Wayne County Bicentennial Barn, 2016
Chester Township’s story
Chester Township in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 3 maps from 1906 on.
Explore the history →
Chester TownshipWayne County, OH
A town of 3,038.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Roseohioresident · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
3,038
2025 Census estimate · +0.2% since 2020
Median home value
$244K
Census ACS
Household income
$74K
median
Median age
36.7
years
Jobs based here
532
A commuter town
TownGrade
B
#435 of 987 in OH
Is Chester Township a good place to live?
Chester Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $244K, 3.3 years of the Wooster area’s $74K median household income. It grades B overall, 435th among Ohio's 987 graded towns. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. The biggest place to walk is Wooster Memorial Park, 322 acres with 8.8 miles of trail. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 74% of U.S. towns. 14% of residents live below the poverty line in Chester Township, where Ohio’s towns sit at 9.1% and U.S. towns at 9.6%.
What makes Chester Township stand out
Where Chester Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
93% of working residents leave Chester Township for work
Where Chester Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
532jobs based in Chester Township
7%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Chester Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Chester Township is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 18% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.7 of 20; 3.2% of households have no car; 1.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SchoolsB+Open →Cost of livingB+Open →HealthWooster Community Hospital 6.8 miles awayC+Open →Jobs & incomeBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0% conserved landCOpen →HistoryB−Open →Civic life1.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+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.
PowerHolmes-Wayne Electric Coop17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCountry Pointe Wooster Sub-Acute PWSNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Chester Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Ohio you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereDirector, Wayne County Board of ElectionsWayne County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2020
ZIP codes44691, 44287, 44214, 4484044691 65% · 44287 27% · 44214 7% · 44840 1%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Chester Township.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Chester Township faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities.
18risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHail
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsB+
On state tests, Chester Township’s schools beat 72% of Ohio districts
Its public schools are run by the Northwestern Local school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Northwestern High School, with 327 students.
72%of OH districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 632 | A |
| Northwestern High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 327 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Chester Township has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Chester Township for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, Chester Township has lost 73 jobs, to 532 in 2023. The top destinations are Wooster (26%), Ashland (5%) and Orrville (4%).
7%work in town
| Chester Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Chester Township7%
Wooster26%
Ashland5%
Orrville4%
Akron3%
14 mi
median commute distance
532
jobs based in Chester Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
#422for trails in OH
| Chester Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
0.2%
conserved · 62 of 26,448 acres
10 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wooster Memorial Park | 8.8 mi | 322 |
| 2. New Pittsburg Lions Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Chester Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
Chester Township has chilly winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Chester Township is 83°F.
29″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–36°
Spring38–59°
Summer59–81°
Fall42–62°
Oct 14
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Residents of Chester Township are less healthy than 62% of U.S. towns
Chester Township tracks Ohio closely on all 32 CDC measures. 34% of Chester Township adults sleep under 7 hours.
38%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Chester Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 38% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 26% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 34% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Ohio
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Wooster Community Hospital
6.8 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
50th
percentile among OH towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
An age mix much like Ohio’s
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Ohio average. Chester Township’s median age is 36.7 years. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across Ohio.
36.7median age · OH 39.7
| Chester Township | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.7 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 24% | 29% |
Chester TownshipOhioUnited States
Ages · share of residents
17%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma5%
High school43%
Some college18%
Associate’s4%
Bachelor’s22%
Graduate7%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.5 points. Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Chester Township | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.4% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.4% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.5% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.3% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.4% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 42.8% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.4% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.4% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.3% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.7% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Chester Township
18pages on Chester Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Chester Township
The College of WoosterUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Wooster7.1 mi$61,640 tuitionOhio State University Agricultural Technical InstituteCommunity college · Public · Wooster8.9 mi$9,584 in-state tuitionUniversity of Akron Wayne CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Orrville14 mi$7,723 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Chester Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
About Chester Township
Township in Ohio, US
Chester Township is one of the sixteen townships of Wayne County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 3,043 people in the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 42 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,142 ft
Chester Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Chester Township.
Perry TownshipWayne TownshipPlain TownshipCongress TownshipChester Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Township | #435 | B | B+ | — | B+ | C+ |
| Perry Township | — | — | B | — | A− | C− |
| Wayne Township | #495 | B | C | — | B | B− |
| Plain Township | #218 | A− | B+ | — | A− | C+ |
| Congress Township | #343 | B+ | A− | — | B+ | C− |
Perry Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Chester Township, Perry Township, Wayne Township, Plain Township and Congress Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Chester Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Chester Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Chester Township, OH a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Chester Township grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #435 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C+ for health and B+ for schools.
Is Chester Township, OH 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+.