Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,797, settled in 1888.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Chester grades A− overall, 90th among Maryland's 259 graded towns. Natural-hazard risk is low. Its public schools beat 84% of Maryland towns on state tests and graduation and the median household earns $102K. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $530K for a typical one and 5.3 times the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income. Chester’s median age is 46.9 years, where Maryland’s towns sit at 39.4 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. The biggest park or preserve is Kent Island Research Wildlife Management Area, at 28 acres. Chester is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 74% of U.S. towns.
Where Chester beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Chester | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.5% | 13.5% |
4,167 counted in 2010 and 5,003 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Chester is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 13%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 21 old photos and papers going back to 2017 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chester. Close and well known come first.
Big draw40 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaNorthwest Stadium
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaM&T Bank Stadium
29 mi Stadium & arenaOriole Park at Camden Yards
Big draw40 mi National Historic SiteFord's Theatre National Historic Site394K visitors a year
Big draw39 mi National park siteNational MallSmithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · Northwest Stadium: Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0 · M&T Bank Stadium: United States Department of Defense Cherie Cullen, Public domain · Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ford's Theatre National Historic Site: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Mall: Raul654 at en.wikipedia. Later version(s) were uploaded by Michael Shields at e, CC BY-SA 3.0
Chester is unincorporated, so Queen Anne's County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Chester.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Chester for work: only 5% work in town. The average trip to work in Chester is 33 minutes. Since 2013, Chester has added 217 jobs, to 1,408 in 2023.
| Chester | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 13% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.5% | 3.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Chester beats the Maryland average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 30% of Chester adults have obesity.
| Chester | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Chester | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.5% | 13.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11% | 15.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Chester’s median rent is $1,878 a month. The typical Chester home is worth about $530,000, up 0.8% in a year, 25% above the Maryland typical home.
| Chester | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,878 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Chester has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 28° and about 14 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (40% statewide); children under 18 are 18% of residents (22% statewide). 41% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 44% across Maryland.
| Chester | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 42% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 16% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.8 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Chester | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.2% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.8% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.9% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.3% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.2% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.9% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.6% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.8% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.7% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.4% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.2% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.5% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.5% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,800, single groups can be off by several points
1.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Chester | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.2% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kent Island Research Wildlife Management Area | — | 28 |
| 2. Cross Island Trailhead at Macuum Creek | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
4 within 15 miles of the center of Chester
About 5 of every 100 Chester residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Coastal flooding makes up 12% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
CDP in Maryland, United States
Chester is a census-designated place on Kent Island in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 3,723 at the 2000 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Chester.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | #90 | A− | D | — | A− | B+ |
| Kent Narrows | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stevensville | #82 | A− | C− | — | A− | A |
Chester and Stevensville report no FBI crime data of their own. Kent Narrows isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Chester with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Chester grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns and #90 of 259 in Maryland. It grades B+ for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
.jpg){kind=link}
