There’s nothing crabby about Maryland except for maybe their all-you-can-eat blue crab specials. The people here are super friendly, and some of the best places in America are inside Maryland’s Mid-Atlantic borders.
You don’t have to do a Google scavenger hunt to find the best places to live in Maryland.
We used Saturday Night Science to compare Census, FBI, and Zillow data to identify the best places in Maryland for 2026. We looked at 39 places and analyzed factors like median home prices, median household incomes, education, and crime.
Whether you want to be a Chesapeake Bay crabber, a Potomac housewife, or you want to live like Maryland royalty, there’s a place on our top ten list for you.
$151,324 median income · $639,007 median home · #1 best place in Maryland
Located in
Frederick County, Maryland
Life can be difficult, choosing the best place to live doesn’t have to be. So, if your thinking about living in Maryland, think about Mount Airy first as it’s the #1 best place to live in the Old Line State for 2026. Yes, this Mid Atlantic marvel located between Baltimore and Frederick just off the I-70 in the Four-County Area, scored high marks on our SnackAbility scale for quality of life indicators like job opportunities, affordable housing, and education.
In terms of affordability, Mount Airy’s median home price is the 3rd highest in the state at $639,007. However, don’t let this deter you, Mount Airy has the lowest unemployment rate at 2.2%, so you just need to find a job that will help you earn the city’s median income, $151,324/year, to offset your overall cost of living. On a side note, health services are less expensive here than the rest of the state and 98.3 of this small town’s 9,805 residents have health insurance.
Mount Airy is super safe, but if we could give one piece of advice, make sure to set a little cash aside from your salary to splurge on a reliable car as Mount Airy scored a 2/10 for longer commute times.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$121,676 median income · $462,578 median home · #2 best place in Maryland
Located in Carroll County, Maryland, Manchester is known for being one of the best places to live in the state. With a population of 5,439 and a median income of 121,676, this small incorporated town offers a low cost of living and a high quality of life. The median home price in Manchester is $462,578, making it an affordable option for residents.
Despite its small size, Manchester has plenty to offer in terms of attractions and things to do. Residents can explore the town’s historic charm, with its old churches and leafy streets. The town also boasts a variety of outdoor activities, including parks and nature trails, perfect if you enjoy spending time in nature.
In addition to its own amenities, Manchester is conveniently located near larger cities like Baltimore and Washington D.C. This makes it easy for you to access a broader range of entertainment, dining, and employment opportunities.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$128,649 median income · $618,892 median home · #3 best place in Maryland
Located in
Montgomery County, Maryland
Located just 30 minutes north of Washington D.C., Maryland’s 3rd best place to live, Rockville, is at the core of the I-270 Technology Corridor which is home to numerous software and biotechnology companies and federal government institutions.
So, if you are wondering why the median home price here is the 4th highest in the state at $618,892 this is one of the reasons. The other, the very educated people here demand high salaries ($128,649/year) and being that Rockville is one of the fastest growing cities in Maryland, that demand trickles down into the economy. Incidentally, high demand has also increased Rockville’s cost of living. If you choose this upscale Maryland city as your home, expect to pay a bit more for groceries, transportation, and utilities.
And if you were wondering about Rockville’s education system, you can stop. Not only do the majority of Rockville’s 67,671 residents have some sort of degree, the city itself houses 12–count them–12 National Blue Ribbon Schools. Plain and simple, folks, Rockville is ‘the bees knees’.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$141,995 median income · $524,118 median home · #4 best place in Maryland
Located in
Prince George’s County, Maryland
Much like the game of Monopoly, Maryland’s 4th best place to live, Bowie rose to fame in the mid 19th Century after the Baltimore and Potomac Railroads were purchased by Pennsylvania Railroad making Bowie one of the wealthiest places to live in the country. Well folks, things haven’t changed, Bowie is still one of the richest places in Bowie and it’s 57,926 residents are showing no signs of slowing down.
