Photo: Junnell at English Wikipedia · Public domainMore people are out of work in Kent (7.0%) than in 82% of U.S. towns
Kent grades B for jobs and income and A for walkability. About one in seven work in Kent; the top destination outside it is Seattle (22%, 17 miles). Household incomes here are higher than in 70% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Kent apart
Most jobs in Kent pay over $40,000 a year
76% of the jobs based in Kent pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Kent draws workers from far and wide
The 74,415 jobs in Kent are filled from a wide area. Kent’s own residents hold 12% and the ten next-biggest home towns 33%; the other 55% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
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.
Where Kent’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Kent is better than 58% of U.S. towns, #162 of 285 in Washington. Job access by car holds Kent’s grade up (ahead of 88% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Kent could be anywhere from B− to B+.
In Kent, 32% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
74,415 jobs are based in Kent.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Kent, 2013 → 2023: 59,327 → 74,415. 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 Kent’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns that employ Kent’s residents
Where Kent clocks in
22% 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.
Who commutes out of Kent, and who commutes in
On a workday 50,063 residents head out to work, 8,688 work right here, and 65,727 people come in from elsewhere.
About 151,000 people are in Kent on a workday afternoon, 12% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.27 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Getting to work from Kent takes about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Kent workers work from home, vs 20% across Washington. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 56,703 commuters (the 14% who work from home are left out). Across Washington: 79% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Miles to work from Kent
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.
Kent is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 65,722 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 87% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 26% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 27.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most 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). 7.2% of Kent households have no vehicle (Washington 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Kent’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
How Kent ranks: 151st of 282 U.S. towns of 94,000 to 182,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmel IN | 105,634 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 2 | Clay Township IN | 104,932 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 3 | Fishers IN | 104,812 | $130K | 4.0% | 2.8% | 14% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Bellevue WA | 154,193 | $166K | 7.2% | 4.2% | 21% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 31 | Kirkland WA | 97,410 | $150K | 6.1% | 4.6% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 66 | Renton WA | 104,975 | $100K | 8.1% | 4.9% | 12% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 149 | Clinton Township MI | 101,374 | $74K | 10.6% | 5.2% | 11% | B |
| 150 | South Fulton GA | 112,820 | $82K | 9.1% | 7.2% | 5% | B |
| 151 | Kent WA | 134,871 | $92K | 10.8% | 7.0% | 15% | B |
| 152 | Fairfield CA | 122,489 | $102K | 10.2% | 5.8% | 19% | B |
| 153 | Metairie LA | 139,729 | $73K | 12.5% | 4.6% | 25% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 282 | Macon-Bibb County GA | 157,556 | $51K | 24.7% | 8.1% | 53% | 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 Kent, the top three, the last and three more from Washington.
Bordering towns draw 23% of Kent’s workers
The biggest share goes to Renton (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Kent workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent | – | B | A | 30 min | $92,302 |
| Tukwila | 5% | B− | A | 25 min | $78,381 |
| Des Moines | under 3% | B− | A | 31 min | $92,483 |
| SeaTac | 5% | B | A+ | 25 min | $81,104 |
| Covington | under 3% | A | B+ | 33 min | $134,502 |
| Auburn | 5% | B+ | A | 31 min | $97,884 |
| Renton | 8% | A− | A | 30 min | $100,432 |
| Lake Morton-Berrydale | under 3% | A | C+ | 38 min | $129,833 |
| Maple Valley | under 3% | A− | B+ | 37 min | $152,885 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Kent’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 Kent: questions
What is the median household income in Kent?
$92,302 (±$3,984) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $98,141 across Washington and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Kent?
10.8%, against 9.9% across Washington and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Kent?
30 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Washington and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Kent work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Seattle (22%, 17 mi), Renton (8%, 6 mi), Bellevue (5%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Kent walkable?
Kent is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.4 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Kent without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 26% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Kent, from the people who make the trip.
More of Kent
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.