ChesterSD
Today 152 people live in this town, first settled in 1886.
Is Chester a good place to live?
Chester’s age of the median resident is 62.3 years, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 39.5 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. Among 36 South Dakota towns, just 3 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Chester. Chester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
152 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Chester: who provides what
Chester is unincorporated, so Lake County and regional agencies provide most services.
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.
Most of Chester’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.4 jobs for each of them
The top destinations are Sioux Falls (32%), Madison (16%) and Brookings (8%). Just 2% of Chester’s working residents have a job in town. Also worth knowing: the average trip to work in the town is 23 minutes. Half the trips to work are shorter than 26 miles.
| Chester | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Chester
Chester’s typical July afternoon high stands at 83°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Chester is
Among 36 South Dakota towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Chester. CDC measures, 26 in all: Chester beats South Dakota on 7 and trails on 1. The share of adults in Chester who report frequent mental distress: 13%.
| Chester | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 25% |
| What stands out | Chester | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.7% | 12.7% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.8% | 8.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Chester: inland flooding
Of the losses FEMA expects in Chester, 45% come from inland flooding and 24% from tornadoes. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in the town than in 56% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Chester
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Chester
About 0 of every 100 Chester residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
98% of working residents leave Chester for work
Where Chester’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Chester
Census-designated place in South Dakota, United States
Chester is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lake County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 257 as of the 2020 census. Chester has been assigned the ZIP code of 57016.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 1,601 ft
- ZIP code
- 57016
- Area code
- 605
Questions about Chester
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Chester, SD a good place to live?
Chester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.