Bowie’s motto is “Growth, Unity, and Progress,” and their numbers prove that they’re winning at the game of LIFE. First of all, they scored one of the highest SnackAbility scores on our list (9/10) with an emphasis on–but not limited to–cost of living, education, and amenities.
The median home prices for a home in Bowie are less expensive than the rest of the state at $524,118 and the combined household median_income is $141,995/year. Bowie has great schools and the people here are pretty smart–out of the 57,926 residents, over 30% have their Master’s. However, the best part about living in Bowie is that you will be the halfway point between Washington D.C. to the west and Annapolis and the Chesapeake Bay to the east. So, basically, you will never run out of things to do.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$130,893 median income · $466,394 median home · #5 best place in Maryland
Located in
Frederick County, Maryland
When you look at the science and data, Walkersville is well deserving of the ranking, “5th best place to live in the Free State.” And if you don’t act now, there might not be real estate left in this small Maryland town of 6,414 residents, because it’s pretty popular. So popular, that there aren’t as many job opportunities like the rest of our top ten. In fact, the unemployment rate here is the 2nd highest in the state at 0.9% and the poverty level is teetering at 2.4%.
However, if you do get a chance to buy some real estate in Walkersville’s market, be prepared to the pay the 12th median home price of $466,394–which isn’t too bad, but to cover Walkersville’s overall cost of living you’re going to have to make at least $130,893/year.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,871 median income · $439,359 median home · #6 best place in Maryland
Located in
Carroll County, Maryland
Want to know what it’s like to be able to bike some of the best trails and sip some of the best wine without leaving your city limits? Well, you can do this and more in Maryland’s 6th best place to live, Hampstead. Not to mention, you can do it at a fraction of the cost as Hampstead is super affordable.
Yes the cost of living here is less than the state average. Living expenses like groceries, housing, and utilities are such a deal, it’s like they are practically giving services away. If you want to buy a home in Hampstead instead of rent, do. Hampstead has the 6th best median home price at $439,359 and the combined household median income is $97,871/year.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$105,817 median income · $404,055 median home · #7 best place in Maryland
Located in
Harford County, Maryland
If you choose to buy your forever home in Maryland’s 7th best place to live, Havre de Grace, you will be gifted quality healthcare, a low overall cost of living, and a low crime rate (there were only 212 recorded at the time of this report). Yes, Havre de Grace is more than just a smartly designed community, it’s a smart choice.
Havre de Grace is the 7th best place to buy a house with a median home price tag of $404,055. The majority of residents who work (which is a lot considering the unemployment rate here is 4.2%) here earn a great salary at $105,817/year. Most importantly, If you choose to call Havre de Grace home, you will find friendly people, great schools (Havre de Grace High School is a National Blue Ribbon School), and a citywide desire to keep residents happy, healthy, and protected.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$121,208 median income · $481,282 median home · #8 best place in Maryland
Located in
Charles County, Maryland
La Plata is another great place to live in Maryland about an hour south of Washington, DC. It’s a family friendly town with a possible commutes to the city or to other surrounding major suburbs. The Laurel Springs Regional Park is in a great location within town as it’s walking distance to everything with a playground and several sports fields.
As a rural town of population 10,683, you have access to the beautiful outdoors all around you. There are plenty of hikes and fishing to be done in the surrounding area. There’s no traffic, so you won’t have to wait to get back to your family after a day working for the Charles County Board of Education or Southern Maryland Oil, some of the bigger employers in the area.
On the numbers side of things, La Plata is part of the Charles County Public School District which offers your kids a solid education. There’s basically no crime in town and the city ranks 9th for incomes.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$98,125 median income · $397,682 median home · #9 best place in Maryland
Located in
Frederick County, Maryland
Like a fine Boordy Vineyards Dry Red Blend, the 9th best place to live in Maryland, Thurmont, keeps getting better with time.
