Is Kensington in Philadelphia Dangerous? [2024 Outlook]

Is Kensington in Philadelphia Dangerous?

The Kensington neighborhood has been a thorn in Philadelphia’s side for many years.

It is a very dangerous area.

Over the years it has built a reputation as a place that residents and visitors avoid due to it’s unpredictable environment.

Although the Kensington neighborhood is less than one square mile in size, the crime, violence and drug statistics are among the highest in the county.

In this article we will discuss:

What makes a neighborhood like Kensington dangerous
Just how dangerous are the blocks of Kensington
How Kensington developed into a “bad neighborhood”
What the city has tried to fix and improve Kensington

Before we get into all of the details, you might be wondering how I even know all of this.

Great question!

My company, Signature Properties, is headquartered in Kensington.

Running a business in and around Kensington, Philadelphia has exposed my team and I to many risks and safety concerns.

Our home buying business requires us to research property values, neighborhoods, and all different kinds of community data.

In fact, we’ve purchased and sold homes in Kensington for years now which means we really understand just how dangerous it is. Going in person to meet with sellers, buyers and other agents in our business has been challenging in Kensington.

It’s safe to say that we know Kensington, or “Kenso”, block by block.

What Makes Kensington Dangerous?

The data speaks for itself.

Kensington has a reputation for being dangerous because the data doesn’t lie.

For years, Kensington has produced some of the largest levels of: crime, vandalism, drug trafficking/usage and murder.

And when you produce those numbers year after year, you start to earn a spot with media and news coverage.

Even Philadelphia’s own Inquirer wrote an eye-opening piece earlier this year on just one of Kensington’s main issues: it’s drug market.

But it doesn’t stop there.

People love watching a train wreck. And it’s no different with Kensington.

Every month over one thousand people search on Google for “kensington drugs”.

The internet continues to produce tons of media and content focused on Kensington being the worst neighborhood in America – which further adds fuel to the fire.

There’s even a YouTube channel called the Streets of Kensington which rakes in millions of views annually on their videos of real-life drug usage and related criminal activity in Kensington.

is kensington philadelphia a bad neighborhood

It’s hard to imagine that anything else like this is going on anywhere else in America. So, that’s why Kenso takes the spotlight in terms of media coverage.

With all of this coverage and spotlighting for Kensington, it must mean it’s a dangerous neighborhood, right?

You tell me.

Here are the facts:

According to AreaVibes, crime rates in Kensington are nearly triple the national average (per capita).
Residents of Kensington complain. In fact, they have called in 311 complaints more than any other neighborhood in the city of Philadelphia.
These complaints consist of many things but mostly illegal dumping, abandoned vehicles, unsafe structures, and many other unsanitary situations (drug and human related).
Drug overdosing in Kensington is double the rate of Philadelphia overall and continuing to climb to record levels.
In the last three years, over 1,000 people were gunned down in Kensington’s crime district.

It’s bad.

Kensington is a bad neighborhood because it is unsafe for families and residents. These factors are creating more homelessness, overdoses and plummeting property values.

Kensington – The Worst Neighborhood

With Kensington being the most dangerous neighborhood in Philadelphia, many residents and businesses are migrating out to other locations.

It’s no surprise why.

Higher crime and drug-related activities create dangerous living situations and poor quality of life. With that being the case, residents engage less with the community and businesses suffer. Ultimately, home values in Kensington slip as desirability is low and home buyers find Kensington to be less attractive.

On top of that, nobody wants to have to worry about safety concerns while living in a neighborhood like Kensington. The public health crisis is creating more vandalism, theft, poverty and homelessness in Kensington.

How do you know it’s the worst neighborhood?

Well, for me, the fact that Kensington shares a border with one of the best neighborhoods in America just goes to show how challenging their situation is. In any other case, I would expect the qualities and advantages of a “best neighborhood” to at least spillover in adjacent areas.

But not so for Kensington.

