Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,217, settled in 1888.
Kentwood’s weakest subject grade is a D− for health. 35% of residents live below the poverty line in Kentwood, above both the Louisiana town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 18 of Louisiana’s 254 towns score lower on health. The median household income is $31K, and 35% of residents live below the poverty line. Kentwood's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 95% of U.S. towns. Nehemiah Magee House and Charles Adolph Kent Sr. House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Kentwood has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Kentwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kentwood, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Kentwood.
53% of Kentwood adults have obesity, above both Louisiana’s towns (43%) and U.S. towns (35%). 24% of adults have diabetes in Kentwood. Only 9 of the 162 Louisiana towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Kentwood.
| Kentwood | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 27% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 19% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 53% | 43% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 12% |
| What stands out | Kentwood | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13% | 16.9% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.2% | 7.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 25.1% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Tangipahoa Parish school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| O.W. Dillon Leadership AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 314 | D− |
| Kentwood High Magnet SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 259 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 85% of U.S. communities. Since 2012, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kentwood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Kentwood has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Kentwood is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Kentwood home is worth about $170,000, down 1% in a year, 21% below the Louisiana typical home. 50% of Kentwood households own their home.
| Kentwood | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,022 a month | $990 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Kentwood for work: only 11% work in town. Jobs based in Kentwood grew to 646 in 2023, 107 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Amite City (12%), Hammond (11%) and Baton Rouge (5%).
| Kentwood | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $31,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Kentwood | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Kentwood; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Kentwood residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
12 notable people were born in Kentwood.
Town in Louisiana, United States
Kentwood is a rural town in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States, near the Mississippi state line. As of the 2020 census, Kentwood had a population of 2,145. It is part of the Hammond MSA. Kentwood is best known as the hometown of singer Britney Spears.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($56,760 across the Hammond, LA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
12 notable people were born here, including Clay Shaw and Little Brother Montgomery.