Best PlacesDowntown Kent, Kent, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Kent, Kent, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Downtown Kent, Kent ranks 3,162nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and empty homes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Kent, Kent
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Downtown Kent, Kent's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Kent, Kent ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA−, better than 85% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Kent, Kent ranks low
- Low vacancyBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
- Household income$54,512 median, better than only 21% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 25% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Kent, Kent
A household needs to earn about $68,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Kent, Kent home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $54,512, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Downtown Kent, Kent's effective rate of 1.44%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Downtown Kent, Kent
Downtown Kent, Kent runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Downtown Kent, Kent.
Who works in Downtown Kent, Kent, and how
Work in Downtown Kent, Kent centers on education and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 16%
Life in Downtown Kent, Kent
Downtown Kent, Kent has more restaurants and bars per resident than 91% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Downtown Kent, Kent and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Kent, Kent, month by month
Downtown Kent, Kent sees roughly 125 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 28° | 22° |
| April | 60° | 48° | 39° |
| July | 83° | 72° | 63° |
| October | 64° | 53° | 45° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Kent, Kent
The nearest airport, Akron-Canton Regional, is about 17 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cleveland-Hopkins International, about 31 miles away.
The best schools in and around Downtown Kent, Kent
Schools across Downtown Kent, Kent average an A−, better than 85% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Walls Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Longcoy Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Holden Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- Stanton Middle SchoolA− · 53% proficient
Top high schools
- Theodore Roosevelt High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Kent, Kent school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Kent, Kent measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Downtown Kent, Kent against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Kent, Kent
Is Downtown Kent, Kent a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Kent, Kent ranks 3,162nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, heat safety, and low disaster risk, and lowest on empty homes and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Kent, Kent expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $240,167. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $54,512 median income, cost of living beats 31% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Kent, Kent safe?
Downtown Kent, Kent is safer than 42% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $475 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Kent, Kent with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Kent, Kent. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Kent, Kent represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Downtown Kent, Kent detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Kent, Kent: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Kent, Kent: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Kent, Kent: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Kent, Kent: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Kent, Kent detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.