Best PlacesDowntown Frederick, Frederick, MD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Frederick, Frederick, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Downtown Frederick, Frederick ranks 2,163rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Frederick, Frederick
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.
Downtown Frederick, Frederick's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Frederick, Frederick ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Frederick, Frederick ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 63 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Frederick, Frederick
A household needs to earn about $133,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Frederick, Frederick home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $93,545, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Downtown Frederick, Frederick's effective rate of 1.35%, 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 Downtown Frederick, Frederick
Downtown Frederick, Frederick's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Downtown Frederick, Frederick.
Who works in Downtown Frederick, Frederick, and how
Work in Downtown Frederick, Frederick centers on professional & technical and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 61%
- Work from home 24%
- Transit, walk, or bike 14%
Life in Downtown Frederick, Frederick
Downtown Frederick, Frederick has more restaurants and bars per resident than 94% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Downtown Frederick, Frederick and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Frederick, Frederick, month by month
Downtown Frederick, Frederick sees roughly 63 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 35° | 28° |
| April | 68° | 56° | 45° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 68° |
| October | 70° | 59° | 49° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Frederick, Frederick
The nearest airport, Hagerstown Regional/Richard A Henson Field, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 33 miles away.
The best schools in and around Downtown Frederick, Frederick
Schools across Downtown Frederick, Frederick average a C+, better than 49% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Parkway ElementaryC · 32% proficient
- Spring Ridge ElementaryC− · 30% proficient
- North Frederick ElementaryC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gov. Thomas Johnson MiddleD+ · 27% proficient
- West Frederick MiddleD+ · 26% proficient
Top high schools
- Gov. Thomas Johnson HighB+ · 55% proficient
- Frederick HighB · 46% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Frederick, Frederick school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Frederick, Frederick 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 Downtown Frederick, Frederick against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Frederick, Frederick
Is Downtown Frederick, Frederick a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Frederick, Frederick ranks 2,163rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cell coverage, walkability, and biking, and lowest on state infrastructure and taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Frederick, Frederick expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $474,315. The overall cost of living runs about 11% above the national average. Set against a $93,545 median income, cost of living beats 65% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Frederick, Frederick safe?
Downtown Frederick, Frederick is safer than 16% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $759 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Frederick, Frederick with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Frederick, Frederick. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Frederick, Frederick 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.
Downtown Frederick, Frederick detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Frederick, Frederick: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Frederick, Frederick: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Frederick, Frederick: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Frederick, Frederick: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Frederick, Frederick 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.