Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 844, settled in 1895.
Chester has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them First Episcopal Methodist Church of Chester and First State Bank of Chester. Chester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 402 in 1920, a peak of 1,158 in 1960, 847 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1963 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 median household income for Chester comes to $54,000, where Montana’s towns sit at $67,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. 46% of the town’s working residents work right in town. Its average trip to work comes in at 11 minutes. The top destinations are Great Falls (6%), Billings (4%) and Missoula (3%).
| Chester | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 46% | 39% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 11 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two of the 3 schools are below, and why each made the list. Public schools: the Chester-Joplin-Inverness El school district. The 3 public schools in Chester teach 208 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester-Joplin-Inverness SchlLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 124 | A |
| Chester-Joplin-Inverness HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 54 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts
The midpoint rent in Chester is $720 a month. Among households locally, 56% are owner-occupiers, against 64% in Montana’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. Home values are down 2.8% over the year to September 2026.
| Chester | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $720 a month | $1,000 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Among residents in Chester, 18% are under 18. Only one of the 43 Montana towns we compare has a higher median age than Chester. The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 30%, against 35% across Montana.
| Chester | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 37% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 57.5 years | 38.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 18% | 22% | 22% |
60% women, 40% men
About 66 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.3 points). Across Montana, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Chester | MT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.3% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.3% | 10% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.4% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.7% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.1% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.6% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.3% | 12.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 27.4% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.5% | 5.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.8% | 27.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.8% | 22.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7% | 9.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.3% | 23.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.5% | 12% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 800, single groups can be off by several points
In July, afternoons reach 83°; in January, nights fall to 6°, and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 1996, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chester. On expected storm and flood damage, Chester sits below 61% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts nearly half of the town’s expected hazard losses down to cold waves, and 44% to inland flooding. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Chester once, in 2018.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For adults in Chester, the share who have diabetes is 14%. No town among the 42 in Montana we compare has a lower share of adults who binge drink than Chester. The town beats the Montana average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. Only 3 of the 42 Montana towns we compare have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Chester.
| Chester | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 32% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 19% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 20% | 16% |
| What stands out | Chester | MT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.3% | 20.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.7% | 73.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 12% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 0.3 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Chester: 2, covering 3 acres. Also worth knowing: for Chester, the density of trails is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Chester | Montana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 9.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chester City Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
| 2. Lion's Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Chester; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Chester residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Montana.
Where Chester’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Montana, United States
Chester is a town in and the county seat of Liberty County, Montana, United States. The population was 847 at the time of both the 2010 and 2020 U.S. census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Chester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.