There are all types when it comes to being a snob in Maryland. You’ve got your Wine Snobs, Book Snobs, and, of course, Clothes Snobs. Then there are the Technology Snobs, Car Snobs, and yes, even City Snobs — as in, I’m better than you because I live in (insert snooty city here).
How can we tell which Maryland cities are the snobbiest? By measuring snobby things, that’s how.
We used Saturday Night Science to look at things like expensive homes, high incomes, and overly educated populations by city in Maryland. These are the criteria you’d argue with a friend over a foodie dinner about who’s snobbier.
After analyzing 39 of the state’s most populous areas over 5,000 people, we came up with this ranking of the ten snobbiest places in the state of Maryland.
The Marylander in these places aren’t snobby, they just know they’re better than you.
$205,919 median income · $736,648 median home · #1 income in Maryland
Poolesville is a town in the western portion of Montgomery County, Maryland. The population was 4,883 at the 2010 United States Census. It is surrounded by the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve, and is considered a distant bedroom community for commuters to Washington, D.C.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$151,324 median income · $639,007 median home · #2 income 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
$128,649 median income · $618,892 median home · #6 income in Maryland
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
$141,995 median income · $524,118 median home · #3 income in Maryland
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
$108,136 median income · $686,399 median home · #14 income in Maryland
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
$113,860 median income · $618,838 median home · #12 income in Maryland
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
$123,535 median income · $468,344 median home · #7 income in Maryland
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Cheverly is a town in Prince George’s County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., United States. The town was founded in 1918, and it was incorporated in 1931. Cheverly had 6,173 residents as of the 2010 Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$112,467 median income · $527,608 median home · #13 income in Maryland
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
$138,895 median income · $462,696 median home · #4 income in Maryland
Located in
Calvert County, Maryland
Chesapeake Beach is a town in Calvert County, Maryland. Its major attractions include the Chesapeake Beach Railway Station, the Chesapeake Beach Rail Trail, a water park, marinas, piers, and charter boat fishing. The town’s population was recorded as 5,753 in the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$130,893 median income · $466,394 median home · #5 income in Maryland
Located in
Frederick County, Maryland
Walkersville is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 5,800 at the 2010 census.
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 the snobs live in Maryland
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the snobbiest cities in the Old Line State
Do you think we’d just come up with this list willy-nilly? Not a chance – we only use Saturday Night Science around here.
We gathered up all of the places in Maryland with populations of 5,000 people or more. This left us with a total of 39 places. Then, we looked at each place in terms of these snoot-er-iffic criteria (And no, it’s not a word. English snob.):
- Median home price (Higher is snobbier)
- Median household income (Higher is snobbier)
- Percent of population with a college degree (Higher is snobbier)
Incomes and college education levels come from the American Community Survey. Home prices come from Zillow.
Turned out this simple criteria was much better at sniffing out the snobby places then more snobby criteria like:
- Libaries per capita (Higher is snobbier)
- Museums per capita (Higher is snobbier)
- Private schools per capita (Higher is snobbier)
From there, we ranked each of our 39 places in each category with scores from one to 39. We then averaged each place’s ranking into one overall score, where the lowest score went to the snobbiest place in Maryland. So let’s all flip a table in honor of Poolesville (with our pinkies up, of course.)
Before you get upset and ruin your blowout or something drastic here, let’s remember that this is all in good fun. Would we live in one of these 10 places if we had the chance? Of course, we would.
And it’s not like your real estate agent would ever point out how snobby the town you’re moving to is. We’re here to keep you grounded, even if you’re wearing a monocle.
