Living in Laurel, MD
Suburb in Maryland
Laurel is a suburb in Maryland, home to about 30,000 people, with 6.2 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a very fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Laurel a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 13 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Low natural disaster risk: 6 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Highly educated: 45% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, and 10 research universities are within 31 mi
- Lots of culture: museums, zoos and attractions nearby
👎 Cons
- Weaker public schools: test results well below the US average
- Few dog parks: 23 within 9 mi
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Laurel ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Laurel: common questions
What is the cost of living in Laurel?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $442k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,840 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 104, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Laurel?
Maryland collects about $1,897 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.24% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Laurel safe?
Violent crime is somewhat above the national rate (1.3× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Laurel?
Public schools in Laurel test well below the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 16 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Laurel?
Laurel has cool winters: winter days average around 45°F and summer days around 87°F, with roughly 16″ of snow a year.
Does Laurel get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding, heat waves and tornadoes: 6 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.28 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Laurel?
The nearest major airport is BWI, about 12 mi away.
How Laurel scores
Each bar compares Laurel with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Laurel
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Maryland.
Is Laurel right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.