Chester Township, MI location, 2019
Chester Township’s story
Chester Township in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2019 and 2 maps from 1949 on.
Explore the history →Chester TownshipMI
Population
1,354
2025 Census estimate · +3.9% since 2020
Median home value
$214K
Census ACS
Household income
$74K
median
Median age
45.6
years
Jobs based here
166
A commuter town
Is Chester Township a good place to live?
The best of Chester Township’s subject grades are a B+ for schools and civic life; the weakest is a C− for walkability. Chester Township’s concentration of trails is 1.5 miles per square mile, against 0.3 in Michigan’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit, at 18,239 acres with 70.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. On history, just 44 of Michigan’s 1,279 towns do worse. Chester Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Chester Township stand out
Where Chester Township beats most towns.
Small town
1,354 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Charlton TownshipBagley TownshipOtsego Lake TownshipLovells TownshipDover TownshipChester Township
How Chester Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Chester Township is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.2 of 20; 3.8% of households have no car; 1.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →SchoolsBeat 72% of Michigan districts on tests and graduationB+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $214K, 3.1 years of the county’s $68K median household incomeB+Open →HealthMunson Healthcare Grayling Hospital 20.3 miles awayC+Open →Jobs & income$74K median household incomeC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors100 miles of trails; 1% conserved landCOpen →HistoryDOpen →Civic life3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Chester Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chester Township, and how to reach them.
PowerDTE20.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet7 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Chester Township’s trash rules yet
SchoolsGaylord Community SchoolsJohannesburg-Lewiston Area School District2 districts serve Chester Township; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereChester Township ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes49735, 49751, 4973849735 52% · 49751 46% · 49738 2%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Chester Township.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Top of a very low hazard risk in Chester Township: inland flooding
The risk rating from FEMA in Chester Township is 15 of 100. 52% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 20%. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 85% of U.S. communities.
15risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHail
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Most of Chester Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
The top destinations are Gaylord (22%), Bagley Township (5%) and Livingston Township (4%). For most workers, Chester Township is a place to come home to: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Chester Township grew to 166 in 2021, 53 more than in 2011. Also worth knowing: among residents here, 5.3% live below the poverty line, where Michigan’s towns sit at 8.9% and U.S. towns at 9.6%.
3%work in town
| Chester Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.3% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 5.9% | 8% |
| Work from home | 13% | 10% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Chester Township3%
Gaylord22%
Bagley Township5%
Livingston Township4%
Traverse City3%
33 mi
median commute distance
166
jobs based in Chester Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Climate
Chester Township: snowy winters and pleasant summers
In Chester Township, the July high is 79°F.
149″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–28°
Spring29–52°
Summer53–77°
Fall37–56°
Sep 30
typical first frost
May 22
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Young adults are less common in Chester Township than in Michigan
The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 23%, against 32% across Michigan. Adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (38% statewide). Chester Township’s age of the median resident comes in at 45.6 years. Population is up 3.9% here since 2020, to 1,354 by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
45.6median age · MI 40.2
| Chester Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 45.6 years | 42.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 26% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 21% | 22% |
Chester TownshipMichiganUnited States
Ages · share of residents
16%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma7%
High school29%
Some college30%
Associate’s12%
Bachelor’s14%
Graduate9%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.3 points. Across Michigan, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Chester Township | MI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.9% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.3% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.5% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 12.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.1% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.9% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.2% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.8% | 28% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.5% | 21.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.6% | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.9% | 12.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
HealthC+
Health in Chester Township trails 61% of U.S. towns
The share of adults in Chester Township who have diabetes: 13%. Of 32 CDC measures, Chester Township beats the Michigan average on 4 and trails it on 5. Just over four in five adults locally had a checkup this year; 15% report frequent physical distress.
39%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Chester Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 12% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Michigan
4 better23 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Chester Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.4% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7% | 8.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 8.9% |
Munson Healthcare Grayling Hospital
20.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsC
0.6% of Chester Township is conserved land
Walkers can cover 100 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
0.6%conserved
0.6%
conserved · 241 of 43,697 acres
100 mi
of trails · 1.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mackinaw State Forest - Gaylord Unit | 70.5 mi | 18,239 |
| 2. Big Lake Public Access | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Chester Township
18pages on Chester Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Chester Township; the nearest are
Kirtland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Grayling24.6 mi$5,190 in-state tuitionCentral Michigan UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Mount Pleasant93.8 mi$14,760 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Chester Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Chester Township for work
Where Chester Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
166jobs based in Chester Township
3%of working residents work in town
33 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2021
About Chester Township
Civil township in Michigan, United States
Chester Township is a civil township of Otsego County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,300 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 69 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,266 ft
Questions about Chester Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Chester Township, MI 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 B+.