Chester County, Tennessee: commercial real estate data.
Chester County, Tennessee had an estimated 17,876 residents on July 1, 2024, up 3.0 percent since the 2020 census base of 17,352, across 286 square miles. County output reached $524.1 m in 2024, 254 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 2 7(a) approvals worth $1.1 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Chester County
How many people live in Chester County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202417,611
- Households6,430
- Average household size2.74
- Median household income$59,341
- Median age37.6
- Median gross rent$756 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$164,400
- Home value to household income2.8 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher22.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over11,607
- Population under 183,813
- Share under 1821.7 percent
- Population 65 and over3,234
- Share 65 and over18.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6410,564
- Civilian labor force7,607
- Unemployment rate4.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over55.1 percent
- Rank by population among Tennessee counties73rd of 95
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2004th of 3,222
Chester County is the 73rd largest of 95 Tennessee counties by population. A median home costs 2.8 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.7 percent against 18.4 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Chester County
Is Chester County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202417,876
- Census 2020 base population17,352
- Population change since the 2020 census base3.02 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024154
- Births, 2024211
- Deaths, 2024202
- Natural change, 20249
- Net domestic migration, 2024114
- Net international migration, 202429
- Total net migration, 2024143
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024552
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents868th of 3,144
The county has grown 3.02 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Chester County
Where are people moving to Chester County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving436
- People arriving, from those returns895
- Tax returns filed by households leaving390
- Net household movement46
- Adjusted gross income arriving$22.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$4.7 m
- Average income of an arriving household$50,812
- Average income of a leaving household$44,831
- Largest single originMadison County (115 households)
- Largest single destinationMadison County (118 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County | 115 | 214 | $6.3 m |
| Henderson County | 41 | 93 | $1.5 m |
| McNairy County | 34 | 73 | $1.2 m |
Households arriving report $5,981 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Madison County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Chester County
What is the Chester County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$524.1 m
- County GDP, 2023$500.6 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.7 percent
- GDP change over five years35.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Tennessee areas BEA publishes76th of 95
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2373rd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$29,762
Output grew 4.7 percent in the latest year and 35.2 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Chester County
Employment by industry in Chester County
- Covered employment, annual average3,986
- Establishments reporting325
- Average annual pay$44,062
- Average weekly wage$847
- Manufacturing, employment690
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$60,800
- Retail trade, employment358
- Retail trade, average annual pay$40,170
- Wholesale trade, employment88
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$69,220
- Finance and insurance, employment81
- Finance and insurance, average annual pay$58,731
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment75
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment52
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 690 | 23 | $60,800 |
| Retail trade | 358 | 48 | $40,170 |
| Wholesale trade | 88 | 20 | $69,220 |
| Finance and insurance | 81 | 20 | $58,731 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 75 | 19 | $54,239 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 52 | 9 | $35,534 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 14 | 6 | $35,961 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 690 jobs, 17.3 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Chester County
How many businesses are in Chester County?
- Establishments, all industries254
- Employment at those establishments3,224
- Annual payroll$147.1 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents14.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Chester County
Building permits in Chester County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202418
- Declared construction value permitted$3.5 m
- Single family units authorized16
- Multifamily units authorized2
- Multifamily share of units11.1 percent
- Average declared value per unit$196,333
- Units authorized per 1,000 households2.8
Single-family homes are 88.9 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Chester County
SBA loans in Chester County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded2
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$1.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$542,500
- Median 7(a) approval$542,500
- Largest single approval$585,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)45
- Jobs per approval22.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active2
- Distinct industries receiving approvals2
- Median 7(a) term210 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer50.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Chester County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Chester County
Do SBA loans in Chester County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
Only 1 loan has reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Chester County
How large is Chester County?
- Land area286 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Tennessee counties76th of 95
- Width, east to west27.6 mi
- Height, north to south23.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land62
- Establishments per square mile0.89
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Chester County
Flood risk in Chester County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Chester County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 470348
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Chester County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Chester County (community 470348), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Chester County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Chester County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Chester County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202417,611
- Households6,430
- Average household size2.74
- Median household income$59,341
- Median age37.6
Common questions
Chester County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Chester County, Tennessee?
The Census Bureau estimates 17,876 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 17,611, in 6,430 households, ranking 73rd of 95 Tennessee counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Chester County's population growing?
The population has grown 3.02 percent since the 2020 census base of 17,352, to 17,876 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 211 births against 202 deaths, with net migration of 143. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Chester County?
$59,341. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $164,400, which is 2.8 times income, and median gross rent is $756 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Chester County?
254 establishments, employing 3,224 people with an annual payroll of $147.1 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Chester County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 690 jobs, 17.3 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 3,986 jobs at an average annual pay of $44,062, or $847 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Chester County?
2 7(a) approvals totaling $1.1 m since FY2020, across 2 lenders, with a median approval of $542,500. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Chester County?
18 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $3.5 m. Multifamily was 11.1 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Chester County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Chester County come from?
The largest single origin is Madison County, with 115 households. Arriving households report an average income of $50,812 against $44,831 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Chester County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Chester County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Chester County
Cities and places in Chester.
5 Census places lie wholly or partly in Chester County. All 5 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson | city | 6,411 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Milledgeville | town | 299 | None recorded | 40.2 percent here, 30.0 percent McNairy County, 29.8 percent Hardin County |
| Enville | town | 163 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Silerton | town | 81 | None recorded | 14.0 percent here, 86.0 percent Hardeman County |
| Jacks Creek | CDP | 28 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby