Photo: Nyttend · Public domainFewer people are out of work in Chester Township (1.3%) than in 92% of U.S. towns
Only 4% work in Chester Township itself; outside it, Athens draws the most (12%, 20 miles). Chester Township grades B for jobs and income and D− for walkability. For 6% of workers, the job is at home (Ohio 13%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Chester Township
A big share show a job far from home
30% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Chester Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 29 minutes each way, against 23 across Ohio. Over a year that’s about 222 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 949 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where Chester Township’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Chester Township is better than 55% of U.S. towns. Unemployment holds Chester Township’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 11% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Chester Township could be anywhere from C− to A−.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Chester Township
About 30% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
How long Chester Township spends getting to work: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Chester Township workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 976 commuters (the 6% who work from home are left out). Across Ohio: 86% 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.
Who leaves Chester Township for work, and who comes in
On a workday 912 residents head out to work, 37 work right here, and 283 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,800 people are in Chester Township on a workday afternoon, 26% fewer than live here.
0.34 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Where people from Chester Township work
Where Chester Township clocks in
12% of workers
6% 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.
The 320 jobs based in Chester Township
320 jobs are based in Chester Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Chester Township, 2014 → 2024: 293 → 320. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Chester Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In Chester Township, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Chester Township is more walkable than 3% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Chester Township near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,038 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 1.0% of Chester Township households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Chester Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Chester Township is 1,948th of 4,995 U.S. towns of 1,700 to 3,200
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Jersey Township OH | 2,678 | $136K | 2.4% | 1.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 31 | Silver Lake OH | 2,504 | $140K | 2.9% | 1.4% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 37 | Evendale OH | 2,657 | $149K | 1.5% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,946 | Cardington OH | 2,247 | $70K | 10.3% | 2.7% | 7% | B |
| 1,947 | Littlefield Township MI | 3,192 | $85K | 8.0% | 2.8% | 4% | B |
| 1,948 | Chester Township OH | 2,401 | $65K | 5.7% | 1.3% | 4% | B |
| 1,949 | Chester NY | 3,064 | $85K | 6.6% | 2.6% | 23% | B− |
| 1,950 | Donegal Township PA | 1,775 | $80K | 6.3% | 5.8% | 2% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,995 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 61% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Chester Township, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
Around Chester Township: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Chester Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Township | – | B | D− | 29 min | $64,760 |
| Salisbury Township | 4% | D | B− | 30 min | $38,832 |
| Sutton Township | under 2% | C− | C | 34 min | $41,413 |
| Bedford Township | under 2% | D | C− | 33 min | $60,536 |
| Orange Township | under 2% | D | D | 30 min | $63,701 |
| Lebanon Township | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Olive Township | under 2% | D | D | 34 min | $50,996 |
Same-state neighbors only. Lebanon Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Salisbury Township. Darker towns draw more of Chester Township’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 2024, 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 Township: questions
What is the median household income in Chester Township?
$64,760 (±$26,913) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Chester Township?
5.7%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Chester Township?
29 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Chester Township work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Athens (12%, 20 mi), Columbus (6%, 84 mi), Pomeroy (5%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Chester Township walkable?
Chester Township is more walkable than 3% of U.S. towns (Walkability D−): an EPA walkability index of 3.9 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Chester Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Chester Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Chester Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.