Health · Chester

Chester, OH health

On every measure CDC estimates, Chester looks like Ohio as a whole: no difference is outside the margin of error.

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · ZIP codes 44691, 44287, 44214

C+Health Grade

TownTapestry Health GradeNew

C⁺

Chester’s Health Grade: C+

On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Chester is healthier than 38% of U.S. towns and 57% of Ohio towns.

B-Self-rated healthB-Physical distressC+Mental distressC+ObesityC+DiabetesCSmokingC+Exercise

All U.S. towns we grade (19,420)Healthier than 38%

Less healthyHealthier

Ohio towns we grade (1,692)Healthier than 57%

Towns with similar incomes, $55K–$92K (9,838)Healthier than 40%

About what its income would suggest. Chester does about as well against towns with similar incomes as against all towns.

These are estimates. At the ends of CDC’s likely ranges, Chester could be anywhere from D to B+.

How the Health Grade works

Seven CDC estimates. Adults in fair or poor health, frequent physical distress, frequent mental distress, obesity, diabetes, smoking and no exercise (CDC PLACES, 2025 release). On each one a town earns the share of U.S. towns doing worse, and those shares are averaged. It’s the same score as our Healthiest towns in Ohio ranking.
Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town with 1,000+ residents and all seven estimates (19,420 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
Not adjusted for income. Wealthier towns are usually healthier, and the grade shows that as it is. The similar-incomes bar compares Chester with U.S. towns whose median household income is within 25% of its own.
Modeled, not measured. CDC combines national survey answers with each area’s age, sex, race and income mix. Chester’s figures come from the ZIP codes that cover it, weighted by land area. High blood pressure is left out because it tracks age more than anything else. The confidence line recomputes the grade with every estimate at the low, then the high, end of its range.

Report card

How Chester compares with Ohio

Each theme counts how many of its measures are better, worse or too close to call against the state. Tap one to jump to it.

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Chester adults…

38 of every 100 Chester adults have high blood pressure

Ohio: 37 in 100 · too close to call · margin 34.1–41.2%

Bars show Chester; the black tick is Ohio. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Chester, betterChester, worseToo close to callOhio

Get no exerciseshare of adults 27.1% Chester
OH 26.9%

Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 33.7% Chester
OH 37.9%

Binge drinkshare of adults 17.8% Chester
OH 16.6%

Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 16.2% Chester
OH 15.4%

0%10%20%30%40%

Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Chester adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Ohio.

Yearly checkup

OH 80%

Dentist visit

OH 63%

Cholesterol check

OH 86%

Colon screening

OH 65%

Mammogram

OH 76%

Taking BP meds

OH 79%

1 in 13

working-age adults has no health insurance

Chester 7.8% · Ohio 1 in 13 (8%)

Mind & connection

How Chester adults are doing

1 in 3Chester adults feel lonely

34.4% · Ohio 35% · too close to call

1 in 4Chester adults have been diagnosed with depression

25.6% · Ohio 25.4% · too close to call

1 in 5Chester adults lack social or emotional support

20.6% · Ohio 21.3% · too close to call

1 in 6Chester adults are in frequent mental distress

17.9% · Ohio 17.5% · too close to call

Everyday needs

Making ends meet

Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.

1 in 8

Chester adults worry about having enough food

13% · OH 14.1% · about the same

1 in 10

Chester adults worry about keeping their housing

10% · OH 11.3% · about the same

1 in 14

Chester adults were threatened with a utility shut-off

7.4% · OH 8.3% · about the same

1 in 14

Chester adults lack reliable transportation

7.3% · OH 7.7% · about the same

10.8% of Chester adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 11.7% across Ohio.

Disability

Living with a disability

30.4%

of Chester adults live with a disability (Ohio 29.5%). Thinking or memory is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs14.2%

Thinking or memory14.6%

Hearing7.4%

Errands alone8.4%

Vision4.7%

Dressing or bathing3.8%

Black tick: Ohio. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Around Chester

Chester and the towns around it

Pick a measure to shade the map. Darker is worse for health. Pins are the nearest hospitals and community health centers.

