Chester County is a county in Tennessee, United States, in the west-central part of the state along U.S. Route 45. It had a population of 17,341 at the 2020 census and covers 286 square miles (740 km2) of land centred near 35°26′N 88°37′W.
Henderson is the county seat, and its postal code is 38340. The county has one city, four incorporated towns, one census-designated place and sixteen unincorporated communities. Chester County has no civil townships. It sits in the Central time zone and carries FIPS code 47023.
Towns & Villages in Chester County
Chester County contains 22 named places: Henderson is the only incorporated city and the county seat; Enville, Finger, Milledgeville and Silerton are incorporated towns; Jacks Creek is a census-designated place; the rest are unincorporated communities with no municipal government of their own. Population figures below are shown only where a 2020 census count for that specific place is confirmed.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson | City · seat | — | 38340 |
| Enville | Town | — | 38332 |
| Finger | Town | — | 38340 |
| Milledgeville | Town | — | 38340 |
| Silerton | Town | — | 38340 |
| Jacks Creek | CDP | — | 38347 |
| Cabo | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Center Point Lula | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Deanburg | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Hickory Corners | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Masseyville | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Mifflin | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Montezuma | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| New Friendship | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Oak Grove | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Palestine | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Pleasant Hill | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Robertson | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Roby | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Sanford Hill | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Sweet Lips | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
| Woodville | Unincorp. | — | 38340 |
ZIP Codes
Chester County is covered by four ZIP codes:
- 38340 — Henderson (also serves most of the county’s unincorporated communities)
- 38332 — Enville
- 38347 — Jacks Creek
- 38352 — Luray (extends into the county’s southeastern edge)
Finger, Milledgeville, Silerton and the smaller unincorporated places have no ZIP code of their own and use Henderson’s 38340 for mail.
Geography
Chester County lies in the Gulf Coastal Plain of West Tennessee, a landscape of gently rolling hills, mixed hardwood forest and cropland drained by tributaries of the Forked Deer and Hatchie rivers. The county has almost no natural lakes, though small farm ponds and a few flood-control impoundments dot the countryside. Elevations are modest throughout, generally under 700 feet, and the terrain is more heavily wooded toward the county’s southern and eastern edges than around Henderson itself.
Chester County borders Madison County to the northwest, Henderson County to the northeast, Hardin County to the southeast, McNairy County to the south and Hardeman County to the southwest.
Demographics
Chester County had 17,341 residents at the 2020 census, giving it a density of about 61 people per square mile. Henderson is by far the largest community, followed by the Jacks Creek census-designated place. Household income in the county has historically run below the Tennessee median of $67,631, reflecting its mostly rural, agricultural economic base.
Economy & Local Life
Freed-Hardeman University, a private Christian university in Henderson, is the county’s largest institutional employer and shapes much of the town’s economy and civic life; its enrollment brings a steady flow of students, staff and visiting families through the county seat year-round. Beyond the university, row-crop farming, timber and small manufacturing anchor the rest of the county, with Henderson serving as the retail, medical and service center for the surrounding rural communities. Soybeans, corn and cattle are the mainstays of the county’s farmland, much of it worked by families who have farmed the same ground for generations.
History
Chester County was created by the Tennessee legislature in 1879 and formally organized in 1882, making it one of the state’s youngest counties. It was named for Colonel Robert I. Chester, a War of 1812 quartermaster, early Jackson postmaster and federal marshal. The 1973 film Walking Tall, based on the story of McNairy County sheriff Buford Pusser, used the Chester County courthouse in Henderson and other local locations for filming.
Getting There
U.S. Route 45 runs north–south through Henderson, connecting the county to Jackson and points beyond.
- Jackson, Tennessee — about 20 miles northwest
- Lexington, Tennessee — about 15 miles northeast
- Selmer, Tennessee — about 20 miles south
- Bolivar, Tennessee — about 20 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Memphis International Airport, roughly 100 miles west.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chester County, Tennessee?
It is in the west-central part of Tennessee, along U.S. Route 45 between Jackson and the Alabama-Mississippi border region.
What is the population of Chester County?
17,341 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Chester County?
286 square miles (740 km2), nearly all of it land.
What is the county seat of Chester County?
Henderson is the county seat.
How many towns are in Chester County?
One city (Henderson), four incorporated towns (Enville, Finger, Milledgeville and Silerton), one census-designated place (Jacks Creek), and sixteen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Chester County?
38340 (Henderson), 38332 (Enville), 38347 (Jacks Creek) and 38352 (Luray, on the county’s edge).
What is Chester County known for?
It’s home to Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson and was a filming location for the 1973 movie Walking Tall.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Tennessee.