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Place dossier plate
SheetCA-KENSINGTON-CA · Kensington, CA 5,292 pop · income 98th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Kensington
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Kensington on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Springfield · lowest
43,681
Springfield · lowest
43,681 median HH income
19.3% of the leader · rank #1
Russell Garde… · near
208,500
Russell Garde… · near
208,500 median HH income
92.1% of the leader · rank #2
Kirtland Hills · near
208,750
Kirtland Hills · near
208,750 median HH income
92.2% of the leader · rank #3
Goose Creek · near
209,042
Goose Creek · near
209,042 median HH income
92.3% of the leader · rank #4
Millwood · near
209,063
Millwood · near
209,063 median HH income
92.3% of the leader · rank #5
Kensington · this city
209,137
Kensington · this city
209,137 median HH income
92.4% of the leader · rank #6
El Granada · highest
226,384
El Granada · highest
226,384 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Kensington on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 5,292.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Kensington - the verdict
Nationally, Kensington sits in the 98th percentile for household income and the 51st percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
98th
percentile, household income
99th
percentile, home value
88th
percentile, median rent
51st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Kensington, CA
California's Kensington is a small town, with 5,292 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Households in Kensington report a median income of $209,137 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 0.7%. Home values in Kensington run a median of $1,412,500, and the median resident age is 46.0 years. About 81.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 63.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Kensington reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 1352.4 crimes per 100,000 residents, below the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).
California carries a cost-of-living premium: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, California scores 110.7 (Well Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,053 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $275 across California, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 out of 100 (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Kensington's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to reported crime to comparison shortlist to schools and households to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Kensington, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What does the journey to work look like in Kensington?
Working from home is the largest reported mode at 49.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Kensington?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1352.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 41% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Which cities make useful reference points for Kensington?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within California, the closest population matches are Mayflower (5,303 residents, $95,521 income); Ione (5,306 residents, $78,661 income); Keyes (5,330 residents, $59,338 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Guadalupe, AZ (5,293 residents); Palm Springs North, FL (5,291 residents); Westville, IN (5,291 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
What does the education layer cover for Kensington?
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 81.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Kensington?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 0.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
6.8×
Home value
$1,412,500
Household income
$209,137
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Top-decile income · poverty 0.7% (Very low poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
110.7 (US=100)
Highest-decile cost · BEA RPP 2024, California average
B
City profile score · Kensington, CA
74/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Household income A+
$209,137
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share A+
81.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate A+
0.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime B-
111 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living F
110.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Kensington profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 100/100 (A+) · $209,137
Bachelor's+ share: 100/100 (A+) · 81.4%
Poverty rate: 95/100 (A+) · 0.7%
Violent crime: 68/100 (B-) · 111 /100k
Cost of living: 6/100 (F) · 110.7 index
Where Kensington sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Kensington's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Kensington highlighted among 23 peers.Read the chart values
Kensington, CA (this city): home $1,412,500, crime 1,352/100k
Ione, CA : home $448,300, crime 705/100k
St. Helena, CA : home $1,964,300, crime 919/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Kensington compare to other US cities?
Where Kensington sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income98% higher than other cities
Home value99% pricier than other cities
Median rent88% pricier than other cities
Safety51% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to California alone, Kensington ranks #118 of 441 California cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Kensington against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to California only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
California-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Kensington near the bottom of California's cities
Among the 1,458 California cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Kensington ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Kensington only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#60 of 1,338
96th percentile in California
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,458
0th percentile in California
Median Home Value
#119 of 1,343
91st percentile in California
Poverty Rate
#1,182 of 1,450
18th percentile in California
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#31 of 1,458
98th percentile in California
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within California only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
98th percentile nationally for median household income · 51st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Kensington's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Kensington's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Kensington's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$1,412,5001st percentilemore affordable than 1% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Kensington's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,563 of 15,516
More affordable than 6% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,741 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 6.8×, Kensington sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,563 of 15,516 and #10,741 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$209,137Kensington, CA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Kensington, CA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Kensington, CA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)81.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)0.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)63.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
5,292
Median Income
$209,137
Median Home Value
$1,412,500
Median Age
46.0
Poverty Rate
0.7%
Labor force participation
63.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
81.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1352.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
111.2
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1241.2
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
29.7%
Carpool
5.5%
Public Transit
9.0%
Walk
2.4%
Work from Home
49.1%
Other
4.3%
Based on 2,629 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
California statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $275
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across California at $275 (electricity about $150 , water and sewer about $70 ).
These are California statewide averages, not a meter reading for Kensington. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
California's BEA cost-of-living index is 110.7 (Well Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Kensington is $2,053/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to California statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 88.7 / 100 (Very High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a California statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Kensington sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Kensington compares to similar-size California cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.