Housing Market Overview
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Kent County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $284,999 | $248,418 | $242,182 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | -4.7% | 9.9% | 8.2% |
| Median Gross Rent | $856 | $1,338 | $1,342 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 10.7% | 5.7% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Kent County is about 15% higher than in Texas. Rent is about 36% lower than the Texas average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2023
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2023
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Kent County: home prices fell about 4.7% a year while rent rose about 10.7% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
Median rent in Kent County rose about 67.4% between 2015 and 2023, from $511 to $856. Over the same span, rent in Texas rose about 51.9%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 4.1 yearly household incomes in Kent County.
Buying the median-priced home in Kent County costs roughly 27.8 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Kent County. The price-to-rent ratio in Texas is about 15.5.
| Metric | Kent County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $284,999 | $248,418 | $242,182 |
| Median Household Income | $68,999 | $76,510 | $78,145 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2023, the median home price in Kent County rose about 132.7%, while median household income rose about 85.4% between 2009 and 2023 — the home price grew faster than income.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Kent County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 43.6% | 56.5% | 58.2% |
| Rental Rate | 13.0% | 33.8% | 31.3% |
| Vacancy Rate | 43.4% | 9.6% | 10.6% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 20.0 | 14.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2006 | 2012 | 2011 |
Kent County has a homeownership rate of 43.6%, lower than the Texas average of 56.5%. Its housing vacancy rate is 43.4%, compared with 9.6% in Texas.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Kent County | Texas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.42 people | 2.70 people | 2.54 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1971 | 1989 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Kent County was built around 1971. On average, 2.4 people live in a home with about 5.6 rooms, staying for about 20.0 years on average.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Kent County, Texas.
What is the median home price in Kent County, Texas?
The median home price in Kent County, Texas is $284,999, higher than the Texas average of $248,418.
What is the average home price in Kent County, Texas?
The typical home price in %s, reported as the median sale price, is %s. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Kent County, Texas?
The median gross rent in Kent County, Texas is $856 per month, lower than the Texas average of $1,338.
What was the median gross rent in Kent County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Kent County, Texas was $819 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Kent County, Texas?
The price-to-rent ratio in Kent County, Texas is about 27.8, meaning it would take roughly 27.8 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively high price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor renting over buying in Kent County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Kent County, Texas?
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Kent County: home prices fell about 4.7% a year while rent rose about 10.7% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
What is the homeownership rate in Kent County, Texas?
43.6% of households in Kent County, Texas own their home, lower than the Texas average of 56.5%.
What is the vacancy rate in Kent County, Texas?
The housing vacancy rate in Kent County, Texas is 43.4%, higher than the Texas average of 9.6%.