Best PlacesMaryland Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Maryland, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Maryland ranks 32nd of 50 U.S. states on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $117,209, wages outrun the cost of living, and an educated workforce ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are taxes, long commutes, and crime.
The best neighborhoods in Maryland
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.
The best areas in Maryland
The counties of Maryland, grouped by direction and ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood in each. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the state.
Montgomery County
Incomes run higher, more adults hold degrees, and biking is better.
Frederick County, Washington County & Carroll County
Crime runs lower and disaster risk is lower.
Harford County & Cecil County
Homes cost less, though streets are more car-dependent.
Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County & Howard County
It is noisier and tree cover is thinner.
Baltimore County
Heat risk is higher.
Wicomico County, St. Mary's County & Calvert County
More homes sit empty and prices have run up more.
Charles County
Local pay stretches less far and commutes are longer.
Kent County
Health outcomes score lower.
Prince George's County
Schools score lower and transit reaches fewer jobs.
Maryland shows why a single number is not enough. Some neighborhoods score in the bottom 1% of the country and others in the top 1%. Pick the area first, then the home.
Maryland's strengths and weaknesses
Maryland lands in the middle because its strengths and weaknesses roughly balance. What local pay buys is the standout, in the top 1% of states. High incomes and an educated workforce follow.
The one real hole is taxes, near the bottom of the country. Long commutes and crime also cost it ground. Cost swings more from one part of Maryland to another than it does between Maryland and its neighbors, which the map below shows.
Where Maryland ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 99% of states
- Household income$117,209 median, better than 95% of states
- Educational attainmentBetter than 95% of states
- Low vacancyBetter than 95% of states
- Big-city accessBetter than 93% of states
Where Maryland ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 1% of states
- Short commute31.1 minutes each way, better than only 3% of states
- Crime safetyBetter than only 7% of states
- Local economyBetter than only 7% of states
- State infrastructureBetter than only 7% of states
What it costs to buy a home in Maryland
A household needs to earn about $122,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Maryland home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $117,209; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Maryland's effective rate of 0.97%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Maryland
Maryland's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Maryland.
Who works in Maryland, and how
Work in Maryland centers on health care & social and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 72%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in Maryland
Maryland has more restaurants and bars per resident than 81% of states and more late-night spots per resident than 69% of states. Maryland has 31 miles of ocean coastline. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Maryland and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Maryland, month by month
Maryland sees roughly 74 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 39° | 33° |
| April | 68° | 59° | 51° |
| July | 91° | 83° | 76° |
| October | 71° | 63° | 56° |
The best schools in and around Maryland
Schools across Maryland average a C, better than 21% of states.
Top elementary schools
- West Manheim El SchA+ · 80% proficient
- Cold Spring ElementaryA+ · 78% proficient
- Westbrook ElementaryA · 70% proficient
Top middle schools
- Clarksville MiddleA · 65% proficient
- Herbert Hoover MiddleA · 62% proficient
- Thomas W. Pyle MiddleA · 62% proficient
Top high schools
- Walt Whitman HighA+ · 91% proficient
- River Hill HighA+ · 86% proficient
- Centennial HighA+ · 84% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Maryland school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Maryland 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 Maryland against the other 49 states.
Who Maryland suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 99% of states and 19% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Maryland
Is Maryland a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Maryland ranks 32nd of 50 states. It scores highest on what local pay buys, high incomes, and an educated workforce, 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 Maryland expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $454,977. The overall cost of living runs about 4% above the national average. Set against a $117,209 median income, cost of living beats 99% of states.
Is Maryland safe?
Maryland is safer than 7% of states. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $460 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Maryland?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 45 with lows near 33. That works out to about 74 pleasant days a year, more than 35% of states.
What are the best areas in Maryland?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Montgomery County, Frederick County, Washington County & Carroll County, and Harford County & Cecil County. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Maryland good for families?
Schools beat 21% of states, crime safety beats 7%, and childcare runs $1,331 a month.
Is Maryland good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 99% of states, though advertised internet speeds beat only 19% of states. About 19% of workers already work from home.
Compare Maryland with other states
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Maryland. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Maryland 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.
Maryland detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Maryland: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Maryland: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Maryland: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Maryland: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Maryland 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.
- 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.