Chester Profile

Explore population, households, income, employment, education, commute, occupation, industry, languages, and dwellings for Chester. Compare trends since 2016 and dig into the full profile below.

National Rank:393 of 688

Level:Census subdivision

Chester Population

Total Population (2021)

10,693

Total Population (2016)

10,310

Population Growth

+3.7% (+383)

Growth Rank

#397 of 688Same geo level

Male

49.2%5,255

Female

50.8%5,435

Male-to-Female Ratio

0.967

Average Age

49.9

Median Age

55.6

Age Rank

#648 of 688Same geo level

Population Age Distribution

0–4

360(3.4%)

5–9

445(4.2%)

10–14

430(4.0%)

15–19

420(3.9%)

20–24

385(3.6%)

25–29

390(3.6%)

30–34

480(4.5%)

35–39

490(4.6%)

40–44

535(5.0%)

45–49

625(5.8%)

50–54

715(6.7%)

55–59

1,025(9.6%)

60–64

1,125(10.5%)

65–69

1,040(9.7%)

70–74

905(8.5%)

75–79

640(6.0%)

80–84

365(3.4%)

85+

320(3.0%)

Chester Households

Household Size

Average Household Size

2.1

Total Private Dwellings

6,482

Occupied Private Dwellings

5,028

Size Distribution

1 Person

1,585 (31.5%)

2 Persons

2,215 (44.0%)

3 Persons

625 (12.4%)

4 Persons

425 (8.4%)

5+ Persons

175 (3.5%)

Household Composition

Couples with children

905(18.0%)

Couples without children

1,850(36.8%)

One-parent families

380(7.6%)

One-person households

1,585(31.5%)

Multigenerational

75(1.5%)

Multiple-family

10(0.2%)

Chester Incomes

Summary

Avg. Household Income

$70,000After tax

Median Household Income

$57,600After tax

Avg. Individual Income

$38,920After tax

Median Individual Income

$31,400After tax

Income Rank

#605 of 688Same geo level

Income Composition

Market Income

77.0%

Employment Income

52.0%

Government Transfers

23.1%

Individual Income Distribution

Under $10k

765(8.5%)

$10k–$20k

1,305(14.4%)

$20k–$30k

1,865(20.6%)

$30k–$40k

1,240(13.7%)

$40k–$50k

1,070(11.8%)

$50k–$60k

785(8.7%)

$60k–$70k

540(6.0%)

$70k–$80k

395(4.4%)

$80k–$90k

290(3.2%)

$90k–$100k

220(2.4%)

$100k+

560(6.2%)

Chester Employment

Labour Force

Employment Rate

45.1%

Unemployment Rate

12.9%

Total Labour Force

4,840

Employed

4,210

Unemployed

625

Not in Labour Force

4,485

Low Income Prevalence

Overall Low-Income Rate

16.8%

Children (0–17)

17.2%

Adults (18–64)

14.0%

Seniors (65+)

22.0%

Gini Coefficient (Total)

0.3620 = perfect equality

Gini Coefficient (After-Tax)

0.309

Chester Education

Highest certificate, diploma or degree for the population aged 15 and over, Census 2021. The highest-credential groups are mutually exclusive. Bachelor's degree, master's degree, and medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine sit inside “bachelor's degree or higher” and are not extra slices of the population. Shares are calculated on this site from the published counts. Statistics Canada randomly rounds census counts, so parts can miss the published total by a few people.

Highest credential

Population aged 15 and over

9,325

No certificate, diploma or degree

1,935 (20.8%)

High school diploma or equivalency

2,330 (25.0%)

Postsecondary credential

5,055 (54.2%)

Within bachelor's degree or higher

Bachelor's degree

1,235 (13.2%)67.9% of bachelor's or higher

Master's degree

370 (4.0%)20.3% of bachelor's or higher

Medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

30 (0.3%)1.6% of bachelor's or higher

Those credentials are published parts of bachelor's degree or higher. They do not add up to that count. Earned doctorates and other university credentials above the bachelor level stay inside the published total and are not separate columns in this extract.

