Kent, Ohio - Demographics

Demographics

As a college town, Kent's demographic and population statistics are greatly affected by the presence and growth of Kent State University. As a result, several statistics are noticeably higher or lower than state and national averages including median age and the percentage of residents in the 18–24 age bracket, individuals below the poverty line, and percentage of residents with a college degree.

Initial population growth in Kent was influenced by the location on the Cuyahoga River which led to the development of industrial and manufacturing jobs. Early settlers mainly came from the northeastern United States and were largely of German descent. After the arrival of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad in 1863, growth was steady into the early 20th century with the village battling Ravenna for the position of Portage County's largest city. By the 1930 Census, Kent had passed Ravenna as the county's most populous city with even larger population growth in the 1950s and 1960s rising from 12,148 in 1950 to 28,183 by 1970. As of 2010, Kent remains the county's largest city. Most recent population measurements of the city have shown the effect of changes in the city's overall population coinciding with changes in the number of students living on campus as well as a reduction in the number of persons per housing unit.

As of the 2010 Census, there were 28,904 people residing in the city for a population density of 3,150.5 people per square mile (1,216.4/km²). There were 11,174 housing units at an average density of 1,218.0 per square mile (470.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.1% White, 9.6% African American, 3.7% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. 2.2% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race. Though slightly below the national averages for diversity, Kent is very close to the averages for Ohio and above the averages for the surrounding area. Between the 2000 and 2010 censuses, the city saw slight increases in the number of minority residents.

There were 10,288 households out of which 20.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.5% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 56.3% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.2 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.4% ages 19 years and under, 44.1% from 20 to 39, 15.9% from 40 to 59, 8.0% from 60 to 79, and 2.5% who were 80 years of age or older. The median age was 22.7 years, which was well below both the median age for Ohio (38.8) and the United States (35.3). As of 2000, for every 100 females there were 84.6 males, well below the state average of 96.3 males and the national average of 94.4 males per 100 females. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males, again below both the state (91.1) and national (93.4) averages. This is in marked contrast to neighboring Franklin Township, which had 104.3 males for every 100 females and 101.4 males for every 100 females in 2000.

As of the 2010 Census, the mean income for a household in the city was $46,848, well below the mean household incomes for Ohio ($61,397) and the United States ($70,116). The median household income in Kent was $28,958, compared to $46,563 for Ohio and $51,222 for the U.S. For families, the mean income in Kent was $71,817 with a median income of $59,936, both of which were closer to the state ($73,084 mean, $58,566 median) and national ($81,568 mean, $62,112 median) averages. Males had a median income of $35,316 versus $35,255 for females. The per capita income for workers in the city was $18,339. 10.4% of families and 29.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over. While the number of individuals below the poverty line is significantly higher than both the state and national averages, with 14.8% of individuals in Ohio and 14.4% in the United States being below the poverty line, the percentage of families below the poverty line is slightly below the state (10.5%) and national (10.8%) averages. Measures of high poverty rates in similar college towns, however, is not uncommon across the U.S.

Educationally, Kent is above the national, state, and local averages for residents who have attained a bachelor's, master's, or above a master's degree. At the 2010 Census, 41.9% of Kent's population above the age of 25 had obtained a college degree compared to 24.9% of the same population in Portage County, 24.1% statewide, and 27.9% nationally.