The population was 1,596 at the 2010 census,[4] up from 305 in 2000, due to inclusion of Dodge State Prison within the town limits.

[5] The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place in 1902 as the "Town of Chester", with municipal corporate limits extending in a one-mile radius from the Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad depot.

Eastman, the Dodge County seat, is 15 miles (24 km) to the south via Chester Highway.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Chester has a total area of 0.89 square miles (2.3 km2), all land.

[4] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 525 people, 194 households, and 127 families residing in the town.