Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 13,042.
Kemp Mill grades A overall, ranked 46th of 259 in Maryland, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 94% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on schools: its schools outperform 72% of the state's. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $597K for a typical one and 4.7 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Kemp Mill’s trail density is 2.7 miles per square mile, above both the Maryland town median (0.6) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Kemp Mill is home to Yeshiva College of the Nations Capital.
Where Kemp Mill beats most towns.
17.6% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Kemp Mill is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 9,956 in 2000, 13,378 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2016 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kemp Mill. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw10 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw12 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw11 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw11 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw11 mi National MemorialLincoln Memorial7.7M visitors a yearWhite House: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Washington Monument: Oren Rozen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0 · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · Lincoln Memorial: Aerial_view_of_Lincoln_Memorial_-_east_side.jpg: Carol M. Highsmith derivative w, Public domain
Kemp Mill is unincorporated, so Montgomery 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 Mar 11, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Kemp Mill.
Kemp Mill owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has an unusually large share working from home.
6.7 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park, at 178 acres with 4.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park | 4.4 mi | 178 |
| 2. Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park | 0.1 mi | 55 |
| 3. Kemp Mill Estates Local Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Montgomery County Public Schools. Two of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odessa Shannon MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 784 | C+ |
| MCPS Transitions SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 12 | Grades 12 | – | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Against the 3,020 U.S. towns with household incomes like Kemp Mill’s, it is healthier than 74%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
27% of Kemp Mill adults have obesity, below both Maryland’s towns (36%) and U.S. towns (35%). 12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Kemp Mill. Kemp Mill beats the Maryland average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Kemp Mill | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.1% | 11% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Kemp Mill | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer smokers | 7.1% | 10.9% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.6% | 9.9% |
| More adults with high cholesterol | 40.9% | 38.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kemp Mill.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
28.6% of workers work from home, against 19.3% across Maryland.
Most working residents leave Kemp Mill for work: only 2% work in town. Kemp Mill’s median household income is $146,000. Since 2013, Kemp Mill has lost 147 jobs, to 1,721 in 2023.
| Kemp Mill | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 29% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $146,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Kemp Mill has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median rent in Kemp Mill is $2,177 a month.
| Kemp Mill | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,177 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 84% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
36 within 15 miles of the center of Kemp Mill
About 7 of every 100 Kemp Mill residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Kemp Mill is a census-designated place and an unincorporated census area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is known for its creekside walkways, calm suburban atmosphere, Brookside Gardens, and numerous hiking trails. Home to the largest Orthodox Jewish community on the East Coast between Baltimore and Miami, it hosts more than half a dozen synagogues within its boundaries. The population was 13,378 at the 2020 census. Kemp Mill census area consists of multiple subdivisions, including Kemp Mill Estates, Kemp Mill Farms, Kemp Mill Forest, and Springbrook Forest. The community also includes University Towers, with 523 condominium units, and the Warwick, with 393 rental units. T…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Kemp Mill.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kemp Mill | #46 | A | C | — | B+ | A |
| Wheaton | #87 | A− | C | — | B+ | A− |
| White Oak | #125 | B+ | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Forest Glen | #7 | A+ | C+ | — | B+ | A |
| Colesville | #29 | A | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Four Corners | #11 | A+ | C | — | B+ | A+ |
| Burnt Mills | #111 | B+ | D | — | B+ | A− |
| Silver Spring | #76 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
Kemp Mill, Wheaton, White Oak, Forest Glen, Colesville, Four Corners, Burnt Mills and Silver Spring report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Kemp Mill with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Kemp Mill grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #46 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A for health and B+ for schools.
The typical home is worth about $597,000, 40% above the Maryland typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
