Photo: TownCreative · CC BY-SA 4.0Kensington has higher household incomes than 95% of U.S. towns
Only 3% work in Kensington; the top destination outside it is Washington (27%, 9 miles). 6.3% of residents are in poverty, where Maryland as a whole has 9.4%. The two grades for Kensington are A− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Kensington at work: what stands out
Kensington has far more jobs than workers
Kensington has 3,316 jobs, 3.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 4,900 people are in town, 86% more than the 2,700 who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Kensington workers cross into Washington, D.C.
21% of Kensington workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (27%) and Tysons (2%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Most Kensington residents work close to home
70% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. Only 4% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How Kensington earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Kensington is better than 83% of U.S. towns, #111 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car holds Kensington’s grade up (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (6.2%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Kensington could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Kensington nearly doubles on a workday
On a workday 1,004 residents head out to work, 26 work right here, and 3,290 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,900 people are in Kensington on a workday afternoon, 86% more than live here.
3.2 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where Kensington’s workforce comes from
Where Kensington clocks in
27% of workers
10% of workers
7% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
How far it is to work from Kensington
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
67% of the jobs in Kensington pay over $3,333 a month
3,316 jobs are based in Kensington.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Kensington, 2013 → 2023: 2,894 → 3,316. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Kensington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Kensington: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Kensington workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 796 commuters (the 24% who work from home are left out). Across Maryland: 80% drive alone, 5% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Kensington is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Kensington is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #5 of 261 in Maryland. Both inputs place Kensington near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,054 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 93% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 20.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 98% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 13.0% of Kensington households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 7% of Kensington’s commuters take a bus or train.
Kensington places 643rd of 4,797 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 1,900 to 3,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 4 | Cabin John MD | 2,179 | $250K | 0.8% | 0.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Brown Station MD | 3,451 | $169K | 3.3% | 1.2% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 641 | Sherman Township KS | 2,022 | $104K | 6.0% | 2.7% | 9% | A− |
| 642 | Crow Wing Township MN | 2,194 | $100K | 3.4% | 1.8% | 2% | A− |
| 643 | Kensington MD | 2,652 | $152K | 6.3% | 6.2% | 3% | A− |
| 644 | Chatham Township OH | 2,276 | $72K | 3.3% | 2.1% | 2% | A− |
| 645 | Plymouth WI | 3,038 | $76K | 3.7% | 1.1% | 3% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,797 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 12% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Kensington, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
Kensington and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Kensington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kensington | – | A− | A+ | 29 min | $152,284 |
| South Kensington | under 2% | A | A+ | 29 min | $210,953 |
| North Kensington | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 30 min | $135,040 |
| Chevy Chase View | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Chevy Chase View: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Kensington’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Kensington: questions
What is the median household income in Kensington?
$152,284 (±$24,135) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Kensington?
6.3%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Kensington?
29 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 24% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Kensington work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (27%, 9 mi), Bethesda (10%, 4 mi), Rockville (7%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Kensington walkable?
Kensington is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 17.6 out of 20, and 18% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Kensington without a car?
7% of commuters take transit and 13% of households have no car. 93% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Kensington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Kensington
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.