While big cities like Baltimore offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Baltimore. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Baltimore without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Baltimore are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Baltimore area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Baltimore for 2025:
What’s the best suburb of Baltimore? Mount Airy ranks as the best suburb of Baltimore for 2025 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 2025
/10
Population: 9,746
Median Income: $154,514
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
Poverty Rate: 2.3%
More on Mount Airy: Data
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 $154,514 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Baltimore region. And only 2.33% are out of work. Homes average more than $474,800 each.
/10
Population: 2,636
Median Income: $197,589
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 2.1%
More on University Park: Data
University Park is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Baltimore for 2025.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 4.46% of residents lack insurance, good for 7th best.
/10
Population: 4,346
Median Income: $135,692
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%
Poverty Rate: 3.5%
More on Sykesville: Data
Here in Sykesville, 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 Sykesville.
/10
Population: 57,771
Median Income: $141,831
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 4.1%
More on Bowie: Data
Bowie ranks as the 4th best suburb of Baltimore for 2025.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Bowie and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 40,744
Median Income: $104,257
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 7.2%
More on Annapolis: Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Annapolis.
Annapolis gets kudos for having the 2nd most expensive homes in the Baltimore area, where houses sell for an average of $510,200. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
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.
/10
Population: 5,446
Median Income: $112,679
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%
Poverty Rate: 5.7%
More on Manchester: Data
Manchester 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 1.81%.
According to online reports, Manchester is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Baltimore area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 6,311
Median Income: $96,802
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%
Poverty Rate: 3.3%
More on Hampstead: Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Hampstead.
Hampstead 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 25.1 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 20,861
Median Income: $94,231
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 10.8%
More on Hyattsville: Data
Hyattsville 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 15.83% of people lack insurance, good for 15th in the area.
As a resident of Hyattsville for over a decade, I’m prone to say that your factfinders don’t know what they are talking about.
Silver Spring and College Park are continuously within walking distance and, in contrast to Baltimore, everybody gets along here.
/10
Population: 6,320
Median Income: $96,875
Unemployment Rate: 5.3%
Poverty Rate: 5.0%
More on Glenarden: Data
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.
/10
Population: 29,594
Median Income: $94,063
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 9.1%
More on Laurel: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Laurel.
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 2025
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 2019-2023 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 18 suburbs to evaluate around Baltimore.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 18 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 2025. This report is our tenth 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 2025
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 | 9,746 | $154,514 | $474,800 |
| 2 | University Park, MD | 2,636 | $197,589 | $610,100 |
| 3 | Sykesville, MD | 4,346 | $135,692 | $398,600 |
| 4 | Bowie, MD | 57,771 | $141,831 | $442,000 |
| 5 | Annapolis, MD | 40,744 | $104,257 | $510,200 |
| 6 | Manchester, MD | 5,446 | $112,679 | $351,500 |
| 7 | Hampstead, MD | 6,311 | $96,802 | $305,400 |
| 8 | Hyattsville, MD | 20,861 | $94,231 | $463,500 |
| 9 | Glenarden, MD | 6,320 | $96,875 | $411,900 |
| 10 | Laurel, MD | 29,594 | $94,063 | $367,300 |
| 11 | Riverdale Park, MD | 7,249 | $104,583 | $447,000 |
| 12 | Berwyn Heights, MD | 3,306 | $145,833 | $411,700 |
| 13 | Westminster, MD | 20,257 | $79,431 | $318,100 |
| 14 | New Carrollton, MD | 13,544 | $80,292 | $378,300 |
| 15 | College Park, MD | 34,397 | $74,867 | $429,000 |
| 16 | Aberdeen, MD | 16,831 | $76,019 | $239,000 |
| 17 | Greenbelt, MD | 24,572 | $86,352 | $258,600 |
| 18 | Bladensburg, MD | 9,552 | $62,400 | $330,400 |