Population
Kentwood
54,114
Essex
40,670
Median Income
Kentwood
$73,647
Essex
$67,082
Home Value
Kentwood
$249,000
Essex
$253,500
Rent
Kentwood
$1,205
Essex
$1,307
Crime Rate
Kentwood
3.88
Essex
N/A
Cost of Living
Kentwood
115.2
Essex
115.8
Avg Temp
Kentwood
N/A
Essex
N/A
Unemployment
Kentwood
4.8%
Essex
5.3%
How Similar Are Kentwood & Essex?
Essex is Kentwood's #12 most similar city
5 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Kentwood
54,114
Essex
40,670
Kentwood has a 25% larger population than Essex.
Political Leaning
Kentwood
46.5%
Essex
36.5%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Kentwood has a stronger Democratic lean (21% difference).
Unemployment
Kentwood
4.8%
Essex
5.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 10% difference.
Median Income
Kentwood
$73,647
Essex
$67,082
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
Kentwood
$249,000
Essex
$253,500
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Kentwood
23.6%
Essex
13.3%
Kentwood has a 44% higher education than Essex.
Demographics
Kentwood
57.0%
Essex
54.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.
Cost of Living
Kentwood
115.2
Essex
115.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
5 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Kentwood and Essex share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Kentwood
0
Essex
Kentwood leads in 2 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Kentwood leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDKentwood has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,531 vs $1,857 in Essex (18% lower). Kentwood has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,278 vs $1,511 in Essex (15% lower). Kentwood scores 92.9 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 102.5 in Essex.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSKentwood has a vacancy rate of 3.7% compared to 6.5% in Essex. Essex has a single-family homes of 73.9% compared to 61.1% in Kentwood. Essex has a median property tax of $2,895 vs $3,186 in Kentwood (10% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Kentwood leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSKentwood has a work from home of 10.9% compared to 6.6% in Essex. Kentwood: 29,564 vs Essex: 22,026 for labor force. Kentwood has a poverty rate of 9.4% compared to 12.7% in Essex.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRViolent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauKentwood has a bachelor's degree or higher of 23.6% compared to 13.3% in Essex. Essex has a high school diploma or higher of 40.9% compared to 40.4% in Kentwood.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSKentwood has a population of 54,114, about 1.3x the size of Essex (40,670). Kentwood skews younger with a median age of 34.7 vs 40.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Kentwood
Essex
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareEssex: 5 vs Kentwood: 3 for with emergency services. Kentwood: 4.3 vs Essex: 3.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSEssex has a public transit of 6.3% compared to 1.3% in Kentwood. Kentwood has a work from home of 10.9% compared to 6.6% in Essex. Essex has a bicycle of 0.3% compared to 0.3% in Kentwood.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Kentwood, MI
Compare Kentwood against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.