Share of the population aged 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree

1,935(20.8%)

High school diploma or equivalency

2,330(25.0%)

Apprenticeship or trades certificate

935(10.0%)

College, CEGEP or other non-university

2,080(22.3%)

University certificate below bachelor

220(2.4%)

Bachelor's degree or higher

1,820(19.5%)

Chester Commute

Place of work for the employed labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021. Worked at home is the census count of people who worked at home, shown as a share of that employed labour force. Shares are calculated on this site from the published counts. Statistics Canada randomly rounds census counts, so parts can miss the published total by a few people.

Worked at home

17.9%

755 people

Share of 4,210 employed people aged 15 and over with a place of work.

Place of work

Worked at home

755(17.9%)

Usual place of work

2,735(65.0%)

No fixed workplace address

690(16.4%)

Worked outside Canada

25(0.6%)

Chester Occupation

Broad category for the labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021, using the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021. Legislative and senior management is broad category 0, not every job with “manager” in the title. Shares use the published labour-force total. These categories do not add up to that total. Counts are randomly rounded, and people with no classified category stay in the published total. This page does not estimate that remainder.

Labour force

4,835

Share of the labour force

Legislative and senior management

80(1.7%)

Business, finance and administration

645(13.3%)

Natural and applied sciences

260(5.4%)

Health

400(8.3%)

Education, law and social, community and government services

490(10.1%)

Art, culture, recreation and sport

180(3.7%)

Sales and service

1,050(21.7%)

Trades, transport and equipment operators

995(20.6%)

Natural resources, agriculture and related production

315(6.5%)

Manufacturing and utilities

305(6.3%)

Chester Industry

Industry sector for the labour force aged 15 and over, Census 2021. Shares use the published labour-force total. These categories do not add up to that total. Counts are randomly rounded, and people with no classified category stay in the published total. This page does not estimate that remainder.

Labour force

4,835

Share of the labour force

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

270(5.6%)

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

35(0.7%)

Utilities

10(0.2%)

Construction

530(11.0%)

Manufacturing

520(10.8%)

Wholesale trade

140(2.9%)

Retail trade

505(10.4%)

Transportation and warehousing

145(3.0%)

Information and cultural industries

100(2.1%)

Finance and insurance

100(2.1%)

Real estate and rental and leasing

80(1.7%)

Professional, scientific and technical services

285(5.9%)

Management of companies and enterprises

0(0.0%)

Administrative and support, waste management and remediation

195(4.0%)

Educational services

245(5.1%)

Health care and social assistance

650(13.4%)

Arts, entertainment and recreation

115(2.4%)

Accommodation and food services

255(5.3%)

Other services (except public administration)

225(4.7%)

Public administration

310(6.4%)

Chester Languages

Language Knowledge

English Only

9,960 (94.3%)

English & French

595 (5.6%)

Neither

5 (0.0%)

Mother Tongue

English

10,185 (96.4%)

French

120 (1.1%)

Non-official languages

190 (1.8%)

Top Mother Tongue Languages

English

10,185(96.4%)

French

120(1.1%)

Arabic

30(0.3%)

Punjabi

15(0.1%)

Tagalog

10(0.1%)

Spanish

10(0.1%)

Mandarin

5(0.0%)

Italian

5(0.0%)

Hindi

5(0.0%)

Polish

5(0.0%)

Chester Dwellings

Dwelling Type

Single-detached

4,415(87.9%)

Semi-detached

105(2.1%)

Row house

115(2.3%)

Duplex

85(1.7%)

Apt. < 5 storeys

120(2.4%)

Other attached

15(0.3%)

Movable

170(3.4%)

Community snapshot

About Chester

Chester is a municipal district on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, centred on the harbour village of Chester—not a city. Yacht harbours, coastal islands, and inland forest communities share Mahone Bay approaches and Lunenburg County scenery. About 10,000 people live in Chester MD.

Known for

Municipal district, not a city
Chester harbour village as the main hub
South Shore yacht and island country
Mahone Bay approaches and coastal scenery
Mix of shoreline and inland forest communities

See & do

Chester waterfront and Front Street
Harbour village shops and yacht scenery.
Chester Playhouse / village centre
Arts venue and community hub.
Coastal island and cove drives
South Shore roads toward Mahone Bay.
Local beaches and park accesses
Swimming and shoreline recreation.
Inland forest communities
Rural settlements behind the coastal strip.

Data source → Census methodology & attribution

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Data sources → Census profiles, housing tables, and consumer prices