The current cost of living in Thurmont is 0.9x lower than the state’s index of 121. The crime rate here is below the national average as well. To put this in perspective, there were only 45 committed here this past year and a majority of them were property related.
Don’t let lack of knowledge halter your decision to move to the Thurmont, instead take a look at the numbers posted here to make an informed decision.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$138,895 median income · $462,696 median home · #10 best place in Maryland
Located in
Calvert County, Maryland
Based on its name, you can probably guess a lot about Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. Yes, it’s a beach along the Chesapeake Bay. One thing you can’t tell just by the name? That Chesapeake Beach is one of the nicest places to live in Maryland.
Given its location, Chesapeake Beach offers plenty of summer fun. It has a series of picturesque beaches and a well-known water park in town. When you get tired of sun and sand, you can head an hour north to reach Baltimore, Maryland’s biggest city.
The community offers more than just a pleasant tourist spot, though. It offers excellent schools (rated 9/10 at Great Schools) and a solid economic base. The median income in the area is $138,895, the 4th highest level in Maryland. The unemployment rate sits at 2.0%.
As a result of its prime location, the cost of living in Chesapeake Beach is high. Prices sit about 30% above the national average. Meanwhile, the median home value sits at a lofty $462,696.
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
Maryland statewide median: 4.9%
On the map
Mapping The Best And Worst Places To Live in Maryland
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Calculated The Best Cities To Live In Maryland
Before we even started to collect data on the best places to live in Maryland, we had to answer a tough question: Is it fair to pit cities with populations over 100,000 against places with a population of 18?
We firmly decided no, that just isn’t fair.
So, to create our ranking, we broke the best places to live into three tiers:
- Cities — Populations over 5,000
- Towns — Populations between 1,000 and 5,000
- Small Towns — Populations below 1,000
We then decided no matter how much anyone loves their town, the best cities to live in Maryland have more of everything, and therefore, you need over 5,000 people to truly be ‘the best.’
Now that we had our set of the best possible cities, it was time to rank them using Saturday Night Science.
We ranked each place in Maryland across a number of criteria from one to 39, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, crowning the city posting the lowest overall score, the “Best Place To Live In Maryland.”
The criteria we looked to determine the best places were:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Unemployment Rate
- Commute Time
- Crime
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty rates
Sources of criteria include the New Census Data, FBI Crime Data, and Zillow. We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking Maryland’s best places to live.
If your city or town isn’t among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart of the best places in Maryland. Otherwise, buckle up for a ride down good living lane with Mount Airy at the end of the cul-de-sac.
The full plate
Best Places To Live In Maryland Table
