City · Hardin County, Ohio

Kenton, Ohio

Kenton is a city in Hardin County, Ohio. It has 7,663 residents. Kenton, Ohio has a quality-of-life score of 18 out of 100 (very low), ranking #12,874 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Ohio it ranks #651 of 684 cities and towns. It ranks best on home price to income ratio (low), public libraries (high) and social associations (high). It ranks worst on new business applications (low), dentists (low) and mental health care shortage (high).

18Very low

Quality-of-life score: #12,874 of 15,651 cities and towns
Ohio: #651 of 684 in OH
Population: 7,663 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 1,534.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 3939886

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety62#5,957/15,637
Economy8#14,336/15,631
Housing90#1,491/14,977
Health9#14,258/15,609
Healthcare5#14,813/15,650
Environment44#8,699/15,453
Education40#9,435/15,649
Infrastructure11#13,852/15,650
Community25#11,706/15,651
Leisure & amenities8#14,414/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Kenton, Ohio ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Hardin County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Home price to income ratio · low1.9×
94/100Ohio 3.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Public libraries · high2.3 /10k
93/100Ohio 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesHardin County value
Social associations · high13.8 /10k
86/100Ohio 10.8 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHardin County value
Property crime rate · low607 /100k
83/100Ohio 1,429 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationHardin County value
Rent-burdened households · low44.5%
82/100Ohio 45.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Drought exposure · low11%
80/100Ohio 11%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAHardin County value

Weaknesses

New business applications · low7.1 /1k
2/100Ohio 14.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauHardin County value
Dentists · low17 /100k
3/100Ohio 66 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHardin County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Ohio 12.2United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationHardin County value
Grocery stores · low0.7 /10k
4/100Ohio 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHardin County value
Pharmacies · low0.7 /10k
6/100Ohio 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHardin County value
Adult smoking · high22.1%
6/100Ohio 17.6%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
8,284 (2015-2019) → 7,663 (2020-2024)
−7.5%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
0.2 /1k (2021) → 2.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+1,053%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.6% (2015-2019) → 83.1% (2020-2024)
+9.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$40,613 (2015-2019) → $56,033 (2020-2024)
+38%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
11.6% (2015-2019) → 16.8% (2020-2024)
+5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.407 (2015-2019) → 0.477 (2020-2024)
+17%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Kenton, Ohio improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Household income+38%$40,613 → $56,033
Bachelor's++5.2 points11.6% → 16.8%
Broadband+9.4 points73.6% → 83.1%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Kenton, Ohio between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.3 min2015-2019	22.4 min2020-2024	−1.9 min	Within the margin of error	69%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.6%2015-2019	16.8%2020-2024	+5.2 points	Improved	69%
Broadband subscriptions	73.6%2015-2019	83.1%2020-2024	+9.4 points	Improved	57%
Child poverty rate	24.2%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Effective property tax rate	1.23%2015-2019	1.18%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	24%
High school diploma or higher	88.2%2015-2019	91.6%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Home price to income ratio	1.9×2015-2019	1.9×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	76%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4072015-2019	0.4772020-2024	+0.070	Within the margin of error	10%
Median household income	$40,6132015-2019	$56,0332020-2024	+38%	Improved	71%
Poverty rate	18.4%2015-2019	18.6%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	25.3%2015-2019	27.7%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Rent-burdened households	42.5%2015-2019	44.5%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.1%2015-2019	8.4%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	31%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Kenton, Ohio five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Kenton, Ohio in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Kenton, Ohio itself moved −3.4 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

7,663 residents (±541)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,347 households (±253)

Kenton, Ohio
Ohio share

Under $25k23%757
$25k–50k21%702
$50k–75k20%665

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,347 households (±253)

Kenton, Ohio
Ohio share

Own72%2,426
Rent28%921

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+14.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,308 workers (±437)

Kenton, Ohio
Ohio share

Drive alone83%2,756
Carpool8.4%†278
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Hardin County, the county holding most of Kenton's residents.

Hardin County has 421 employer establishments, 138 for every 10,000 residents (0.56× the US rate of 248; 0.64× Ohio's), with 6,502 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,743. The Census Bureau also counts 1,490 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 421; 1,490 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 138; US 248 · Ohio 216
Paid employees: 6,502
Average annual pay: $44,743; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Hardin County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	42	13.8	0.75×Fewer than typical	701	$13,857	14
Religious organizations	34	11.2	2.02×More than typical	115	$17,774	—
Specialty trade contractors	31	10.2	0.66×Fewer than typical	83	$46,000	134
Ambulatory health care services	29	9.5	0.46×Fewer than typical	181	$51,707	41
Limited-service restaurants	20	6.6	0.82×About typical	435	$13,393	7
Gasoline stations	16	5.3	1.62×More than typical	93	$28,000	—
Full-service restaurants	15	4.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	208	$16,625	4
Banks and credit unions	13	4.3	1.32×More than typical	100	$50,790	—
Truck transportation	13	4.3	0.85×About typical	161	$73,280	60
Automotive repair and maintenance	10	3.3	0.65×Fewer than typical	28	$34,214	37
Insurance agencies and brokerages	10	3.3	0.75×Fewer than typical	46	$43,370	25
Other specialty trade contractors	10	3.3	1.31×More than typical	16	$42,375	46

Rank places for an industry Open Hardin County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 30,411 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $130 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Kenton, Ohio: $0.02 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $130
Per resident: $0.02; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services$130100%

Top recipients

GERMRIP LLC$130100%

Spending by fiscal year

0FY2017
32.4FY2018
0FY2019
125.8FY2020
286.4FY2021
-62FY2022
303.5FY2023
129.6FY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$130100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Kenton, Ohio, so they do not add up across cities.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Kenton is mostly in Hardin County.

See federal money in Hardin County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Kenton, Ohio is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Jim JordanR-OH-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 3.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Hardin County35100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Hardin County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3939886

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends