Best Places20659, MD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 20659, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
20659 ranks 9,805th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 20659
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
20659's strengths and weaknesses
Where 20659 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Household income$126,489 median, better than 92% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 20659 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Short commute40.2 minutes each way, better than only 4% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 68 pleasant days a year, better than only 21% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 20659
A household needs to earn about $112,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 20659 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $126,489, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 20659's effective rate of 0.78%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 20659
20659's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 20659.
Who works in 20659, and how
Work in 20659 centers on public administration and construction. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 20659
20659 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. The coast is about 25 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 20659 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 20659, month by month
20659 sees roughly 68 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 39° | 30° |
| April | 70° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 91° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 74° | 63° | 53° |
Flying in and out of 20659
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl sits about 34 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.0 million passengers in 2025, with 128 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 20659
Schools across 20659 average a C+, better than 46% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Benjamin Banneker ElementaryC+ · 36% proficient
- Oakville ElementaryC · 32% proficient
- Lettie Marshall Dent ElemC− · 29% proficient
Top middle schools
- Leonardtown MiddleB− · 40% proficient
- Piccowaxen Middle SchoolC− · 31% proficient
- Margaret Brent MiddleC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Leonardtown HighA− · 65% proficient
- La Plata High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
- Chopticon HighB+ · 54% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 20659 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
20659 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 20659 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 20659 suits
Families
Schools land around the 46th percentile and crime safety beats 70%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of zip codes and 14% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 20659
Is 20659 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 20659 ranks 9,805th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, what local pay buys, and high incomes, and lowest on taxes and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 20659 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $429,275. The overall cost of living runs about 0% below the national average. Set against a $126,489 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 20659 safe?
Yes, 20659 is safer than 70% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $251 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 20659?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 49 with lows near 30. That works out to about 68 pleasant days a year, more than 21% of zip codes.
Is 20659 good for families?
Schools beat 46% of zip codes, crime safety beats 70%, and childcare runs $977 a month.
Compare 20659 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 20659. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 20659 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
20659 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 20659: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 20659: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 20659: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 20659: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
20659 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.