Chester, Maryland

Community in Queen Anne's County · population 5,003 (2020 Census)

Median home: $487,400
Household income: $102,399
Jan low / Jul high: 29° / 87°
Snow a year: 15 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 7
Median age: 46.9

Chester is a community of 5,003 people in Queen Anne's County, Maryland. The median home is worth $487,400, above the typical Maryland town ($412,300). It ranks more seaside character than 92% of Maryland towns, easier by car than 85% of Maryland towns, better for retirees than 81% of Maryland towns.

Chester in our rankings:

How Chester ranks

Percentile among Maryland towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Maryland towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Chester is worth $487,400, above the typical Maryland town ($412,300). Homes cost about 4.8 times the median household income of $102,399, which is more affordable than 18% of Maryland towns. Median rent is $1,878 a month. 71.1% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Maryland towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Chester	Typical Maryland town
Median home value	$487,400	$412,300
Median rent	$1,878	$1,748
Median household income	$102,399	$108,677
Home value ÷ income	4.8×	3.8×
Homeownership	71.1%	77.3%
Median year built	1993	1980
Seasonal / vacation homes	8.1%	—

Who lives in Chester

People	Chester	Typical Maryland town
Median age	46.9	40.2
Age 65 and over	18.6%	16.4%
Under 18	18.0%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	40.9%	39.4%
Below the poverty line	8.1%	7.1%
Veterans	6.2%	—
Born outside the U.S.	8.4%	—
Work from home	13.0%	17.4%
Average commute	33.0 min	31.4 min
Homes with broadband	87.8%	94.3%

Weather in Chester

July highs average 87.4°F and January lows 28.6°F. About 46.9 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 15.1 inches of snow (typical Maryland town: 15.9 in). Expect about 32 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 64 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Stevensville 2Sw station (2.9 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 2 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

7 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Chester since 1950, compared with 18 for the typical Maryland town. 1 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF2, struck on July 24, 2017 about 1.7 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 28, 2026.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 3 times; the largest was 1.80 inches on June 9, 2011.

Severe weather in Queen Anne's County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Queen Anne's County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 2 deaths recorded.

Queen Anne's County has been included in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for hurricane, snowstorm, biological.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
January 24, 2026	Winter Storm	EM-3634: Severe Winter Storm
March 26, 2020	Biological	DR-4491: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3430: Covid-19
March 4, 2016	Snowstorm	DR-4261: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm
November 20, 2012	Hurricane	DR-4091: Hurricane Sandy

Jobs and pay in Queen Anne's County

Queen Anne's County had 16,269 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $56,415 a year. Unemployment was 1.8% in 2023; in Chester itself the ACS puts it at 2.2%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Chester

Stevensville, MD
1.9 mi · 7,442 people · home $481,200
Grasonville, MD
4.8 mi · 3,474 people · home $459,600
Cape St. Claire, MD
10.2 mi · 9,179 people · home $488,200
Annapolis Neck, MD
11.4 mi · 10,973 people · home $739,100
Annapolis, MD
11.7 mi · 40,812 people · home $548,900
Mayo, MD
12.7 mi · 8,832 people · home $604,900
Arnold, MD
13.0 mi · 24,064 people · home $564,200
Centreville, MD
13.4 mi · 4,727 people · home $449,900

Chester questions

Is Chester, Maryland a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Chester scores better for retirees than 81% of Maryland towns and quieter than 77%. 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 46.9).

How much does a house cost in Chester?

The median owner-occupied home in Chester is valued at $487,400 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $102,399, so homes cost about 4.8 times income. Median rent is $1,878 a month.

What is the weather like in Chester?

July highs average 87.4°F and January lows 28.6°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 46.9 inches of precipitation a year and 15.1 inches of snow.

Does Chester get tornadoes?

7 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Chester since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF2 on July 24, 2017. The typical Maryland town has had 18.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Chester's Census boundary (GEOID 2416125). Comparisons use the median of Maryland towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-12.