Earning a living in Chester
Commuters spend 33 minutes getting to work on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. Only 6% work in Chester; the top destination outside it is Lincoln (18%, 6 miles). 10% of workers have no commute at all, against 16% across Maine.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who works in Chester, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 182 residents head out to work, 12 work right here, and 262 people come in from elsewhere.
About 630 people are in Chester on a workday afternoon, 14% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.41 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The places Chester commutes to
Where Chester clocks in
10% of workers
9% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Making and building: 68% of jobs based in Chester
274 jobs are based in Chester.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Chester, 2013 → 2023: 197 → 274. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Chester’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 33 minutes each way, longer than most of Maine
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Chester workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 224 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Maine: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Chester’s workers travel
About 29% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Chester and its neighbors
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Chester workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | – | — | — | 33 min | $64,500 |
| Woodville | under 3% | — | — | 36 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Woodville: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Chester’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Chester: questions
What is the median household income in Chester?
$64,500 (±$7,966) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Chester?
9.0%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Chester?
33 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Chester work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lincoln (18%, 6 mi), Bangor (10%, 44 mi), Millinocket (9%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Chester without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Chester, from the people who make the trip.
More of Chester
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.