Kennesaw, GA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Georgia·Kennesaw

Cobb County · Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta · population 37,740

Growing fastRenter-friendly
Kennesaw, GA
Image: Wikipedia · Kennesaw, Georgia
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
59
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Kennesaw stands

Home values down 3.4% in the last year. population growing 3.4% per year.

Median home $407,419
1-year -3.4%
5-yr CAGR +5.1%
vs 5-yr peak -5.8%
Population +3.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-06$407k$199k$283k$366k$450k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,780/mo$1,398$1,677$1,957202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent128120100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 19.1
Lean buy

At a 19.1 price-to-rent ratio, Kennesaw is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
33 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
65 · w22%
Distance from peak
58 · w18%
Population growth
90 · w16%
Rent YoY
45 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
72 · w10%
Long thesis

Kennesaw has been growing population at 3.4% per year while home values compounded +5.1% annually. Demand-driven appreciation — the kind that persists as long as people keep showing up, which they currently are.

Short thesis

Kennesaw's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Kennesaw

Kennesaw is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, with an estimated population of 37,740. It anchors the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta metro area. The population has grown 3.4% per year on average between 2020 and 2024 — among the faster-growing communities in the state. The median home value in Kennesaw is $407,419 as of 2026-04, down 3.4% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.1% annual growth (-5.8% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Kennesaw average $1,780 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (-0.1%). The composite momentum score is 59 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●People are voting with their feet: population growing 3.4% per year since 2020 — that’s faster than ~80% of US cities.
●Healthy 5-year run: +5.1% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.

▼ Bear case

●Cooling: -3.4% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Kennesaw (Wikipedia)

Kennesaw is a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Known from its original settlement in the 1830s until 1887 as Big Shanty, it became Kennesaw under an 1887 charter. According to the 2020 census, Kennesaw had a population of 33,036, a 10.9% increase in population over the preceding decade. Kennesaw has an important place in railroad history. During the Civil War, Kennesaw was the staging ground for the Great Locomotive Chase on April 12, 1862. Kennesaw is home to Kennesaw State University, an R2 research institution and the third-largest public university in the state of Georgia.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Cobb County right now.

NWS active alerts (GA)Georgia Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Cobb County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Kennesaw

McDonough, GA59 · StableDouglasville, GA59 · StablePowder Springs, GA62 · RisingConyers, GA62 · Rising

Run the numbers for Kennesaw

ToolCan I afford Kennesaw?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Kennesaw rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Kennesaw to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolKennesaw cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
55° / 36°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
91° / 71°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
217
~59% of year
Annual precip
50″ rain
1″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Moderate
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Kennesaw listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
70%
Humid climate
Median household income
$71,400
Georgia state median
Top industries (state-level)
Logistics/DistributionFilm/TVHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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