Best PlacesWashington County, MD Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Washington County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Washington County ranks 1,271st of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It does not top any single list, but it lands above the national middle on big-city access and few empty homes. The weaker spots are taxes, state infrastructure, and state finances.
The best neighborhoods in Washington County
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 Washington County
The parts of Washington County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Boonsboro & Keedysville
Local pay stretches further, incomes run higher, and more residents vote.
Fountainhead-Orchard Hills
More households have young kids, though it is noisier.
Smithsburg
Crime runs lower.
Williamsport & Sharpsburg
Streets are more car-dependent and more homes sit empty.
Clear Spring & Hancock
Tree cover is thicker, though biking is worse.
Halfway
Commutes are shorter, though fewer adults hold degrees.
Hagerstown
Health care is harder to reach and prices have run up more.
Scores across Washington County run from about the 2nd to the 89th percentile nationally. The map is where that becomes a choice of area.
Washington County's strengths and weaknesses
Washington County lands in the middle because its strengths and weaknesses roughly balance. Big-city access, few empty homes, and transit carry most of that.
The one real hole is taxes, near the bottom of the country. State infrastructure and state finances also cost it ground. Cost swings more from one part of Washington County to another than it does between Washington County and its neighbors, which the map below shows.
Where Washington County ranks high
- Big-city accessBetter than 95% of counties
- Low vacancyBetter than 86% of counties
- TransitBetter than 85% of counties
- Disaster safetyBetter than 82% of counties
- Household income$82,849 median, better than 80% of counties
Where Washington County ranks low
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 1% of counties
- State infrastructureBetter than only 7% of counties
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 7% of counties
- QuietBetter than only 15% of counties
- Cheap childcare$973 a month, better than only 19% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Washington County
A household needs to earn about $79,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Washington County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $82,849, 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 Washington County's effective rate of 0.87%, 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 Washington County
Washington County'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 Washington County.
Who works in Washington County, and how
Work in Washington County centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in Washington County
Washington County has more restaurants and bars per resident than 90% of counties and more parkland per resident than 70% of counties. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Washington County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Washington County growing, and who is moving in?
Washington County has grown about 6% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Washington, DC.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Washington County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Washington County, month by month
Washington County sees roughly 69 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 34° | 25° |
| April | 68° | 55° | 43° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 68° |
| October | 71° | 59° | 48° |
Flying in and out of Washington County
The nearest airport, Hagerstown Regional/Richard A Henson Field, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 49 miles away.
The best schools in and around Washington County
Schools across Washington County average a C+, better than 57% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Boonsboro ElementaryB · 47% proficient
- Fountaindale ElementaryB− · 40% proficient
- Williamsport ElementaryC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Boonsboro MiddleC · 33% proficient
- Clear Spring MiddleC · 31% proficient
- Smithsburg MiddleC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Washington County Job Development CenterA · 75% proficient
- Barbara Ingram School For The ArtsA · 70% proficient
- Smithsburg HighA− · 63% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Washington County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Washington County 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 Washington County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Washington County suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 78% of counties, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 12% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in Washington County
Is Washington County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Washington County ranks 1,271st of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on big-city access, few empty homes, and transit, and lowest on taxes and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Washington County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $297,552. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $82,849 median income, cost of living beats 78% of counties.
Is Washington County safe?
Washington County is safer than 53% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $350 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Washington County?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 25. That works out to about 69 pleasant days a year, more than 20% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in Washington County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Boonsboro & Keedysville, Fountainhead-Orchard Hills, and Smithsburg. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Washington County good for families?
Schools beat 57% of counties, crime safety beats 53%, and childcare runs $973 a month.
Is Washington County good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 78% of counties, and the fastest advertised internet here beats 61% of counties. About 12% of workers already work from home.
Compare Washington County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Washington County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Washington County 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.
Washington County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Washington County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Washington County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Washington County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Washington County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Washington County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.