34.4%40%· darker is worse for health

Obesity

#7 of 14towns on this map, healthiest first

Wayne36.7%

Plain37%

Chester37.8%

Perry39.1%

Congress39.9%

Care nearby

Wooster Community HospitalWooster · 6.8 mi · ★★★★★ · ER Directions Medicare profile

Lodi Community HospitalLodi · 12.8 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

University Hospitals Samaritan Medical CenterAshland · 13.2 mi · ★★★★★ Directions Medicare profile

Aultman Orrville HospitalOrrville · 15.4 mi · ER · rural critical access Directions Medicare profile

9th Street DentalAshland · 13.1 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

Ashland Health and WellnessAshland · 13.3 mi · community health center, sliding-scale fees Directions

✓ Primary careChester is not a shortage area

✓ Dental careChester is not a shortage area

! Mental healthChester's county is a federal shortage area.Wayne-Holmes MHCA · need score 16 of 25

Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes). Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Distances are straight-line from the center of Chester. Nearby towns are shaded from CDC's estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC's own figure for cities and villages.

All 40 measures for Chester

Measure	Chester	Margin	Ohio
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure	37.6%	34.1–41.2%	37.2%	about the same
High cholesterol	37.2%	33.5–40.9%	36.7%	about the same
Obesity	37.8%	31.6–44.4%	37.1%	about the same
Arthritis	30.9%	28–33.9%	29.8%	about the same
Depression	25.6%	22.5–29%	25.4%	about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)	14.3%	11.9–16.8%	15.3%	about the same
Asthma	11.2%	10–12.4%	11.1%	about the same
Cancer (not skin)	9.5%	8.7–10.3%	8.7%	about the same
Diabetes	13.1%	11.6–14.7%	13.2%	about the same
COPD	8.7%	7.8–9.6%	8%	about the same
Heart disease	7.6%	6.9–8.4%	7.1%	about the same
Stroke	3.7%	3.3–4%	3.7%	about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes	16.2%	14.2–18.2%	15.4%	about the same
Binge drink	17.8%	15–20.7%	16.6%	about the same
Get no exercise	27.1%	23.5–31%	26.9%	about the same
Sleep under 7 hours	33.7%	28.7–38.8%	37.9%	about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup	79.2%	76–82%	79.9%	about the same
Dentist visit	62.1%	58.8–65.1%	62.9%	about the same
Cholesterol check	85%	83.3–86.7%	86.1%	about the same
Colon screening	64.9%	60.4–69.1%	65.2%	about the same
Mammogram	74.8%	67.9–80.7%	76%	about the same
Taking BP meds	79.1%	76.7–81.3%	79.2%	about the same
No health insurance	7.8%	6.7–9%	8%	about the same
Mind & connection
Feel lonely	34.4%	29.7–39.5%	35%	about the same
Lack emotional support	20.6%	17.6–23.7%	21.3%	about the same
Frequent mental distress	17.9%	16.1–19.8%	17.5%	about the same
Fair or poor health	19.5%	17.4–21.8%	19.4%	about the same
Frequent physical distress	14.5%	13–16.1%	13.9%	about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity	13%	11.1–15.2%	14.1%	about the same
Housing insecurity	10%	8.6–11.6%	11.3%	about the same
Utility shut-off threat	7.4%	6.4–8.4%	8.3%	about the same
No reliable transportation	7.3%	6.5–8.3%	7.7%	about the same
Receive SNAP	10.8%	9.2–12.5%	11.7%
Disability
Any disability	30.4%	26.9–34.1%	29.5%
Walking or climbing stairs	14.2%	12.6–15.9%	13.9%
Thinking or memory	14.6%	13.1–16.2%	13.9%
Hearing	7.4%	6.7–8.2%	6.8%
Vision	4.7%	4.4–5.1%	4.8%
Dressing or bathing	3.8%	3.4–4.1%	3.8%
Errands alone	8.4%	7.6–9.3%	8.1%

About these numbers

How CDC estimates town health

They're modeled estimatesCDC combines a large national health survey with each area's age, sex, race and income mix to estimate local rates. Nobody surveyed Chester door to door.

Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Ohio figure falls inside it, we don't call Chester better or worse.

Why a ZIP codeCDC publishes towns like Chester by ZIP code. We weight the ZIP codes that cover Chester by how much of its land each one covers.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Ohio figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population.

Health estimates: CDC PLACES. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau.