Want to know where your family can have the best of the best that Maryland has to offer? HomeSacks is going to tell you.
That’s right, If you can picture your family crabbing in Aberdeen, strolling the promenade in Potomac, or spending the day at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, then you should choose one of Maryland’s best places to raise a family to live. The trick, however, was narrowing down the best places for families to live in this Mid-Atlantic gem, And lucky for you, HomeSnacks has done it again. We’ve created the ultimate guide to the best places for families in Maryland for 2026 and you can find it below.
But first, how did we do it? We consulted the US Census on places in the Old Line State with more than 10,000 residents. We looked at several factors: crime, education, family friendly activities, and the percent of households that currently have children. We ended up with 22 family friendly Maryland places that any family would be lucky to call home.
Now, we’re not just any national ranking website. We’ve been researching and ranking states and cities based on all types of criteria for the last five years. We’ve had more than ten million people read our published articles and we’ve been featured in hundreds of media outlets for our best of the best rankings, including this Maryland Patch feature. So, yes, we know what we’re talking about. Want to know more? We suggest you take a look below at HomeSnacks’ list of Maryland’s top ten most family friendly places: we’ve taken the guessing out of the equation.
$121,208 median income · 33.0% households with kids
Located in
Charles County, Maryland
La Plata is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 8,753 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Charles County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$128,649 median income · 28.0% households with kids
Located in
Montgomery County, Maryland
Rockville is a U.S. city located in the central region of Montgomery County, Maryland. It is the county seat and is a major incorporated city of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. The 2010 census tabulated Rockville’s population at 61,209, making it the third largest incorporated city in Maryland, behind Baltimore and Frederick. Rockville is the largest incorporated city in Montgomery County, Maryland, although the nearby census-designated place of Germantown is more populous.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$113,860 median income · 23.3% households with kids
Located in
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, 25 miles south of Baltimore and about 30 miles east of Washington, D.C., Annapolis is part of the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. Its population was measured at 38,394 by the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$141,995 median income · 30.3% households with kids
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 U.S. Census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George’s County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2014 CNN Money ranked Bowie 28th in its Best Places to Live in America list.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$112,467 median income · 32.2% households with kids
Located in
Montgomery County, Maryland
Gaithersburg ), officially the City of Gaithersburg, is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland. At the time of the 2010 U.S. Census, Gaithersburg had a population of 59,933, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville. Gaithersburg is located to the northwest of Washington, D.C., and is considered a suburb and a primary city within the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Gaithersburg was incorporated as a town in 1878 and as a city in 1968.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,069 median income · 32.1% households with kids
Located in
Frederick County, Maryland
Frederick is a city and the county seat of Frederick County in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north-south Indian trail, and east-west routes to the Chesapeake Bay, both at Baltimore and what became Washington, D.C. and across the Appalachian mountains to the Ohio River watershed. It is a part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area. The city’s population was 65,239 people at the 2010 United States Census, making it the second-largest incorporated city in Maryland, behind Baltimore. Frederick is home to Frederick Municipal Airport, which primarily accommodates general aviation traffic, and to the county’s largest employer U.S. Army’s Fort Detrick bioscience/communications research installation.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$108,136 median income · 36.7% households with kids
Located in
Montgomery County, Maryland
Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called “Azalea City”, is a Tree City USA and a nuclear-free zone. A planned commuter suburb, it is situated along the Metropolitan Branch of the historic Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, just northeast of Washington, D.C., and it borders the neighborhood of Takoma, Washington, D.C. It is governed by an elected mayor and six elected councilmembers, who form the city council, and an appointed city manager, under a council-manager style of government. The city’s population was 16,715 at the 2010 national census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$100,504 median income · 27.9% households with kids
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George’s County, Maryland, in the United States, located almost midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. Founded as a mill town in the early 19th century, the arrival of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1835 expanded local industry and later enabled the city to become an early commuter town for Washington and Baltimore workers. Largely residential today, the city maintains a historic district centered on its Main Street, highlighting its industrial past.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$86,219 median income · 26.9% households with kids
Located in
Carroll County, Maryland
Westminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. A suburb of both Baltimore and Washington, D.C., it is the seat of Carroll County. The city’s population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster is an outlying community within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$105,817 median income · 25.4% households with kids
Located in
Harford County, Maryland
Havre de Grace , abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which in full was once Le Havre de Grce. The population was 12,952 at the 2010 United States Census. The city was honored as one of America’s 20 best small towns to visit in 2014 by Smithsonian magazine.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Maryland’s statewide median.
