Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 8,148 people, lies in Maryland.
South Kensington’s best grade is for health (A+). Taken together, its subjects give South Kensington an A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns. The ranking puts it 47th of 259 in Maryland. What holds it back is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $920K, 7.3 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. 83% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more locally, against 42% in Maryland’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. The town is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. Only 2 of the 261 Maryland towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than South Kensington. The median household earns $211K.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24.
Where South Kensington beats most towns.
| Widest gap | South Kensington | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.3% | 9.9% |
Where South 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 South Kensington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 10,289 in 1970, 8,829 in 2020. The archive holds 5 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 South Kensington. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw9 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw10 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw9 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw9 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw9 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
South 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 South Kensington.
South Kensington is among the three healthiest towns in Maryland and sends many workers across the state line to Arlington, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Maryland.
It ranks #3 of the 261 Maryland towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Maryland is tooth loss: 3.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.9% statewide.
Among 261 Maryland towns, just 9 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than South Kensington. 5.1% of South Kensington adults smoke cigarettes. The town beats the Maryland average on 25 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| South Kensington | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 38% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.1% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | South Kensington | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.3% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.3% | 15.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools: the Montgomery County Public Schools. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The 2 public schools in South Kensington teach 1,286 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Creek MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 751 | A− |
| Kensington Parkwood ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 535 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
The trail network density for South Kensington comes to 0.9 miles per square mile. In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 1.9 miles of trail. The biggest place to walk is Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, 231 acres with 1.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rock Creek Stream Valley Park | 1.2 mi | 231 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
For South Kensington, the risk rating from FEMA is 15 of 100. 9 flood insurance claims have been paid here since 2003. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 66% come from inland flooding and 8% from hurricanes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
24% of working residents cross a state line to work, Arlington among the top destinations. 40.3% of workers work from home, against 19.3% across Maryland.
40% of workers work remotely from home in South Kensington. Jobs based in South Kensington grew to 1,318 in 2023, 286 more than in 2013. For South Kensington, the average trip to work is 29 minutes. Half of commuters travel less than 9 miles.
| South Kensington | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 40% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $211,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In July, afternoons reach 87°; in January, nights fall to 26°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 7.3 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 96% of Maryland towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $7,750, against $4,093 across Maryland, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The share of households in South Kensington who own their home: 87%. Only 7 of the 251 Maryland towns we compare have a higher rent at the middle of the market than South Kensington. Also worth knowing: a home in South Kensington typically sold within 29 days of listing.
| South Kensington | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,479 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 87% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
35 within 15 miles of the center of South Kensington
About 3 of every 100 South Kensington residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
South Kensington is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 8,829 in 2020.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with South Kensington.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Kensington | #47 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Bethesda | #37 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Chevy Chase | #44 | A | D− | — | B+ | A+ |
| North Bethesda | #34 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Kensington | #56 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Chevy Chase View | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Forest Glen | #7 | A+ | C+ | — | B+ | A |
| Silver Spring | #76 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
South Kensington, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, North Bethesda, Kensington, Forest Glen and Silver Spring report no FBI crime data of their own. Chevy Chase View isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Kensington with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. South Kensington grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #47 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $920,000, 116% 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 D.
