Baltimore has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Baltimore without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Baltimore: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Baltimore for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Baltimore? Mount Airy ranks as the best suburb of Baltimore for 2026 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Mount Airy, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Baltimore ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Maryland:
The 10 Best Baltimore Suburbs To Live For 2026
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Population: 9,805
Median Income: $151,324
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 2.3%
More on Mount Airy: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Mount Airy is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Baltimore area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Mount Airy.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $151,324 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Baltimore region. And only 2.24% are out of work. Homes average more than $639,006 each.
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Sykesville is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Baltimore for 2026.
It ranks 5th for incomes in the area and only 1.18% of residents lack insurance, good for best.
3. University Park, MD
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Population: 2,698
Median Income: $207,500
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 2.1%
More on University Park: Crime | Movers
Here in University Park, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Baltimore metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in University Park.
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Manchester ranks as the 4th best suburb of Baltimore for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Manchester and the schools are some of the best around.
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Population: 57,926
Median Income: $141,995
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Bowie: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Coming in as the fifth best is Bowie.
Bowie gets kudos for having the 5th most expensive homes in the Baltimore area, where houses sell for an average of $524,117. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
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Population: 40,720
Median Income: $113,860
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Poverty Rate: 7.8%
More on Annapolis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Annapolis is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 3.7%.
According to online reports, Annapolis is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Baltimore area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Annapolis is the capital of Maryland and a very nice place to visit. The attractions, dining, nearby Naval Academy, and numerous parks and overlooks are a nice for a family.
The small independent shops and restaurants are all fantastic. And the local seafood is a real treat.
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Population: 29,798
Median Income: $100,504
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%
Poverty Rate: 9.0%
More on Laurel: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Laurel.
Laurel schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 19.5 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
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Population: 6,251
Median Income: $97,871
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
Poverty Rate: 6.9%
More on Hampstead: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Hampstead is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 1.76% of people lack insurance, good for 3rd in the area.
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Population: 6,344
Median Income: $106,414
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Glenarden: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Is ‘Everything Better In Glenarden?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
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And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Berwyn Heights.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Baltimore for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Baltimore was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Baltimore.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 19 suburbs to evaluate around Baltimore.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 19 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Baltimore.” We’re lookin’ at you, Mount Airy.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Baltimore suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Baltimore ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Baltimore are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Baltimore but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Maryland reading, check out:
Table: Best Baltimore Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Airy, MD | 9,805 | $151,324 | $639,006 |
| 2 | Sykesville, MD | 4,491 | $139,556 | $556,417 |
| 3 | University Park, MD | 2,698 | $207,500 | $658,033 |
| 4 | Manchester, MD | 5,439 | $121,676 | $462,577 |
| 5 | Bowie, MD | 57,926 | $141,995 | $524,117 |
| 6 | Annapolis, MD | 40,720 | $113,860 | $618,837 |
| 7 | Laurel, MD | 29,798 | $100,504 | $476,647 |
| 8 | Hampstead, MD | 6,251 | $97,871 | $439,359 |
| 9 | Glenarden, MD | 6,344 | $106,414 | $413,332 |
| 10 | Berwyn Heights, MD | 3,318 | $146,591 | $440,966 |
| 11 | Westminster, MD | 20,445 | $86,219 | $462,868 |
| 12 | Riverdale Park, MD | 7,270 | $120,043 | $486,910 |
| 13 | Hyattsville, MD | 20,966 | $91,941 | $403,229 |
| 14 | New Carrollton, MD | 13,564 | $81,509 | $399,604 |
| 15 | College Park, MD | 34,540 | $69,721 | $437,694 |
| 16 | Aberdeen, MD | 17,298 | $74,826 | $343,947 |
| 17 | Landover Hills, MD | 2,031 | $92,500 | $363,292 |
| 18 | Greenbelt, MD | 24,678 | $85,997 | $285,335 |
| 19 | Bladensburg, MD | 9,583 | $63,179 | $317,187 |
