2005, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chester.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Chester beats the Massachusetts average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9.
| Chester | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 33% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Chester | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.1% | 5.2% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 72.1% | 68.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.4% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Chester has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 14° and about 77 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Of the 278 Massachusetts towns we compare, none has a lower property crime rate than Chester. Chester's reported crime rate is well below Massachusetts's. Only 6 of the 278 Massachusetts towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Chester.
| Chester | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
2 within 15 miles of the center of Chester
About 2 of every 100 Chester residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
3 places in Chester on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Chester is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, situated in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Springfield metropolitan statistical area. The town includes the Chester Factory Village Historic District. The total population was 1,228 in the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($71,306 across the Springfield, MA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
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