KentNew Brunswick
It is a town of 2,028 residents in New Brunswick. Its population fell 9% from 2016 to 2021.
Is Kent a good place to live?
Buying a home costs less than in most towns (A). Its lowest grade is for walkability (D−). It also trails on health (C−). Crime is the sore point (C−).
Kent has subject grades but no overall grade: Canadian towns get one from 2,500 residents.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Safety less sure: no police service names this town, so its crime figure is the nearest police detachment's, shared with a wider area. No School Grade: this province doesn't publish comparable results school by school. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Kent grades
Each subject compares Kent with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
Kent has subject grades but no overall grade: Canadian towns get one from 2,500 residents.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Kent stand out
The 3 things Kent does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Kent.
Rent takes less of local pay in Kent than in New Brunswick’s towns or Canadian towns: 15% of household income
Shelter took 30% or more of income for 10% of households, between New Brunswick’s towns (9%) and Canadian towns (18%). The owner-occupied share of households is 88%.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Kent | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 15% | 20% | 20% |
| Households owning their home | 88% | 86% | 74% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 10% | 9% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares.
Fewer adults feel healthy around Kent: 45% say very good or excellent (52% for the typical Canadian town)
The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Kent’s is long: 21 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. At 15%, the share of adults who smoke tops the 14% for New Brunswick. Life expectancy in the region is 80.1 years (81.9 for women, 78.2 for men, 2022/2024). On average 18% of adults live with arthritis, diabetes or high blood pressure, about level with New Brunswick’s towns (18%) and above Canadian towns (17%).
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Kent | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| Very good or excellent health | 45% | 43% | 52% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.1 | 80.1 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the Zone 3 (Fredericton area)
For the force that serves Kent, the Crime Severity Index is 109, above New Brunswick’s towns and Canadian towns
A best guess: the nearest detachment’s figures, since none is filed under Kent · Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 for the Western Valley Region detachment area
Violent incidents in its police area came to 19.6 per 1,000 residents a year, above both New Brunswick’s towns (14.9) and Canadian towns (12). Its police area records 39 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Kent | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 109 | 73 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 122 | 82 | 86 |
| Violent crime | 19.6 | 14.9 | 12 |
| Property crime per 1,000 | 39 | 30.9 | 31.2 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
High radon around Kent: 17% of homes tested in the area exceed 200 Bq/m³
Measured across the Region 3 health region: radon tests
NRCan expects $0.042 of shaking damage a year per $1,000 of buildings in Kent, near the typical $0.030. No flood study for Kent is on the national inventory.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Kent | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 17% | 20% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.042 | $0.036 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Kent has 0.2 jobs for every resident in work, so most commute out
A trip to work takes 24 min on average. 97% of commuters drove, near New Brunswick’s towns (95%) and higher than Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Kent | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car or van | 97% | 95% | 89% |
| Average trip | 24 min | 21 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.
Winter nights bite in Kent: January lows of −17.5°C, colder than New Brunswick’s towns or Canadian towns
Snow peaks in January: 76 cm in a normal year. The thermometer drops below freezing on 181 days a year, higher than both New Brunswick’s towns (170) and Canadian towns (159). The most precipitation falls in January: 108 mm in a normal year.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Kent | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 311 cm | 310 cm | 141 cm |
| January night low | −17.5°C | −13.3°C | −13.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,149 mm | 1,121 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 181 | 170 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Aroostook)
The 2 schools of Kent: 1 elementary school and 1 secondary school
From the middle of town, the first elementary school is 8.5 km off, above both New Brunswick’s towns (1.6 km) and Canadian towns (0.5 km). Secondary school means a trip of 9.1 km at the nearest, above both New Brunswick’s towns (4.5 km) and Canadian towns (1.2 km).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Elementary SchoolNearest elementary school, 0.6 kmElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Carleton North High SchoolNearest secondary school, 1.4 kmSecondary | Secondary | – | English public |
| Schools within 3 km | Kent | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest elementary school | 8.5 km | 1.6 km | 0.5 km |
| Nearest secondary school | 9.1 km | 4.5 km | 1.2 km |
Statistics Canada’s Open Database of Educational Facilities · Source note: the province publishes no results school by school, so there’s no schools grade in New Brunswick.
Within 10 km of Kent: 20 public protected areas
OpenStreetMap shows 2 unnamed beaches within 5 km. There is no national park within 100 km of the town. Mount Carleton Provincial Park is the closest provincial park, at 65 km.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Kent | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 20 | 7 | 4 |
| Protected land within 10 km | 2.2% | 6% | 2.3% |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Fewer people in Kent speak both English and French than in New Brunswick’s towns or Canadian towns: 6.6%
People 65 and over make up 23% of the town, near New Brunswick’s towns (23%) and higher than Canadian towns (19%). Under 15: 14% of residents.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
49.6% of Kent’s residents are women
By the 2021 count the town had 975 women and 990 men, while Canada has 50.9% women.
| Kent | New Brunswick | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 64% | 63% | 64% |
| 65+ | 23% | 23% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 25% | 18% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 43% | 50% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; New Brunswick and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
A normal November in Kent runs from −4°C to 5°C
July brings the warmest days, 26°C; January the coldest nights, −18°C. December follows at −2°C by day and −11°C by night. Expect about 94 mm of rain and snow over November. November usually brings some 27 cm of snow.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −4°C | −15°C | 295 mm |
| Spring | 10°C | −3°C | 257 mm |
| Summer | 24°C | 11°C | 300 mm |
| Autumn | 12°C | 2°C | 297 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Aroostook); the forecast is on the Weather page
Richard Bragdon (Conservative Party of Canada) represents Kent in Ottawa as MP for Tobique—Mactaquac
6 of the 10 MPs from New Brunswick belong to the Liberal Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
The nearest public library to Kent is Andrew And Laura Mccain Public Library, 11 km away
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Kent: 1 historic place on Canada’s heritage registers
Homes from before 1961 make up 18% of the stock, in line with New Brunswick’s towns (18%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
Among them
| Heritage | Kent | New Brunswick | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 18% | 18% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Kent
Shogomoc Welcome Centre and 2 more in and around Kent
The best-known places to visit in and around Kent come first; the full list is on the Attractions page.
Famous people from around Kent
2 notable people were born in Kent; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
About Kent
Town in New Brunswick
TownRatings counts Kent as Statistics Canada does, as one municipality in New Brunswick; the census, crime and housing figures all follow that boundary.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,028 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- New Brunswick
- Census division
- Carleton
- Census subdivision
- 1311028
Kent’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent | 2,028 | — | — | A | C− | C− |
| Wicklow | 1,558 | 8.6 | — | A | C− | C− |
| Florenceville-Bristol | 1,583 | 12 | — | B | C− | C− |
| Peel | 1,176 | 17 | — | B+ | C− | C− |
| Perth | 1,113 | 18 | — | B | D | C |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Kent
Is Kent growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it fell from 2,153 to 1,966 residents (8.7% down; Canadian towns’ median grew 4.1%); Statistics Canada now estimates 2,028.
Who are the people of Kent?
Visible minorities are 2% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 3%, and Indigenous people 2%.
What kind of homes are in Kent?
Single-detached houses make up 94% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 29% of households are one person, and the average is 2.3.
Do people in Kent speak French?
7% of residents can hold a conversation in both English and French, against 8% for the median of Canadian towns; 0% speak French but not English.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).