Best PlacesNorth Laurel, Scaggsville, MD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North Laurel, Scaggsville, 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.
North Laurel, Scaggsville ranks 734th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in North Laurel, Scaggsville
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.
North Laurel, Scaggsville's strengths and weaknesses
Where North Laurel, Scaggsville ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Household income$164,727 median, better than 94% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
Where North Laurel, Scaggsville ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,745 a month, better than only 12% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in North Laurel, Scaggsville
A household needs to earn about $143,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North Laurel, Scaggsville home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $164,727, 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 North Laurel, Scaggsville's effective rate of 1.05%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in North Laurel, Scaggsville
North Laurel, Scaggsville'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 North Laurel, Scaggsville.
Who works in North Laurel, Scaggsville, and how
Work in North Laurel, Scaggsville centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 71%
- Work from home 26%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in North Laurel, Scaggsville
North Laurel, Scaggsville has more parkland per resident than 86% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 25 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of North Laurel, Scaggsville and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in North Laurel, Scaggsville, month by month
North Laurel, Scaggsville sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 34° | 27° |
| April | 67° | 54° | 43° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 67° |
| October | 68° | 56° | 47° |
Flying in and out of North Laurel, Scaggsville
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall sits about 11 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.3 million passengers in 2025, with 114 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around North Laurel, Scaggsville
Schools across North Laurel, Scaggsville average a B−, better than 72% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Pointers Run ElementaryA · 63% proficient
- Fulton ElementaryA− · 56% proficient
- Hammond ElementaryC+ · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lime Kiln MiddleB+ · 51% proficient
- Hammond Middle SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Murray Hill MiddleC · 32% proficient
Top high schools
- Atholton HighA · 74% proficient
- Reservoir HighA− · 66% proficient
- Hammond HighB · 49% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North Laurel, Scaggsville school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North Laurel, Scaggsville 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 North Laurel, Scaggsville against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who North Laurel, Scaggsville suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 98% of neighborhoods and 26% already work from home.
Common questions about living in North Laurel, Scaggsville
Is North Laurel, Scaggsville a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North Laurel, Scaggsville ranks 734th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on tree cover, what local pay buys, and a stable housing market, 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 North Laurel, Scaggsville expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $527,705. The overall cost of living runs about 1% below the national average. Set against a $164,727 median income, cost of living beats 98% of neighborhoods.
Is North Laurel, Scaggsville safe?
Yes, North Laurel, Scaggsville is safer than 77% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $320 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in North Laurel, Scaggsville?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 27. That works out to about 77 pleasant days a year, more than 36% of neighborhoods.
Is North Laurel, Scaggsville good for families?
Schools beat 72% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 77%, and childcare runs $1,745 a month.
Compare North Laurel, Scaggsville with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North Laurel, Scaggsville. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North Laurel, Scaggsville 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.
North Laurel, Scaggsville detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North Laurel, Scaggsville: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North Laurel, Scaggsville: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North Laurel, Scaggsville: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North Laurel, Scaggsville: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North Laurel, Scaggsville 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.