Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Kennett Square grades A− overall, 365th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. It is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $81K. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $627K, 6.9 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 1 place on the National Register. Only 36 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score higher on history. Kennett Square’s typical home value is $627,000, above both the Pennsylvania town median ($261,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($332,000). The biggest park or preserve is Anson B. Nixon Park, at 26 acres.
Where Kennett Square beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1682, comes before those of 97% of the Pennsylvania towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 606 in 1860, 5,936 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1859 and 7 maps from 1901 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Kennett Square is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kennett Square. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
3 mi GardenLongwood Gardens
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw31 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw30 mi MuseumEastern State PenitentiaryUSS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Longwood Gardens: P. Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0 · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kennett Square, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Kennett Square.
Kennett Square trades workers with Kennett Township and other neighbors and sees little violent crime, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Pennsylvania.
At 6.9 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home (about $627K) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
56% of Kennett Square households own their home. The typical Kennett Square home is worth about $627,000, up 2.8% in a year, about twice the Pennsylvania typical home. Kennett Square’s median rent is $1,396 a month.
| Kennett Square | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,396 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Kennett Consolidated SD. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Kennett High School, with 1,184 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary D Lang Kdg CtrLargest public elementary schoolGrades K | Grades K | 304 | – |
| Kennett High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,184 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
26% of adults have high blood pressure in Kennett Square. Only 6 of the 1,035 Pennsylvania towns we compare have a lower share of adults who had a checkup this year than Kennett Square. 9.4% of adults have diabetes in Kennett Square.
| Kennett Square | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 34% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Kennett Square | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.7% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.8% | 7.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 11.9% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 6 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Kennett Square sits closer to the middle.
| Kennett Square | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.1 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kennett Square.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Kennett Square has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Kennett Square has about as many jobs (2,783) as working residents, but only 235 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 3,522 in 2013 to 2,783.
Most working residents leave Kennett Square for work: only 8% work in town. The average trip to work in Kennett Square is 20 minutes. Since 2013, Kennett Square has lost 739 jobs, to 2,783 in 2023.
| Kennett Square | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.3% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 9.1% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 15% of residents (20% statewide). Kennett Square has grown 16% since 2020, to 6,893 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 37% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Kennett Square | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 21% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.3 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 20% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.5 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 65 to 74, 62% are men (PA 48%).
| Kennett Square | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.9% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.7% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 13.3% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.8% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.5% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.7% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 19.7% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.3% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 12% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.1% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.8% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
| Kennett Square | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.9% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Anson B. Nixon Park | 0.5 mi | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
10 within 15 miles of the center of Kennett Square
About 8 of every 100 Kennett Square residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
9 notable people were born in Kennett Square.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Kennett Square is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Kennett Square had a population of 5,943. Kennett Square is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, and is considered a suburb of both Philadelphia, the nation's sixth largest city as of 2020, and Wilmington, Delaware. The local high school is Kennett High School. The former corporate headquarters of Genesis HealthCare, which administers elderly care facilities, is based in Kennett Square inside the Walker Building and Franklin Center. The borough is sometimes referred to as the "Mushroom Capital of the World" because mushroom farming in the region produces over 500 million pounds …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Kennett Square grades A− overall, better than 78% of U.S. towns and #365 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Kennett Square sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
9 notable people were born here, including Bayard Taylor and Justin Best.
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