Best Places20874, MD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 20874, 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.
20874 ranks 6,505th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 20874
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.
20874's strengths and weaknesses
Where 20874 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 96% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 95% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 92% of zip codes
Where 20874 ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,745 a month, better than only 2% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 9% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 20874
A household needs to earn about $119,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 20874 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $126,172, 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 20874's effective rate of 0.79%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 20874
20874'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 20874.
Who works in 20874, and how
Work in 20874 centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 20874
The coast is about 46 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 20874, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 20874, month by month
20874 sees roughly 61 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 34° | 25° |
| April | 69° | 55° | 42° |
| July | 90° | 77° | 66° |
| October | 71° | 58° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 20874
Washington Dulles International sits about 18 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 13.9 million passengers in 2025, with 200 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 20874
Schools across 20874 average a C+, better than 51% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Spark M. Matsunaga ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
- Darnestown ElementaryB · 47% proficient
- Clarksburg ElementaryB · 44% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lakelands Park MiddleB− · 42% proficient
- Kingsview MiddleB− · 42% proficient
- Rocky Hill MiddleB− · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- Northwest HighA− · 67% proficient
- Clarksburg HighB+ · 54% proficient
- Seneca Valley HighB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 20874 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
20874 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 20874 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 20874 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 82% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 22% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 20874
Is 20874 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 20874 ranks 6,505th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, population health, and biking, and lowest on taxes and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 20874 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $455,059. The overall cost of living runs about 16% above the national average. Set against a $126,172 median income, cost of living beats 82% of zip codes.
Is 20874 safe?
20874 is safer than 14% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $564 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 20874?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 45 with lows near 25. That works out to about 61 pleasant days a year, more than 9% of zip codes.
Is 20874 good for families?
Schools beat 51% of zip codes, crime safety beats 14%, and childcare runs $1,745 a month.
Compare 20874 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 20874. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 20874 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.
20874 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 20874: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 20874: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 20874: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 20874: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
20874 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.