Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,179.
Kensington's standout: on CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally. Overall it grades B−, 174th of 841 graded towns in California. The median household earns $237K and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $1.5 million for a typical one and 11 times the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income. 84% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Kensington, above both California’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). On history, just 79 of California’s 1,063 towns do better. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top.
Where Kensington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Kensington | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.7% | 17.9% |
Where Kensington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Kensington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,823 in 1970, 5,428 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2022 and 8 maps from 1895 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kensington. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw9 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw10 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw12 mi GardenPresidio of San FranciscoAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0
Kensington is unincorporated, so Contra Costa County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Kensington.
Kensington fares better on crime within California than nationally, has less food insecurity than most of California and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 11 years of the San Francisco metro’s $136K median household income, the typical home (about $1.49M) costs more against local pay than in 82% of California towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Kensington’s median rent is $3,501 a month. Typical home values rose 5.3% in the year to September 2026. 87% of households own their home in Kensington.
| Kensington | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,895 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 87% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the West Contra Costa Unified school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kensington ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 473 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with California is food insecurity: 4.7% of its 4,469 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.9% statewide. Against the 518 U.S. towns with household incomes like Kensington’s, it is healthier than 69%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
5.2% of Kensington adults smoke cigarettes. Kensington beats the California average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 28% of Kensington adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Kensington | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.2% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Kensington | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.7% | 17.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.8% | 10.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Kensington since 2023.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 494 in 2013 to 719. 54% of workers work from home, against 17.2% across California.
Most working residents leave Kensington for work: only 3% work in town. The average trip to work in Kensington is 33 minutes. Jobs based in Kensington grew to 719 in 2023, 225 more than in 2013.
| Kensington | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $237,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.6% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 6.6% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 42°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 76.3°.
Kensington has warm winters and pleasant summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Kensington | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 76°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 42°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.8 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Kensington | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kensington Park | 0.1 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 18.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 81% of California’s graded towns. Its B− tops all 4 graded towns on its borders; Albany (C−) comes closest.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
35 within 15 miles of the center of Kensington
About 6 of every 100 Kensington residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Unincorporated community in California, United States
Kensington is an unincorporated community and census designated place located in the Berkeley Hills, in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area, in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Many distinguished University of California, Berkeley professors, Nobel Prize laureates, and other notable San Francisco Bay Area professionals reside or have resided in Kensington, such as Robert Oppenheimer who was the director of the Manhattan Project's Project Y that developed the atomic bombs during World War II. The population was 5,428 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Kensington.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kensington | #174 | B− | D | B− | C+ | A+ |
| El Cerrito | #434 | C | D− | D | C+ | A |
| Berkeley | #182 | B− | D | D− | A | A |
| Richmond | #605 | D | C− | D | C+ | C+ |
| Albany | #91 | B+ | D | C− | A | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Kensington grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #174 of 841 in California. It grades A+ for health, B− for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
