Cost of living in Maryland

Maryland at a glance

Median rent

$1,705

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$103,678

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$419,900

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$4,093

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

31 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

4.9%

Census ACS, DP03

Maryland's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 5% above the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Figures from the 2024 release of the Census American Community Survey, checked September 2026. Health, hazard and price-level readings name their own release beside them.

The three most populous counties in Maryland

These are the most populous places in Maryland, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Montgomery County

  Population

  1.07M

  Rent

  $2,068

  Household income

  $132,450

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $5,539

  Set as targetPlan

• Prince George's County

  Population

  960K

  Rent

  $1,799

  Household income

  $101,798

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $4,771

  Set as targetPlan

• Baltimore County

  Population

  851K

  Rent

  $1,627

  Household income

  $91,768

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $3,736

  Set as targetPlan

Maryland, worth the trip

Ratified the Constitution on April 28, 1788, as the seventh state. Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, received a charter for the land in 1632 and named it for Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I. Annapolis became the colonial capital in 1694.

• Assateague Island National Seashore

  A barrier island with sandy beaches, salt marshes, maritime forests and coastal bays.

• Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

  The fort whose defense in September 1814 inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words of the national anthem.

• Antietam National Battlefield

  The field of the battle of September 17, 1862, which left 23,000 soldiers killed, wounded or missing.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Maryland

Current owners in Maryland pay a median 0.97% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $4,093 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $1,591 in Somerset County to $6,987 in Howard County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

A buyer in Maryland should expect a higher bill than these: the homestead credit that holds taxable assessment growth to 10% ends at the transfer, and a buyer starts again on the full assessment. Source: Maryland SDAT, homestead property tax credit.

Health in Maryland

Life expectancy

77.8 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

6.8%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

14.6%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

93

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Maryland as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Maryland

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$1.1B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$0.67

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$492M of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

Side by side

Montgomery County, MD is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

All 24 counties in Maryland

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.