Best places to live in Maryland (2026)

All 5 ranked places in Maryland, by all-round score. 21 other places without FBI crime data are on the places list.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1Bowie, MDSuburb · 3-bed $456k · very safe71
2. 2Annapolis, MDSmall city · 3-bed $583k · moderate crime64
3. 3Baltimore, MDBig city · 3-bed $203k · higher crime61
4. 4Frederick, MDSmall city · 3-bed $419k · safe56
5. 5Hagerstown, MDSmall city · 3-bed $294k · moderate crime53

Cheapest places to live in Maryland

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Baltimore, MDBig city · rent $2,360/mo · cost of living 104$203k
2. 2Dundalk, MDSuburb · rent $2,360/mo · cost of living 104$230k
3. 3Essex, MDSuburb · rent $2,360/mo · cost of living 104$277k
4. 4Hagerstown, MDSmall city · rent $1,700/mo · cost of living 94$294k
5. 5Woodlawn, MDSuburb · rent $2,360/mo · cost of living 104$365k

Safest places to live in Maryland

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1Bowie, MDSuburb · violent crime 0.3× the US rate100 per 100k
2. 2Frederick, MDSmall city · violent crime 1.1× the US rate405 per 100k
3. 3Hagerstown, MDSmall city · violent crime 1.4× the US rate529 per 100k
4. 4Annapolis, MDSmall city · violent crime 1.7× the US rate642 per 100k
5. 5Baltimore, MDBig city · violent crime 4.9× the US rate1859 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in Maryland

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Hagerstown, MD5 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, hurricanes94
2. 2Bowie, MD6 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, heat waves91
3. 3Aspen Hill, MD8 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, heat waves90
4. 4Gaithersburg, MD8 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, heat waves90
5. 5Germantown, MD8 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, heat waves90

Best places to live for families in Maryland

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1Bowie, MDSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $456k79
2. 2Frederick, MDSmall city · kids average · safety good · 3-bed $419k49
3. 3Annapolis, MDSmall city · kids poor · safety average · 3-bed $583k48
4. 4Baltimore, MDBig city · kids poor · safety poor · 3-bed $203k46
5. 5Hagerstown, MDSmall city · kids poor · safety average · 3-bed $294k42

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.