Housing data for Chester, CA
Chester, CA has an estimated 1,759 residents and 1,301 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Plumas County.
33.4% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,110 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,759 (±441)
- Housing units
- 1,301 (±169)
- Households that rent
- 33.4%
- Median gross rent
- $1,110
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −18.0%
What stands out in Chester
Working from home: 0.2% (±0.4 points) in Chester, lower than in Plumas County (7.2%).
Median household income: $47,129 (±$7,306) in Chester, lower than in Plumas County ($66,031).
Housing in Chester at a glance
- Median rent: $1,110 median gross rent a month
- Rent burden: 56.7% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 33.4% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $47,129 median household income
- Home values: $304,800 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,188 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,536 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 7.8% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 64.6% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Age of homes: 60.9% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 19.7% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 51.1% heat with wood
- Commute and cars: 25.0 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −18.0% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 34.4% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Chester against Plumas County, its state and the nation
| Chester | Plumas County | California | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,759 (±441) | 19,423 (exact) | 39,287,377 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 1,301 (±169) | 14,921 (±29) | 14,644,735 (±1,665) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 33.4% (±15.1 points) | 25.4% (±4.0 points) | 44.1% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,110 (±$91) | $1,194 (±$85) | $2,036 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $47,129 (±$7,306) | $66,031 (±$6,182) | $99,122 (±$310) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $304,800 (±$105,636) | $360,200 (±$19,837) | $734,700 (±$1,307) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,536 (±$624) | $2,537 (±$140) | $5,124 (±$17) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 60.9% (±19.1 points) | 47.3% (±4.4 points) | 56.0% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 25.0 minutes (±10.7) | 19.8 minutes (±2.7) | 28.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 93.3% (±6.3 points) | 85.5% (±3.3 points) | 93.5% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 61.6 years (±6.8) | 52.0 years (±1.0) | 37.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Chester covers 7.3 square miles of land, about 241 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Chester has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,145 (±349) | 1,759 (±441) | −18.0% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 1,267 (±84) | 1,301 (±169) | +2.7% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $636 (±$146) | $1,110 (±$91) | +74.5% | Up after inflation |
| Median home value | $207,100 (±$16,486) | $304,800 (±$105,636) | +47.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $57,125 (±$13,416) | $47,129 (±$7,306) | −17.5% | Down after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,279 (±$147) | $1,188 (±$383) | −7.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,338 (±$84) | $2,536 (±$624) | +89.5% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 27.5% (±8.3 points) | 33.4% (±15.1 points) | +5.9 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 2.8% (±4.3 points) | 19.7% (±22.7 points) | +16.9 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Plumas County
Chester has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Plumas County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Plumas County recorded 317 violent and 888 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Chester
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96020 | 13% | 2,222 | $1,130 | $350,200 | $50,489 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Chester
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood | 12 mi | $947 | $147,000 | 37.7% |
| Quincy | 30 mi | $1,026 | $300,500 | 42.1% |
| East Quincy | 31 mi | $1,681 | $322,600 | 37.7% |
| Susanville | 33 mi | $902 | $235,500 | 46.1% |
| Johnstonville | 34 mi | $968 | $329,300 | 12.8% |
| Shingletown | 36 mi | — | $235,900 | 4.9% |
| Forest Ranch | 36 mi | — | $445,800 | 3.1% |
| Magalia | 39 mi | $1,478 | $280,600 | 16.8% |
Places in California most like Chester
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dos Palos | $1,125 | $299,500 | $42,367 | 39.8% |
| Bystrom | $1,189 | $319,400 | $49,094 | 41.2% |
| Thermalito | $1,178 | $254,900 | $54,865 | 31.0% |
| East Niles | $1,250 | $251,500 | $55,124 | 41.4% |
| Wasco | $1,089 | $273,600 | $51,727 | 41.7% |
| Palermo | $1,135 | $283,000 | $50,588 | 31.3% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across California.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Chester, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $990 | $1,087 | $1,422 | $1,883 | $1,966 |
HUD income limits for Chester, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $20,450 | $34,000 | $54,400 |
| 2 people | $23,350 | $38,850 | $62,200 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $43,700 | $69,950 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $48,550 | $77,700 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $52,450 | $83,950 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $56,350 | $90,150 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $60,250 | $96,350 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $64,100 | $102,600 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Plumas County, CA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $93,500.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Chester is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Chester
What is the average rent in Chester, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Chester is $1,110 (±$91) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How many renters are there in Chester?
Chester has an estimated 293 (±145) renting households, 33.4% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Chester?
The median household income in Chester is $47,129 (±$7,306) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Chester, CA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $304,800 (±$105,636) for owner-occupied homes in Chester (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Chester?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Chester, CA is $1,188 (±$383) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Chester?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Chester, CA is $2,536 (±$624) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Chester growing?
In Chester, the number of residents went from 2,145 in 2015–2019 to 1,759 in 2020–2024 (−18.0%), not a measurable change.
What ZIP codes are in Chester?
The ZIP code that covers Chester is 96020.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 96020?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 96020 is $1,130 (±$106) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester CDP, California
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester CDP, California
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester CDP, California
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester CDP, California
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester CDP, California
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester CDP, California
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Chester CDP, California
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Plumas County, CA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Plumas County, CA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Chester CDP, California (place:12930, in state:06).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .