Chester is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Chester typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Chester, ~15% vote Democratic, ~61% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Chester compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Chester leans more Republican than 75 of 102 neighbors.
Chester runs about 52 points more Republican than Ohio as a whole.
Why Chester leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Chester, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Chester, about 98% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 25 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 9 points below the Ohio average of 23%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 90% of residents in Chester drive to work alone, above 94% of cities.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; Chester, OH sits above the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Chester looks the way it does
Turnout in Chester sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Long Bottom, OH R+61
- Hemlock Grove, OH R+60
- Welshtown, OH R+51
- Pomeroy, OH R+55
- Syracuse, OH R+57
- Hartford City, WV R+62
- New Haven, WV R+61
- Hartford, WV R+63
- Mason, WV R+53
- Reedsville, OH R+63
Cities with Similar Populations
- Manown, WV R+59
- Cedar Cove, CO R+17
- Penola, VA R+3
- Brozville, MS D+58
- Oak Vale, MS D+4
- Twin Groves, AR R+56
- North Brentwood, MD D+70
- Palmetto, LA R+22
- Masterson Mill, AL R+78
- Hall, NY R+31
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio Secretary of State, Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.