Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 8,954.
Few places in the country grade higher. North Kensington earns an A+, 10th of 259 graded towns in Maryland. The median household earns $135K, it is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns, and it is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. 60% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in North Kensington, where Maryland’s towns sit at 42% and U.S. towns at 29%. North Kensington has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Rock Creek Woods Historic District and Hammond Wood Historic District.
Where North Kensington beats most towns.
Where North 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 Maryland), ordered by how far North Kensington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 9,039 in 1980, 9,497 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2020 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Kensington. 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 draw11 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw11 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw11 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw10 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
North Kensington 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 North Kensington.
North Kensington sends many workers across the state line and has less tooth loss than most of Maryland.
Its widest gap with Maryland is tooth loss: 5.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.9% statewide.
26% of North Kensington adults have obesity. North Kensington beats the Maryland average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 12% of North Kensington adults report frequent mental distress.
| North Kensington | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.9% | 11% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | North Kensington | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.2% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.2% | 8.4% |
| More adults with high cholesterol | 40.7% | 38.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Montgomery County Public Schools. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Albert Einstein High, with 1,991 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newport Mill MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 652 | B− |
| Albert Einstein HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,991 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in North Kensington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
24% of working residents cross a state line to work. 27.4% of workers work from home, against 19.3% across Maryland.
Most working residents leave North Kensington for work: only 2% work in town. 27% of workers work from home in North Kensington. Jobs based in North Kensington fell to 1,771 in 2023, 97 fewer than in 2013.
| North Kensington | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 27% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $135,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
North Kensington 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
0.6 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, at 51 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rock Creek Stream Valley Park | 0.3 mi | 51 |
| 2. Ken-Gar Palisades Park | — | 19 |
| 3. Newport Mill Local Park | 0.1 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median rent in North Kensington is $1,828 a month.
| North Kensington | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,828 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
34 within 15 miles of the center of North Kensington
About 5 of every 100 North Kensington residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
2 places in North Kensington on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
North Kensington is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 9,497 in 2020.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with North Kensington.
At #10 in MD, it grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; North Bethesda (A) comes closest.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Kensington | #10 | A+ | C | — | B+ | A+ |
| Wheaton | #87 | A− | C | — | B+ | A− |
| Kensington | #56 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| North Bethesda | #34 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| South Kensington | #47 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
North Kensington, Wheaton, Kensington, North Bethesda and South Kensington report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare North Kensington with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. North Kensington grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #10 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools.
The typical home is worth about $577,000, 36% 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.
