Is being in an area of Maryland that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Baltimore and Frederick, while others want peace and quiet like in Middl and Berlin, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Maryland have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Old Line State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
Maryland lost a net 12,127 people to other states in the year ending July 2025 — 45th in the nation for domestic migration; the full moving statistics breakdown shows who’s coming and going.
46.4% growth since 2010 · 2,680 net new residents
Located in
Frederick County, Maryland
Brunswick is a city in Frederick County, Maryland, United States at the Maryland/Virginia border. The population was 5,870 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
30.9% growth since 2010 · 19,664 net new residents
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
28.8% growth since 2010 · 1,120 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
25.7% growth since 2010 · 2,187 net new residents
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
23.3% growth since 2010 · 1,097 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
22.0% growth since 2010 · 5,365 net new residents
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
21.5% growth since 2010 · 3,712 net new residents
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Hyattsville is a city in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and also a close, urban suburb of Washington, D.C. The population was 17,557 at the 2010 United States Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
20.8% growth since 2010 · 1,366 net new residents
Located in
Carroll County, Maryland
Taneytown is a town in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The population was 6,728 at the 2010 census. Taneytown was founded in 1754. Of the town, George Washington once wrote, “Tan-nee town is but a small place with only the Street through wch. the road passes, built on. The buildings are principally of wood.” Taneytown has a history museum that displays the history of the town for visitors and citizens to see. The Bullfrog Road Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
20.1% growth since 2010 · 874 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
20.0% growth since 2010 · 11,656 net new residents
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
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Maryland’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Maryland’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Old Line State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 44 Maryland cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Old Line State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in Maryland.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In Maryland For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brunswick | 8,450 | 5,770 | 46.4% | 2,680 |
| 2 | Frederick | 83,395 | 63,731 | 30.9% | 19,664 |
| 3 | Middl | 5,014 | 3,894 | 28.8% | 1,120 |
| 4 | La Plata | 10,683 | 8,496 | 25.7% | 2,187 |
| 5 | Fruitland | 5,801 | 4,704 | 23.3% | 1,097 |
| 6 | Laurel | 29,798 | 24,433 | 22.0% | 5,365 |
| 7 | Hyattsville | 20,966 | 17,254 | 21.5% | 3,712 |
| 8 | Taneytown | 7,932 | 6,566 | 20.8% | 1,366 |
| 9 | Berlin | 5,232 | 4,358 | 20.1% | 874 |
| 10 | Gaithersburg | 69,825 | 58,169 | 20.0% | 11,656 |
| 11 | Chesapeake Beach | 6,456 | 5,396 | 19.6% | 1,060 |
| 12 | Manchester | 5,439 | 4,597 | 18.3% | 842 |
| 13 | Poolesville | 5,764 | 4,889 | 17.9% | 875 |
| 14 | Havre de Grace | 14,994 | 12,792 | 17.2% | 2,202 |
| 15 | College Park | 34,540 | 29,596 | 16.7% | 4,944 |
| 16 | Rockville | 67,671 | 58,300 | 16.1% | 9,371 |
| 17 | Aberdeen | 17,298 | 14,920 | 15.9% | 2,378 |
| 18 | Salisbury | 33,285 | 29,343 | 13.4% | 3,942 |
| 19 | Easton | 17,308 | 15,310 | 13.1% | 1,998 |
| 20 | New Carrollton | 13,564 | 12,123 | 11.9% | 1,441 |
| 21 | Walkersville | 6,414 | 5,743 | 11.7% | 671 |
| 22 | Hagerstown | 43,665 | 39,546 | 10.4% | 4,119 |
| 23 | Westminster | 20,445 | 18,591 | 10.0% | 1,854 |
| 24 | Mount Airy | 9,805 | 8,921 | 9.9% | 884 |
| 25 | Cambridge | 13,152 | 12,109 | 8.6% | 1,043 |
| 26 | Cheste | 5,594 | 5,162 | 8.4% | 432 |
| 27 | Greenbelt | 24,678 | 22,817 | 8.2% | 1,861 |
| 28 | Annapolis | 40,720 | 37,825 | 7.7% | 2,895 |
| 29 | Bladensburg | 9,583 | 8,918 | 7.5% | 665 |
| 30 | Bowie | 57,926 | 54,314 | 6.7% | 3,612 |
| 31 | Elkton | 15,910 | 15,029 | 5.9% | 881 |
| 32 | Riverdale Park | 7,270 | 6,893 | 5.5% | 377 |
| 33 | Takoma Park | 17,632 | 16,853 | 4.6% | 779 |
| 34 | Glenarden | 6,344 | 6,069 | 4.5% | 275 |
| 35 | Bel Air | 10,585 | 10,167 | 4.1% | 418 |
| 36 | Thurmont | 6,254 | 6,127 | 2.1% | 127 |
| 37 | Mount Rainier | 8,245 | 8,149 | 1.2% | 96 |
| 38 | Hampstead | 6,251 | 6,203 | 0.8% | 48 |
| 39 | District Heights | 5,891 | 5,858 | 0.6% | 33 |
| 40 | Cheverly | 6,096 | 6,234 | -2.2% | -138 |
| 41 | Ocean City | 6,903 | 7,194 | -4.0% | -291 |
| 42 | Baltimore | 573,243 | 620,538 | -7.6% | -47,295 |
| 43 | Cumberland | 18,804 | 20,927 | -10.1% | -2,123 |
| 44 | Frostburg | 6,977 | 8,792 | -20.6% | -1,815 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 44 Maryland cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Maryland, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Maryland are led by Brunswick which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in Maryland are Brunswick, Frederick, Middl, La Plata, Fruitland, Laurel, Hyattsville, Taneytown, Berlin, and Gaithersburg.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know! Not sold on Maryland? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Fastest Growing Cities In Maryland FAQs
What is the fastest-growing city in Maryland?
Brunswick is the fastest-growing city in Maryland for 2026, based on population change since 2010. Frederick and Middl are growing nearly as fast.
What are the top 10 fastest-growing cities in Maryland?
The fastest-growing cities in Maryland are Brunswick, Frederick, Middl, La Plata, Fruitland, Laurel, Hyattsville, Taneytown, Berlin, and Gaithersburg. We ranked all 44 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
How do you measure growth?
Growth is the percent change in population from the 2010 Census to the latest American Community Survey estimates. No projections, no vibes — just how many more people actually live there now.
What is the slowest-growing city on the list?
Frostburg posts the smallest population change of the 44 Maryland cities we ranked. Slow growth is not automatically bad news, but the momentum is clearly elsewhere.
Do small towns count in this ranking?
Only places with more than 5,000 residents qualify, which keeps one new subdivision from turning a tiny town into a statistical rocket. 44 Maryland cities cleared that bar this year.
