What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kensington has the most expensive homes ($658k median).

Strafford has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.4%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Kensington	Strafford
People
Population	2,009Highest	1,372Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.3±5.9Lowest 11% above U.S.	51.4±4.7Highest 32% above U.S.
	Strafford and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	23%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Strafford and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Strafford and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	53.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Strafford and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$165,083±$18kHighest 104% above U.S.	$110,833±$19kLowest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$657,700±$47kHighest 98% above U.S.	$431,300±$40kLowest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,813±$627Highest 28% above U.S.	$1,125±$789Lowest 20% below U.S.
	Kensington and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,637Highest 209% above U.S.	$7,149Lowest 129% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	24.4%±38.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	44.6%±48Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Strafford and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	88.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1980Lowest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 8% above U.S.	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	19.2%±3.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	16.1%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Kensington and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Kensington School District	Strafford School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.