Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
North Kensington does especially well on health — residents are healthier than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Incomes are a strength too (A+) — the median household earns $135K. What counts against it is cost of living — the typical home is worth about $577K, 4.6 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Overall, that makes an A+, good for 10th of 259 in Maryland. Nationally, it does better than 98% of U.S. towns. The town has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Rock Creek Woods Historic District and Hammond Wood Historic District. 60% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more locally, where Maryland’s towns sit at 42% and U.S. towns at 29%. The biggest park or preserve is Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, at 51 acres.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far North Kensington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where North Kensington beats most 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 →2 places in North Kensington on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where North Kensington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
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.
In North Kensington, 18% of adults get no exercise outside work. This Maryland town does better than the Maryland average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 2. Among adults here, 12% report frequent mental distress and 6.9% smoke cigarettes.
| 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
The largest public high school is Albert Einstein High, with 1,991 students. Public schools: the Montgomery County Public Schools. Two of its 5 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
| 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. North Kensington has had 8 paid flood insurance claims since 2006.
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.
Jobs based in North Kensington fell to 1,771 in 2023, 97 fewer than in 2013. Just 2% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. For workers here, the share who do their job from home is 27%. The top destinations are Washington (23%), Bethesda (10%) and Rockville (7%).
| 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
A winter brings about 16 inches of snow, with January nights at 26° and July afternoons at 87°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Count the trails in 6 parks and preserves and they come to 0.6 miles. Parks and preserves in North Kensington: 6, covering 88 acres. The trail network density for North Kensington comes to 0.4 miles per square mile.
| 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
Homes sold in North Kensington spent a median 37 days on the market. The town’s midpoint rent stands at $1,828 a month. Sellers in North Kensington got 98.7% of the asking price, typically.
| 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
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.
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.
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.
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