Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Chester gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $140K for a typical one, or 1.7 years of the Charlotte metro’s $83K median household income. It grades C− overall, 118th of 167 graded towns in South Carolina. The low prices come with trade-offs. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally, and the median household income is $46K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. Chester’s violent crime rate is 15.5 per 1,000 residents, above both South Carolina’s towns (4.4) and U.S. towns (1.7). Only 4 of South Carolina’s 263 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is Wylie Park, at 44 acres.
Where Chester beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Chester Historic District| Widest gap | Chester | SC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 21.4% | 8.9% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Chester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,899 in 1880, a peak of 7,158 in 1990, 5,269 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →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 Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Chester.
Chester trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, trades workers with Rock Hill and other neighbors and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of South Carolina.
41% of Chester adults get no exercise outside work. Only 5 of the 169 South Carolina towns we compare have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Chester. 12% of Chester adults binge drink.
| Chester | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 22% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 28% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 40% | 35% |
| What stands out | Chester | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.5% | 15.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.8% | 8.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 21.4% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Chester 01 school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy for Teaching and LearningLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 329 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $140K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 27 miles. At 1.7 years of the Charlotte metro’s $83K median household income, the typical home (about $140K) costs less against local pay than in 96% of South Carolina towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
Typical home values fell 7.6% in the year to September 2026. 59% of households own their home in Chester.
| Chester | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $902 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Santuck weather station, 18 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 210 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 89% of South Carolina places with climate records. January nights average 31.5°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 84% of South Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 90.9°.
Chester has mild winters and warm summers. Chester’s July high is 91°F. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Chester | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 91°F | 91°F | 85°F |
| January low | 32°F | 34°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Chester has about as many jobs (1,994) as working residents, but only 148 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 1,197 in 2013 to 1,994.
Most working residents leave Chester for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, Chester has added 797 jobs, to 1,994 in 2023. The average trip to work in Chester is 28 minutes.
| Chester | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Chester's reported crime rate is well above South Carolina's. 81 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Chester since 2025.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Chester | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wylie Park | 0.1 mi | 44 |
| 2. Chester Sports Complex | — | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Chester; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Chester residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
4 places in Chester on the National Register of Historic Places.
25 notable people were born in Chester.
City in South Carolina, United States
Chester is a small rural city in Chester County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Chester had a population of 5,269. It is the county seat of Chester County. The community was segregated. Many African Americans, including the principal and teachers at Finley School, lived in East Chester.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Chester.
| Town | SC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | #118 | C− | A | — | C | D− |
| Eureka Mill | — | — | A+ | — | C | D− |
| Gayle Mill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Eureka Mill has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Chester and Eureka Mill report no FBI crime data of their own. Gayle Mill isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Chester with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Chester grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #118 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D− for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
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 A.
25 notable people were born here, including Ron Rash and Allison Feaster.
