Chester Township is one of the first districts established after William Penn's first visit in 1682. The first record of Chester Township is in court documents from 1683 where a grand jury of seventeen people were "Impannelled to take out a Convenient Highway leading from Providence to Chester." During the American Revolutionary War, Chester township, which included the borough of Chester at the time, suffered greatly under the British Army. A list of the losses sustained was made and is preserved at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
As of Census 2010, the racial makeup of the township was 16.9% White, 78.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.9% of the population . As of the census of 2000, there were 4,604 people, 1,641 households, and 1,188 families residing in the township. The population density was 3,301.7 people per square mile. There were 1,754 housing units at an average density of 1,257.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the township was 22.72% White, 73.33% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.96% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. 2.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,641 households, out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.1% were married couplesliving together, 30.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.31. In the township the population was spread out, with 33.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.6 males. For every 100 womenage 18 and over, there were 75.6 men. The median income for a household in the township was $32,576, and the median income for a family was $34,391. Males had a median income of $31,845 versus $25,286 for females. The per capita income for the township was $16,072. About 16.2% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.0% of those under age 18 and 23.3% of those age 65 or over.