Maryland statewide median: $103,678
Maryland statewide median: $429,705
On the map
Where Maryland’s most family-friendly cities are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in Maryland anyways?
To give you the places in Maryland that are best for families, we must look at a handful of metrics. We want to measure the criteria people want in a family-friendly city utilizing Saturday Night Science.
After researching U.S. Census data produced for the state of Maryland, we looked at the data for every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries, and colleges)
We then gave each city a “Family Score.”
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For Maryland, that meant a total of 22 cities.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for families in Maryland.
The full plate
Best Places For Families In Maryland
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | % Households w/ Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Plata | 10,683 | $121,208 | $481,282 | 33.0% |
| 2 | Rockville | 67,671 | $128,649 | $618,892 | 28.0% |
| 3 | Annapolis | 40,720 | $113,860 | $618,838 | 23.3% |
| 4 | Bowie | 57,926 | $141,995 | $524,118 | 30.3% |
| 5 | Gaithersburg | 69,825 | $112,467 | $527,608 | 32.2% |
| 6 | Frederick | 83,395 | $97,069 | $466,011 | 32.1% |
| 7 | Takoma Park | 17,632 | $108,136 | $686,399 | 36.7% |
| 8 | Laurel | 29,798 | $100,504 | $476,648 | 27.9% |
| 9 | Westminster | 20,445 | $86,219 | $462,869 | 26.9% |
| 10 | Havre de Grace | 14,994 | $105,817 | $404,055 | 25.4% |
| 11 | Hyattsville | 20,966 | $91,941 | $403,229 | 26.2% |
| 12 | New Carrollton | 13,564 | $81,509 | $399,605 | 29.7% |
| 13 | Easton | 17,308 | $74,653 | $451,055 | 26.7% |
| 14 | Elkton | 15,910 | $58,640 | $367,248 | 32.5% |
| 15 | Ocean Pines | 12,351 | $91,824 | $388,975 | 15.1% |
| 16 | Greenbelt | 24,678 | $85,997 | $285,336 | 27.6% |
| 17 | Hagerstown | 43,665 | $52,221 | $300,051 | 30.1% |
| 18 | Salisbury | 33,285 | $58,576 | $264,545 | 27.1% |
| 19 | Cumberland | 18,804 | $48,162 | $152,202 | 25.5% |
| 20 | Baltimore | 573,243 | $62,177 | $188,101 | 22.2% |
| 21 | Aberdeen | 17,298 | $74,826 | $343,948 | 28.6% |
| 22 | Cambridge | 13,152 | $47,323 | $266,444 | 22.6% |
Source: U.S. Census data via Saturday Night Science. 22 Maryland cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In Maryland
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in Maryland ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
The best places for families in Maryland are La Plata, Rockville, Annapolis, Bowie, Gaithersburg, Frederick, Takoma Park, Laurel, Westminster, and Havre de Grace. Not sold on Maryland? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Places For Families In Maryland FAQs
What is the best place to raise a family in Maryland?
La Plata is the best place to raise a family in Maryland for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Rockville and Annapolis round out the top three.
What are the best places for families in Maryland?
The best Maryland places to raise a family are La Plata, Rockville, Annapolis, Bowie, Gaithersburg, Frederick, Takoma Park, Laurel, Westminster, and Havre de Grace. We ranked all 22 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
How do you rank family-friendly cities?
Family-friendliness blends low crime, good schools, proximity to a major city, the share of households with kids, and nearby amenities. The city that balances all of it best in Maryland is La Plata.
Is La Plata affordable for families?
The median home in La Plata costs $481,282 against a median household income of $121,208. Statewide, the median home runs $429,705, so check the gap before you pack the minivan.
What is the toughest place to raise a family in Maryland?
Cambridge lands at the bottom of the family ranking for Maryland. Families make it work everywhere, but the crime, school, and income numbers stack against it there.
