City profile · Maryland · Census ACS 2023

Kettering, MD

Kettering's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

13,866
Residents
$124,036
Median income
$416,500
Median home
$1,657
Median rent (state)
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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Kettering.

Place dossier plate

Sheet MD-KETTERING-MD · Kettering, MD 13,866 pop · income 88th pct

POP-TOWN · INC-TOP · COL-ABOVE · SAFE-UNK · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-HIGH · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-TOWN 13,866
  • INC-TOP $124,036
  • COL-ABOVE 105.0
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-TOP 88th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ East Moriches
  • HOME-HIGH $416,500
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: East Moriches, NY ( $8 income $)

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 Kettering

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Kettering on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Kettering on ACS population and median household income . 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: 13,866.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $124,036. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Kettering - the verdict

Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Kettering lands in the 88th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

88th
percentile, household income
79th
percentile, home value
84th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: Kettering, MD

Maryland's Kettering is a small town, with 13,866 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Households in Kettering report a median income of $124,036 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 3.0%. Kettering's housing stock carries a median value of $416,500, and the median resident age is 49.3 years. About 41.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 60.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Maryland carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 105.0 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,657 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $255 across Maryland, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 60.2 out of 100 (Moderate).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Kettering'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 housing and income to work and mobility to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Kettering, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, annual population history; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Kettering?

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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.

The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 3.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 2

What does the journey to work look like in Kettering?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 63.3%. 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. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Compare commute patterns →

3. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Kettering?

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.

Within Maryland, the closest population matches are Urbana (13,897 residents, $178,231 income); Flower Hill (13,743 residents, $107,987 income); Colesville (14,075 residents, $131,022 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Elk Plain, WA (13,863 residents); Westmont, NJ (13,870 residents); Gonzalez, FL (13,861 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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Population

13,866 residents

Small city (10k–49k)

Median Household Income

$124,036 /yr

High income · poverty 3.0% (Low poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

105.0 (US=100)

High cost · BEA RPP 2024, Maryland average

City profile score · Kettering, MD

67/100

4 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
$124,036

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Poverty rate B+
3.0%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Bachelor's+ share B+
41.0%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Cost of living F
105.0 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Kettering profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Household income, Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share, Cost of living. Household incomePoverty rateBachelor's+ shareCost of living 67 B-
Kettering profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Household income: 88/100 (A) · $124,036
  • Poverty rate: 79/100 (B+) · 3.0%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 76/100 (B+) · 41.0%
  • Cost of living: 21/100 (F) · 105.0 index

How does Kettering compare to other US cities?

Where Kettering sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 88% higher than other cities
Home value 79% pricier than other cities
Median rent 84% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Kettering against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Maryland only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Maryland-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Kettering near the bottom of Maryland's cities

Among the 479 Maryland cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Kettering ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Kettering only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#134 of 445
70th percentile in Maryland
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 479
0th percentile in Maryland
Median Home Value
#171 of 450
62nd percentile in Maryland
Poverty Rate
#266 of 479
43rd percentile in Maryland
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#184 of 479
62nd percentile in Maryland
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 Maryland only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

88thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

88th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Kettering's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$416,500 21st percentile more affordable than 21% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). This entry sits in this band. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Kettering $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

Kettering's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.4×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,378 of 15,516
More affordable than 46% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,349 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)

At 3.4×, Kettering sits in the moderate band: national rank #8,378 of 15,516 and #1,349 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999). Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.

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

$124,036 Kettering, MD median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Kettering, MD Kettering, MD's median household income ($124,036) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Kettering, MD-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Kettering, MD median $124,036/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Kettering, MD median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Kettering, MD.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 41.0%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 3.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 60.5%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
13,866
Median Income
$124,036
Median Home Value
$416,500
Median Age
49.3
Poverty Rate
3.0%
Labor force participation
60.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
41.0%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
63.3%
Carpool
15.5%
Public Transit
6.2%
Walk
0.4%
Work from Home
13.8%
Other
0.8%

Based on 7,021 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Maryland statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $255

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Maryland at $255 (electricity about $120 , water and sewer about $55 ).

These are Maryland statewide averages, not a meter reading for Kettering. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Maryland's BEA cost-of-living index is 105.0 (Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Kettering is $1,657/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Maryland statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 60.2 / 100 (Moderate).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Maryland statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Kettering sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Kettering compares to similar-size Maryland 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.

City Population Median Household Income
Kettering (this city) 13,866 $124,036
Urbana 13,897 $178,231
Flower Hill 13,743 $107,987
Colesville 14,075 $131,022
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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