Housing Our Workforce
Many people who work in Kent cannot afford to live here. Teachers, town employees, nurses, cooks and tradespeople keep our community running, yet many local jobs pay less than it takes to afford housing in town.
Housing is considered “affordable” when it costs no more than 30% of a household’s income. Most state and federal housing programs serve households earning below the Area Median Income (AMI). The chart below shows real Kent-area pay alongside those income limits.
If I work here, can I afford to live here?
Actual jobs advertised in the Kent area in August and September 2026, plus Kent Center School and Town of Kent pay, plotted against AMI for a single adult. Each job is listed under the highest income limit it falls below.
Income limits vary by household size. The figures here are for a single person; for comparison, 80% AMI for a family of four is $98,240.
- Kent Center School Teacher, BA top step $86,621
- Nonprofit Professional $80,000
- Land Use Administrator $75,000
- Licensed Practical Nurse, Memory Care $70,720
- Town Clerk, Town of Kent $68,591
- Kent Center School Teacher, MA Step 5 $67,500
- Carpenter & Laborer $62,400
- Social Services Administrator, Town of Kent $57,612
- Elementary School Counselor $56,172
- Fuel Delivery Driver $56,160
- Human Resources Specialist $54,600
- Kent Center School Teacher, BA Step 1 $51,175
- School Custodian, $23/hr $47,840
- Prep/Line Cook, $20–$25/hr $41,600–$52,000
- Landscaping Staff, $20–$24/hr $41,600–$49,920
- Bank Employee $38,480
- Daycare Staff, $17.50–$22.50/hr $36,400–$46,800
- Grocery Store Worker, $17/hr $35,360
- CT minimum wage, $16.94/hr $35,235
- Federal poverty level, 1-person household $15,960
- Maximum SSI benefit for people with disabilities $11,928
Annual pay for hourly jobs assumes full-time work (2,080 hours). Hourly AMI figures are annual limits divided by 2,080.
What Kent workers told us
In 2024, Kent Affordable Housing surveyed people who work in Kent about their housing needs. 95 people responded, 92 of whom work in town. Respondents chose to take part, so the results reflect workers interested in the issue rather than every Kent worker — and housing costs have risen since.
would move to Kent, or within Kent, if suitable affordable housing were available — including two-thirds of respondents who live out of town.
earn less than $60,000 a year; 72% earn less than $80,000.
would consider volunteering for the Kent Volunteer Fire Department if affordable housing were available for emergency responders. Only 4 respondents volunteer today.
are open to owning a home, not just renting.
“I make a good salary, but I cannot afford the rent or purchase a home for myself in our town.”
“I grew up in the town of Kent and the only reason we do not live there now was due to the housing issue in town.”
“Rent is very high at current residence. It has gone up $515.00 in past 13 months.”
Read more about the 2024 Workforce Housing Survey →
Affordability facts
Kent households are severely cost-burdened, spending more than half their income on housing — 9% of all households in town.
Kent households earn less than 80% AMI — 31% of all households. 44% of them spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
Dedicated affordable housing units in Kent — about 1 for every 7 households earning under 80% AMI.
of Kent households struggle to afford the basic cost of living, including housing, child care, food, transportation and health care.
Home prices are moving further out of reach
Kent’s median home sale price rose from $640,000 in 2025 to $950,000 in 2026 (year to date) — a 48% increase. A household would need to earn about $240,000–$270,000 a year to buy a home at that price, depending on the down payment.
What housing can a single person earning 80% AMI find in Kent?
One person earning 80% AMI ($68,768 a year, or $33.06 an hour) can afford about $1,719 a month for rent or mortgage plus utilities. That equals a monthly rent of roughly $1,625, or a home price of roughly $260,000. Right now there are no rentals or homes for sale in Kent at that level — only two vacant lots.
Sources: CT Department of Housing income limits, Northwestern Hills Planning Region, effective May 1, 2026 (20%, 40%, 70% and 90% AMI calculated from the 100% figure); Kent Board of Education–Kent Education Association contract, 2026–27 salary schedule; Town of Kent approved FY2027 budget; job postings on Indeed, in The Lakeville Journal, on Facebook and on local business websites, August–September 2026; HUD CHAS data, 2018–2022; Kent Affordable Housing 2024 Workforce Housing Survey (95 responses, January–August 2024); United Way ALICE; Apartments.com; Zillow; 2025 CT Affordable Housing Appeals List.
Adapted from “If I Work Here, Can I Afford to Live Here?” and “Affordability Facts: Kent, CT” by the Center for Housing Opportunity, Litchfield County. ©2026 Centers for Housing Opportunity.
Housing our Teachers
Teachers are among the most important people in our town. They know our children by name, coach after school, run the eighth-grade trip and the spring play, and often become the adults kids remember for life. When teachers live in town, they’re part of the community beyond the classroom: at the post office, at town meetings, in the stands on game day. Living close by also lets them stay late, get in early on a snow day, and put down roots.
That’s hard to do in Kent, especially early in a career, when many teachers are single and renting. A first-year Kent Center School teacher earns $51,175. Under the standard guideline that housing should cost no more than 30% of income, that’s about $1,280 a month in rent. Seven years in, at $67,797, it’s about $1,700. In October 2026, the only one-bedroom apartments listed for rent in Kent were asking $2,150 and $2,300, close to double what a starting teacher can afford. Rental searches we’ve run in recent years have consistently found Torrington, about 40 minutes away, to be the only place with listings a starting teacher could afford.
KCS Salaries that Qualify for Affordable Housing
The table below shows which Kent Center School salaries qualify for affordable housing. Choose a household size and school year to see how the picture changes.
- Eligible at 60% of area median income
- Eligible at 80%
- Over the income limit
| Step | BA | MA | 6th Year | PhD |
|---|
Compares a teacher's base salary with FY2026 income limits for Kent (Northwest Hills Planning Region). Assumes the teacher is the household's only earner; a partner's income, coaching and other stipends would also count. Struck-through steps aren't used that year. 2027–28 and 2028–29 salaries are compared with FY2026 limits until new limits are published.
Sources: Agreement between the Kent Board of Education and the Kent Education Association, 2026–2029; FY2026 income limits, Northwest Hills Planning Region. Prepared by Kent Affordable Housing, Inc. with Claude Opus 5.5.