What it's like to live in Kenner
Kenner is a smaller city in Louisiana with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, hospitals with strong quality ratings, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Kenner deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and hot summers.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Strong hospital ratings
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Very rainy — 63" of rain per year
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Kenner compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Kenner
Based on Kenner's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,358
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $47,160 a year
- 53% of Kenner renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$49,260
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $24,630
- Homes cost 3.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 17% below US
$1,179/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,179 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $246,300. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $246,300 · 53% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 12% below US
3.8% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.8%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 13% below US
288 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 2058/100k · Kenner Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.3 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 48°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
3 hospitals
There are 3 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 4.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 19% below US
29% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 29%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park (12 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Kenner's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,179/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
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