Chester, Massachusetts

Community in Hampden County · population 552 (2020 Census)

Median home: $257,400
Household income: $77,143
Jan low / Jul high: 12° / 80°
Snow a year: 77 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 3
Median age: 42.4

Chester is a community of 552 people in Hampden County, Massachusetts. The median home is worth $257,400, below the typical Massachusetts town ($510,150). It ranks quieter than 97% of Massachusetts towns, easier by car than 87% of Massachusetts towns, better for first-time buyers than 79% of Massachusetts towns.

Chester in our rankings:

How Chester ranks

Percentile among Massachusetts towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Massachusetts 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 $257,400, below the typical Massachusetts town ($510,150). Homes cost about 3.3 times the median household income of $77,143, which is more affordable than 94% of Massachusetts towns. Median rent is $1,102 a month. 66.1% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Chester	Typical Massachusetts town
Median home value	$257,400	$510,150
Median rent	$1,102	$1,561
Median household income	$77,143	$108,622
Home value ÷ income	3.3×	4.5×
Homeownership	66.1%	80.7%
Median year built	1938	1968
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Chester

People	Chester	Typical Massachusetts town
Median age	42.4	44.8
Age 65 and over	12.9%	20.7%
Under 18	31.4%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.1%	45.7%
Below the poverty line	2.2%	6.3%
Veterans	4.7%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.0%	—
Work from home	2.2%	17.7%
Average commute	27.7 min	30.1 min
Homes with broadband	87.6%	93.9%

Weather in Chester

July highs average 79.6°F and January lows 11.9°F. About 54.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 77.1 inches of snow (typical Massachusetts town: 49.5 in). Expect about 2 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 168 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 Worthington station (7.9 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

3 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Chester since 1950, compared with 8 for the typical Massachusetts town. 2 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on July 3, 1997 about 9.6 miles from the town center. The most recent was on August 2, 2020.

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 30 times; the largest was 2.25 inches on June 22, 1988.

Severe weather in Hampden County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Hampden County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 5 deaths recorded.

Hampden County has been included in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, tornado, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
September 15, 2023	Hurricane	EM-3599: Hurricane Lee
March 27, 2020	Biological	DR-4496: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3438: Covid-19
April 19, 2013	Severe Storm	DR-4110: Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding
October 28, 2012	Hurricane	EM-3350: Hurricane Sandy

Jobs and pay in Hampden County

Hampden County had 202,129 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $62,834 a year. Unemployment was 4.3% in 2023; in Chester itself the ACS puts it at 1.8%.

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

Chester, MA
2.5 mi · 1,228 people · home $281,900
Huntington, MA
5.2 mi · 857 people · home $320,000
Becket, MA
5.4 mi · 1,931 people · home $361,000
Huntington, MA
6.0 mi · 2,094 people · home $293,100
Blandford, MA
6.4 mi · 1,215 people · home $287,900
Otis, MA
7.5 mi · 1,634 people · home $396,700
Russell, MA
8.0 mi · 690 people · home $302,800
Worthington, MA
8.3 mi · 1,193 people · home $380,400

Chester questions

Is Chester, Massachusetts a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Chester scores better for retirees than 40% of Massachusetts towns and quieter than 97%. 12.9% of residents are 65 or older (median age 42.4).

How much does a house cost in Chester?

The median owner-occupied home in Chester is valued at $257,400 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $77,143, so homes cost about 3.3 times income. Median rent is $1,102 a month.

What is the weather like in Chester?

July highs average 79.6°F and January lows 11.9°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 54.1 inches of precipitation a year and 77.1 inches of snow.

Does Chester get tornadoes?

3 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Chester since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on July 3, 1997. The typical Massachusetts town has had 8.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Chester's Census boundary (GEOID 2513450). Comparisons use the median of Massachusetts 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 2026-11-13.