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Best Score | Population | Unemployment Rate | Home Value | Median Income | Rent | Total Crime /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Airy | 9.20 | 9,805 | 2.2% | $639,007 | $151,324 | 1,367 | |
| 2 | Manchester | 10.10 | 5,439 | 0.1% | $462,578 | $121,676 | 294 | |
| 3 | Rockville | 12.75 | 67,671 | 3.9% | $618,892 | $128,649 | 1,664 | |
| 4 | Bowie | 13.55 | 57,926 | 4.7% | $524,118 | $141,995 | 2,431 | |
| 5 | Walkersville | 13.60 | 6,414 | 0.9% | $466,394 | $130,893 | 2,205 | |
| 6 | Hampstead | 14.10 | 6,251 | 4.8% | $439,359 | $97,871 | 1,008 | |
| 7 | Havre de Grace | 14.30 | 14,994 | 4.2% | $404,055 | $105,817 | 1,414 | |
| 8 | La Plata | 15.50 | 10,683 | 3.4% | $481,282 | $121,208 | 2,050 | |
| 9 | Thurmont | 15.85 | 6,254 | 2.5% | $397,682 | $98,125 | 720 | |
| 10 | Chesapeake Beach | 16.00 | 6,456 | 2.0% | $462,696 | $138,895 | 3,942 | |
| 11 | Berlin | 16.30 | 5,232 | 2.1% | $440,463 | $81,438 | 1,013 | |
| 12 | Gaithersburg | 16.60 | 69,825 | 4.6% | $527,608 | $112,467 | 1,560 | |
| 13 | Annapolis | 16.65 | 40,720 | 3.7% | $618,838 | $113,860 | 2,883 | |
| 14 | Poolesville | 16.75 | 5,764 | 4.0% | $736,648 | $205,919 | 7,520 | |
| 15 | Cheverly | 17.55 | 6,096 | 7.2% | $468,344 | $123,535 | 3,018 | |
| 16 | Brunswick | 17.80 | 8,450 | 4.8% | $409,509 | $118,025 | 627 | |
| 17 | Westminster | 17.90 | 20,445 | 5.2% | $462,869 | $86,219 | 2,309 | |
| 18 | Glenarden | 17.95 | 6,344 | 3.6% | $413,332 | $106,414 | 1,072 | |
| 19 | Easton | 18.35 | 17,308 | 3.4% | $451,055 | $74,653 | 2,375 | |
| 20 | Takoma Park | 18.75 | 17,632 | 4.9% | $686,399 | $108,136 | 7,520 | |
| 21 | Frederick | 19.00 | 83,395 | 3.9% | $466,011 | $97,069 | 2,205 | |
| 22 | Taneytown | 19.40 | 7,932 | 4.0% | $395,402 | $87,621 | 2,309 | |
| 23 | Frostburg | 20.45 | 6,977 | 6.7% | $176,235 | $52,977 | 115 | |
| 24 | Laurel | 20.55 | 29,798 | 4.7% | $476,648 | $100,504 | 5,151 | |
| 25 | Fruitland | 21.50 | 5,801 | 3.5% | $252,664 | $64,004 | 2,465 | |
| 26 | Riverdale Park | 22.30 | 7,270 | 2.8% | $486,910 | $120,043 | 3,810 | |
| 27 | New Carrollton | 22.40 | 13,564 | 6.1% | $399,605 | $81,509 | 1,902 | |
| 28 | Aberdeen | 22.55 | 17,298 | 5.7% | $343,948 | $74,826 | 2,833 | |
| 29 | Mount Rainier | 23.75 | 8,245 | 5.3% | $448,597 | $68,505 | 3,335 | |
| 30 | Hyattsville | 25.00 | 20,966 | 3.8% | $403,229 | $91,941 | 3,940 | |
| 31 | Cumberland | 25.55 | 18,804 | 6.3% | $152,202 | $48,162 | 4,355 | |
| 32 | College Park | 26.80 | 34,540 | 7.1% | $437,694 | $69,721 | 7,139 | |
| 33 | Baltimore | 27.25 | 573,243 | 6.5% | $188,101 | $62,177 | 5,697 | |
| 34 | Greenbelt | 27.70 | 24,678 | 6.7% | $285,336 | $85,997 | 4,927 | |
| 35 | Hagerstown | 27.90 | 43,665 | 7.2% | $300,051 | $52,221 | 3,170 | |
| 36 | Elkton | 28.20 | 15,910 | 6.9% | $367,248 | $58,640 | 6,354 | |
| 37 | Salisbury | 29.25 | 33,285 | 8.8% | $264,545 | $58,576 | 3,951 | |
| 38 | Cambridge | 29.80 | 13,152 | 8.7% | $266,444 | $47,323 | 3,748 | |
| 39 | Bladensburg | 31.10 | 9,583 | 9.6% | $317,188 | $63,179 | 4,393 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, Zillow research. 39 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places In Maryland
If you’re looking at areas in Maryland with the best economic situations, where there’s lower than average crime, and a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
The best places to live in Maryland are Mount Airy, Manchester, Rockville, Bowie, Walkersville, Hampstead, Havre de Grace, La Plata, Thurmont, and Chesapeake Beach.
Mount Airy made a strong showing to take in the overall number one spot for the best place to live in Maryland for 2026.