The full plate
Table: The Snobbiest Cities In Maryland For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Snob Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Adult Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poolesville | 1.33 | 5,764 | $205,919 | $736,648 | 64.0% |
| 2 | Mount Airy | 3.33 | 9,805 | $151,324 | $639,007 | 54.0% |
| 3 | Rockville | 3.67 | 67,671 | $128,649 | $618,892 | 65.0% |
| 4 | Bowie | 6.33 | 57,926 | $141,995 | $524,118 | 51.0% |
| 5 | Takoma Park | 6.33 | 17,632 | $108,136 | $686,399 | 62.0% |
| 6 | Annapolis | 7.33 | 40,720 | $113,860 | $618,838 | 54.0% |
| 7 | Cheverly | 7.67 | 6,096 | $123,535 | $468,344 | 54.0% |
| 8 | Gaithersburg | 8.67 | 69,825 | $112,467 | $527,608 | 53.0% |
| 9 | Chesapeake Beach | 10.00 | 6,456 | $138,895 | $462,696 | 49.0% |
| 10 | Walkersville | 10.83 | 6,414 | $130,893 | $466,394 | 43.0% |
| 11 | Laurel | 13.00 | 29,798 | $100,504 | $476,648 | 48.0% |
| 12 | La Plata | 14.50 | 10,683 | $121,208 | $481,282 | 36.0% |
| 13 | Riverdale Park | 15.50 | 7,270 | $120,043 | $486,910 | 34.0% |
| 14 | Frederick | 15.67 | 83,395 | $97,069 | $466,011 | 43.0% |
| 15 | Manchester | 15.67 | 5,439 | $121,676 | $462,578 | 37.0% |
| 16 | Havre de Grace | 18.50 | 14,994 | $105,817 | $404,055 | 43.0% |
| 17 | Hyattsville | 18.67 | 20,966 | $91,941 | $403,229 | 50.0% |
| 18 | College Park | 19.33 | 34,540 | $69,721 | $437,694 | 52.0% |
| 19 | Hampstead | 19.33 | 6,251 | $97,871 | $439,359 | 40.0% |
| 20 | Westminster | 20.00 | 20,445 | $86,219 | $462,869 | 37.0% |
| 21 | Brunswick | 20.33 | 8,450 | $118,025 | $409,509 | 35.0% |
| 22 | Berlin | 20.67 | 5,232 | $81,438 | $440,463 | 42.0% |
| 23 | Glenarden | 21.83 | 6,344 | $106,414 | $413,332 | 34.0% |
| 24 | Easton | 22.00 | 17,308 | $74,653 | $451,055 | 38.0% |
| 25 | Mount Rainier | 22.67 | 8,245 | $68,505 | $448,597 | 39.0% |
| 26 | Greenbelt | 23.33 | 24,678 | $85,997 | $285,336 | 46.0% |
| 27 | Thurmont | 25.00 | 6,254 | $98,125 | $397,682 | 28.0% |
| 28 | New Carrollton | 28.00 | 13,564 | $81,509 | $399,605 | 25.0% |
| 29 | Taneytown | 28.00 | 7,932 | $87,621 | $395,402 | 24.0% |
| 30 | Aberdeen | 29.50 | 17,298 | $74,826 | $343,948 | 26.0% |
| 31 | Fruitland | 30.00 | 5,801 | $64,004 | $252,664 | 37.0% |
| 32 | Frostburg | 30.67 | 6,977 | $52,977 | $176,235 | 41.0% |
| 33 | Baltimore | 31.83 | 573,243 | $62,177 | $188,101 | 36.0% |
| 34 | Elkton | 33.00 | 15,910 | $58,640 | $367,248 | 21.0% |
| 35 | Salisbury | 33.83 | 33,285 | $58,576 | $264,545 | 26.0% |
| 36 | Bladensburg | 34.00 | 9,583 | $63,179 | $317,188 | 17.0% |
| 37 | Hagerstown | 35.33 | 43,665 | $52,221 | $300,051 | 21.0% |
| 38 | Cambridge | 37.00 | 13,152 | $47,323 | $266,444 | 19.0% |
| 39 | Cumberland | 37.33 | 18,804 | $48,162 | $152,202 | 23.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow research. 39 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re On Your High Horse
When it comes to snobbery, these places in Maryland are heading ever upward. Residents in these communities are well educated, well paid, and appear to have all the sophisticated culture and entertainment of an Ernst Lubitsch film right at their fingertips.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The snobbiest cities in Maryland are Poolesville, Mount Airy, Rockville, Bowie, Takoma Park, Annapolis, Cheverly, Gaithersburg, Chesapeake Beach, and Walkersville. Not sold on Maryland? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
