Chester is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, home to about 1,240 people across 37 square miles. Its ZIP code is 01011, and parts of 01050 are in Chester too.
Homes sold for a median of $223 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly Chester; also Middlefield
Mostly Huntington; part is in Chester
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Chester. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Chester’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Bradley International Airport (BDL)27 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Boston, MA99 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | New York, NY122 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Chester; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Chester had 1,228 residents in the 2020 census, down 6% since 2000.
It’s the 315th largest of 351 towns in Massachusetts by population.
Hampden County grew from 175,603 residents in 1900 to 465,825 in 2020.
Hampden County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 80°F in summer, and winter lows average 12°F. About 54.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 77 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Worthington, MA weather station (8 miles away).
168,744 jobs at 9,339 businesses in Hampden County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
2 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Chester.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Mental health providers | 1 |
|---|---|
| Physical and occupational therapists | 1 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (4 nearby)
Grocery stores
Libraries (1 nearby)
Museums (3 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues
Counts are within about 4 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Gateway. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester ElementaryChester | Pre-K–5 | 114 | Public | 2.2 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Huntington, Middlefield and Montgomery.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.