Now that we’re headed towards the next big election, we wanted to get a better sense of what parts of Maryland would be the most likely to back Donald Trump again.
Specifically, which cities have the highest number of conservative voters in the Old Line State?
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to measure how each city in Maryland with populations greater than 5,000 voted in past elections. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted Republican were named the most conservative cities in the state.
68.2% Republican vote · #2 most conservative in Maryland
Located in
Allegany County, Maryland
Cumberland Maryland, officially the City of Cumberland, is a western gateway city and seat of Allegany County, Maryland, United States and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a population of 103,299. Cumberland is a regional business and commercial center for Western and the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia. Cumberland is commonly referred to as “Where The South Begins,” as official United States Census Bureau records place it below the Mason-Dixon line.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
68.2% Republican vote · #2 most conservative in Maryland
Located in
Allegany County, Maryland
Frostburg is a city in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, and is at the head of the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,002 at the 2010 census. Located 8 miles west of Cumberland, the town is one of the first cities on the “National Road”, US 40, and the western terminus of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. Since 1973, the city has been served by what is now Interstate 68.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
62.0% Republican vote · #3 most conservative in Maryland
Located in
Cecil County, Maryland
The town of Elkton is the county seat of Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,443 at the 2010 census. It was formerly called Head of Elk because it sits at the head of navigation on the Elk River, which flows into the nearby Chesapeake Bay.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
60.0% Republican vote · #6 most conservative in Maryland
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
60.0% Republican vote · #6 most conservative in Maryland
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
60.0% Republican vote · #6 most conservative in Maryland
Located in
Frederick County, Maryland
Mount Airy is a town located in Carroll and Frederick counties in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is part of both the Washington Metropolitan Area and Baltimore Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census the population was 9,288.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
60.0% Republican vote · #6 most conservative in Maryland
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
60.0% Republican vote · #6 most conservative in Maryland
Located in
Carroll County, Maryland
Hampstead is a town in Carroll County in the U.S. state of Maryland. The population was 6,323 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
59.3% Republican vote · #9 most conservative in Maryland
Located in
Washington County, Maryland
Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2010 census was 39,662, and the population of the Hagerstown-Martinsburg Metropolitan Area was 269,140. Hagerstown ranks as Maryland’s sixth largest incorporated city.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
58.6% Republican vote · #10 most conservative in Maryland
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
Mapping the conservative strongholds in Maryland
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the most conservative cities in Maryland for 2026
To find the most conservative places in Maryland, we used Saturday Night Science – the argument you’d make at a bar – to find the cities with the most conservatives.
We started by making a list of every city in Maryland over 5,000 people based on the 2020-2024 American Community Survey. That left us with 44 cities and towns.
We then measured the voting record and MIT election data to determine which places rock the most rightward in their allegiances by:
- Percentage Of Votes For The Republican President In 2020
Because no voting data exists at the city level, we used county-level election results from the 2020 election. We assigned every city in a county the percentage of votes that went to the Republicans, effectively extending the county’s results to the city level. In cases where larger cities encompassed an entire county, the election outcomes accurately reflected the city’s political landscape.
Next, we ranked each city from 1 to 44 for each criterion, where number one was the most conservative.
The winner, Cumberland, is “The Most Conservative City in Maryland For 2026”. The most liberal place in Maryland was Riverdale Park.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the most conservative places to live in Maryland.
The full plate
Most Conservative Places In Maryland
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Conservative Score | Population | % Conservative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cumberland | 1.50 | 18,804 | 68.2% |
| 1 | Frostburg | 1.50 | 6,977 | 68.2% |
| 3 | Elkton | 3.00 | 15,910 | 62.0% |
| 6 | Westminster | 6.00 | 20,445 | 60.0% |
| 6 | Taneytown | 6.00 | 7,932 | 60.0% |
| 6 | Mount Airy | 6.00 | 9,805 | 60.0% |
| 6 | Manchester | 6.00 | 5,439 | 60.0% |
| 6 | Hampstead | 6.00 | 6,251 | 60.0% |
| 9 | Hagerstown | 9.00 | 43,665 | 59.3% |
| 10 | Berlin | 10.50 | 5,232 | 58.6% |
| 10 | Ocean City | 10.50 | 6,903 | 58.6% |
| 12 | Cambridge | 12.00 | 13,152 | 54.9% |
| 14 | Aberdeen | 14.00 | 17,298 | 54.6% |
| 14 | Bel Air | 14.00 | 10,585 | 54.6% |
| 14 | Havre de Grace | 14.00 | 14,994 | 54.6% |
| 16 | Chesapeake Beach | 16.00 | 6,456 | 51.6% |
| 17 | Fruitland | 17.50 | 5,801 | 49.6% |
| 17 | Salisbury | 17.50 | 33,285 | 49.6% |
| 19 | Easton | 19.00 | 17,308 | 48.5% |
| 20 | Cheste | 20.00 | 5,594 | 48.1% |
| 23 | Thurmont | 23.50 | 6,254 | 43.7% |
| 23 | Middl | 23.50 | 5,014 | 43.7% |
| 23 | Brunswick | 23.50 | 8,450 | 43.7% |
| 23 | Walkersville | 23.50 | 6,414 | 43.7% |
| 23 | Frederick | 23.50 | 83,395 | 43.7% |
| 26 | Annapolis | 27.00 | 40,720 | 41.3% |
| 27 | La Plata | 28.00 | 10,683 | 28.6% |
| 29 | Gaithersburg | 30.50 | 69,825 | 19.0% |
| 29 | Rockville | 30.50 | 67,671 | 19.0% |
| 29 | Poolesville | 30.50 | 5,764 | 19.0% |
| 29 | Takoma Park | 30.50 | 17,632 | 19.0% |
| 32 | Baltimore | 33.00 | 573,243 | 10.7% |
| 38 | Greenbelt | 39.50 | 24,678 | 8.7% |
| 38 | Glenarden | 39.50 | 6,344 | 8.7% |
| 38 | Laurel | 39.50 | 29,798 | 8.7% |
| 38 | College Park | 39.50 | 34,540 | 8.7% |
| 38 | Cheverly | 39.50 | 6,096 | 8.7% |
| 38 | New Carrollton | 39.50 | 13,564 | 8.7% |
| 38 | Hyattsville | 39.50 | 20,966 | 8.7% |
| 38 | District Heights | 39.50 | 5,891 | 8.7% |
| 38 | Mount Rainier | 39.50 | 8,245 | 8.7% |
| 38 | Bladensburg | 39.50 | 9,583 | 8.7% |
| 38 | Bowie | 39.50 | 57,926 | 8.7% |
| 38 | Riverdale Park | 39.50 | 7,270 | 8.7% |
Source: county-level 2020 election results, U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 44 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds in Maryland
Well, there you have it, the places in Maryland that have the highest number of conservatives per capita, with Cumberland ranking as the most conservative in the entire state.
The most conservative cities in Maryland are Cumberland, Frostburg, Elkton, Westminster, Taneytown, Mount Airy, Manchester, Hampstead, Hagerstown, and Berlin.
If you’re curious, here are the least conservative cities in Maryland. Not sold on Maryland? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
