Chester County Demographics

A map of Chester County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	14,754	14,471	83.8%	83.4%
Black	1,667	1,494	9.5%	8.6%
Hispanic	593	528	3.4%	3.0%
Multiracial	359	664	2.0%	3.8%
Native American/Other	209	114	1.2%	0.7%
Asian	29	70	0.2%	0.4%

Chester County, Tennessee has an estimated population of 17,611, a slight increase from the 17,341 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 83.8% White, 9.5% Black, 3.4% Hispanic, 2.0% Multiracial, 1.2% Native American/Other, and 0.2% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Chester County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Chester has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Tennessee overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Chester County, that probability was 29.4% in 2020 and 28.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Chester County is ranked the 73rd most populous county in Tennessee, out of 95 counties. Chester County was ranked the 74th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Chester County's White Population

14,754 residents of Chester County, or 83.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Chester County is considerably higher than in Tennessee overall, where 71% of the population is White. Chester County ranks 66th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chester County's White population has grown by an estimated 2.0%. White residents' share of Chester County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 83.8%.

Chester County is more White than neighboring Madison County (53.4% White), and Hardeman County (53.1% White). Chester County is less White than neighboring McNairy County (89% White), Henderson County (85.8% White), and Hardin County (90.8% White).

Chester County's Black Population

1,667 residents of Chester County, or 9.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Chester County is lower than in Tennessee overall, where 15.4% of the population is Black. Chester County ranks 20th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chester County's Black population has grown by an estimated 11.6%. Black residents' share of Chester County's population has increased from 8.6% to 9.5%.

Chester County is more Black than neighboring McNairy County (5.4% Black), Henderson County (7.9% Black), and Hardin County (3.4% Black). Chester County is less Black than neighboring Madison County (36.2% Black), and Hardeman County (38.2% Black).

Chester County's Asian Population

29 residents of Chester County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Chester County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 1.9% of the population is Asian. Chester County ranks 58th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chester County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 58.6%. Asian residents' share of Chester County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Chester County is more Asian than neighboring Hardin County (0% Asian). Chester County is less Asian than neighboring McNairy County (0.4% Asian), Madison County (1% Asian), and Hardeman County (0.7% Asian).

Chester County's Hispanic Population

593 residents of Chester County, or 3.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Chester County is slightly lower than in Tennessee overall, where 7.4% of the population is Hispanic. Chester County ranks 48th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chester County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 12.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Chester County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.4%.

Chester County is more Hispanic than neighboring McNairy County (2.2% Hispanic), Henderson County (3% Hispanic), Hardeman County (2.2% Hispanic), and Hardin County (2.5% Hispanic). Chester County is less Hispanic than neighboring Madison County (5.2% Hispanic).

Chester County's Native American/Other Population

209 residents of Chester County, or 1.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Chester County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Chester County ranks 18th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chester County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 83.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Chester County's population has increased from 0.7% to 1.2%.

Chester County is more Native American/Other than neighboring McNairy County (0.3% Native American/Other), Madison County (0.5% Native American/Other), Henderson County (0.2% Native American/Other), Hardeman County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Hardin County (0.2% Native American/Other).

Chester County's Multiracial Population

359 residents of Chester County, or 2.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Chester County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. Chester County ranks 44th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Chester County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 45.9%. Multiracial residents' share of Chester County's population has decreased from 3.8% to 2.0%.

Chester County is less Multiracial than neighboring McNairy County (2.8% Multiracial), Madison County (3.7% Multiracial), Henderson County (3% Multiracial), Hardeman County (5.4% Multiracial), and Hardin County (3% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.