Kennesaw State University, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Kennesaw State University · Cobb County, Georgia
Population 2,455 (est. 2026: ~1,900)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -6.97% annual growth projection

Kennesaw State University CDP, Georgia

Cobb County, Georgia · CDP Population 382

Kennesaw State University CDP is not a town in the conventional sense — it is a Census-Designated Place built entirely around a single institution. The CDP exists because the university campus generates enough residential population to merit its own geographic designation. Nearly everyone counted here is a student living on campus. The surrounding city of Kennesaw, Georgia, sits in northwest Cobb County, roughly 25 miles north of downtown Atlanta along the I-75 corridor. The broader area is suburban Atlanta in character — dense with retail, commuter traffic, and residential subdivisions — but the CDP itself is defined by the rhythms of the academic calendar, not the rhythms of a municipality.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 data records 2,642 people in this CDP, a figure that reflects the on-campus residential population rather than the CDP's officially listed population of 382. The median age is 19.6 years — one of the youngest community profiles possible, a direct consequence of counting a student body. Cobb County overall sits at a median age closer to the state average, making this CDP a clear statistical outlier.

The racial composition: 1,500 white residents, 933 Black residents, 77 Asian residents, and 140 Hispanic or Latino residents. Those numbers mirror the kind of diversity typical of a major public university serving metro Atlanta, which itself is one of the most diverse metros in the South.

Only 35 children under 18 are counted here — a vanishingly small number in a population of 2,642, which again underscores that this place is a campus, not a family neighborhood.

Household and housing unit counts are reported as zero in the ACS data, which reflects the way the Census Bureau handles group quarters like dormitories — dorm residents are counted as population but not as households.

Economy & Employment

The per capita income is $3,241 — a figure that only makes sense in context. Full-time students with limited or no employment pull this number far below any county or state average, and it should not be read as a poverty indicator. Cobb County's median household income is among the highest in Georgia; the CDP's figures simply don't translate to the same framework.

Of the 739 people counted in the labor force, 124 are unemployed, producing an unemployment rate around 16.8% — again, a product of the student population, many of whom are not seeking traditional employment. A total of 591 workers are counted in the commuting data.

Getting Around

Of 591 workers, 279 drove alone, 50 carpooled, 49 used public transit, and 148 walked. That walking share — nearly 25% — is dramatically higher than almost any suburban Georgia community and reflects students walking to class or nearby jobs on and around campus. An additional 34 worked from home.

The aggregate commute time across all workers is 8,560 minutes, which works out to an average of roughly 14.5 minutes per worker — short by metro Atlanta standards, where commutes routinely exceed 30 minutes. That compression reflects short campus-adjacent trips rather than long suburban hauls.

Cobb County Transit (CobbLinc) provides bus service in the broader area. For anyone commuting into Atlanta proper, I-75 is the primary corridor, though traffic on that stretch is among the heaviest in the state during peak hours.

Schools

The CDP itself is a university. Kennesaw State University is the defining institution here — a large public university in the University System of Georgia. For K–12, families in the surrounding Kennesaw area are served by Cobb County School District, which includes several large and well-enrolled schools:

High Schools: - North Cobb High School — 2,555 students, grades 9–12 - Harrison High School — 2,121 students, grades 9–12 - Kennesaw Mountain High School — 1,809 students, grades 9–12

Middle Schools: - Lost Mountain Middle School — 1,011 students, grades 6–8 - McClure Middle School — 991 students, grades 6–8 - Palmer Middle School — 828 students, grades 6–8 - Awtrey Middle School — 626 students, grades 6–8 - Pine Mountain Middle School — 576 students, grades 6–8

Elementary and K–8: - Hayes Elementary — 841 students - Bullard Elementary — 801 students - Chalker Elementary — 674 students - Northwest Classical Academy — 640 students, grades K–8 - Kennesaw Elementary — 575 students, grades K–2 - Big Shanty Elementary — 539 students, grades 3–5 - Lewis Elementary — 531 students

Healthcare

Three hospitals serve this area of Cobb County:

For a searchable directory of individual healthcare providers registered in the area, the NPI Registry lists credentialed clinicians and practices.

Library

Stratton Library sits 0.3 miles from the center of the CDP — it is KSU's on-campus library, directly integrated into the university. Phone: (770) 528-2522. For Cobb County public library services, the broader Kennesaw branch network provides access to county residents.

Parks & Recreation

Three National Park Service units are accessible from this area:

Natural Hazards

Cobb County's FEMA disaster history spans three decades and covers a range of weather-driven events:

The pattern indicates that winter weather and tropical remnants are the recurring threats. Flooding events follow heavy rain from decaying storm systems.

Government & Municipal Code

The Kennesaw State University CDP is not an incorporated municipality and does not have its own local government. Municipal code is published through Municode. No building code is on file for this CDP. Governance, zoning, and services for the surrounding area fall under the City of Kennesaw and Cobb County.

Weather

Current NWS forecast: weather.gov forecast for this location

Active weather alerts: alerts.weather.gov

Nearest weather station: Marietta 4.2 SW, located 0.9 miles from the CDP center.

Northwest metro Atlanta sits in a humid subtropical climate zone. Summers are hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms common from May through September. Winters are mild but punctuated by occasional ice and snow events that the FEMA record confirms cause genuine disruption.

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)