The “Zombie” Neighborhood In Philadelphia

Over time, the public has started to coin phrases describing the blight and drug problems in Kensington.

“Zombies” are the drug users who tend to hunch over and wobble around the streets of Kensington’s open-air drug market. It’s not uncommon to see these zombies sticking needles in their arms or passed out on the sidewalk.

Philadelphia’s zombie neighborhood is Kensington.

And if Kensington is home of the walking zombies, then the blocks between Lehigh & Allegheny are like a scene from the walking dead!

Kensington Avenue cuts right through Kensington and is littered with hundreds of drug zombies day and night.

Take a ride down Kenso Ave. and you will see shopping carts, tents and many other encampments lining the underpasses and sidewalks.

There are more drugs, guns and crimes along Kensington Avenue than any other street in Philadelphia.

Is It Safe To Walk Around Kensington in Philadelphia?

If you’re planning to take a stroll through Kensington, you may want to reconsider.

Walking in Kensington requires you to pass by many unsafe blocks. I would not recommend it.

However, if you must, please adhere to the following safety protocols:

Walk Kensington only during the day.
Do not walk alone. Have a partner walk with you.
Do no stare, engage in conversation or interact with strangers. Mind your own business.
Remove headphones, sweatshirt hoods or anything else that impedes your awareness.
Wear closed toe shoes. No sandals or slip-ons.
Make sure your cell phone has a full battery.
Plan your route. If possible, avoid Kensington blocks that you are unfamiliar with.
Prioritize streets that are populated with businesses.
Tell someone of your plan to walk through Kensington.
Pack protection. Taser, whistle, flashlight, etc.

Although it is not generally safe to walk around Kensington, you still can as long as you are aware and vigilant about it.

Kensington’s History

We got a little ahead of ourselves here by jumping right into Kensington’s current state of affairs.

And it is true, today, Kensington struggles to be a good neighborhood.

However, it was not always this way.

Kensington was once a thriving textile hub and an Irish-catholic working-class neighborhood.

It was not until the 1950s when the manufacturing boom slowed and the local economy collapsed. Once the jobs and salaries vanished, Kensington experienced loss in population and more abandoned property. The perfect recipe for gangs and illegal activities.

Then, 20 years later, in moved drugs and violence. Since 1970, Kensington has been home to one of the largest open-air drug markets in the world. This fuels all of the violence and crime the area experiences.

Reports of Crime In Kensington In Philadelphia (Source: Philadelphia Police Department)

The once thriving textile factories are now consumed by homeless occupants, storage for drugs and weapons and many other nefarious activities.

Today, Kensington is a $1B+ drug market that sells all of the infamous hard drugs and opioids: heroine, fentanyl, etc.

Did Philadelphia Clean Up Kensington?

In 2024, Mayor Cherelle Parker stepped into office and immediately went into action.

The project to clean up Kensington’s drug activity and crime was top of the priority list for her and her directives – in fact it was part of their 100-day plan when elected.

This initiative involved hands on interaction and outreach from teams offering housing and similar help services. It’s been reported that 59 people accepted such assistance.

To me, that feels small. It also feels temporary.

From living and running a business on the fringe of Kensington, I can assure you it has not changed much at all. Creating a sustainable, long-term solution is paramount for Philadelphia and the neighborhood of Kensington.

While certain blocks and avenues have cleared up, nearby streets have just increased in activity.

Displacement projects like this one tend to just disperse the issue rather than fix the root cause.

What’s Next For Kensington in Philadelphia?

Residents and visitors of Kensington are in a tough spot today.

There’s a major problem in Kensington that continues to hamper any attempt or hope of revitalization.

Without the proper leadership and actions to develop the community, we cannot expect Kensington to improve overnight.

As a Philadelphia-based company with headquarters in Kensington, we believe in continued investment and rebuilding of Kensington.

One house and one homeowner at a time.

We buy houses in all of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods, including Kensington.

If you own a home in Kensington and need to “sell my house fast in Philadelphia”, then our team can help you sell and relocate to a safer area.