Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 40/100
D−
Median home value$387,300
Washington $579,900
Median rent$1,987/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households33%
Washington 31%
Ballenger Creek
Frederick County26,390 residentsFrederick County Public Schools
61
C
Suburbgrade score
36th of 60 Washington suburbs. Strong on schools and amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
61
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Ballenger Creek yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 61 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Ballenger Creek is like to live in, by category
Bars show Ballenger Creek against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 75/100
B
Within-state proficiency78th pct
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio15.3
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate92%
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 75/100
B
Housing cost index85
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate0.86%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax6.00%
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 40/100
D−
Mean commute32.5 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes51%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi0.4
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 75/100
B
Restaurants & cafés73
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries9
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks46
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 66/100
C+
Median household income$108,944
Washington $126,684
Unemployment2.7%
Washington 4.8%
Professional occupations53%
Washington 58%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Ballenger Creek yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Ballenger Creek on housing & affordability
Ballenger Creek's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
North Potomac22 mi from Ballenger CreekB− 68 B− Olney25 mi from Ballenger CreekB− 66 C+ Clarksburg14 mi from Ballenger CreekC+ 64 C+ Ashburn25 mi from Ballenger CreekC 71 B− Leesburg20 mi from Ballenger CreekC− 72 B− Rockville25 mi from Ballenger CreekD+ 65 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Ballenger Creek
Is Ballenger Creek, MD a good place to live?
Ballenger Creek scores 61 out of 100, 36th of 60 Washington suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Ballenger Creek expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $387,300, 33% below the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.86%. $1,987/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Ballenger Creek?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Ballenger Creek sit at the 78th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 92% graduation rate and a 15.3 student–teacher ratio. Ballenger Creek is served by Frederick County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Ballenger Creek?
The mean commute is 32.5 min, with 51% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 21% working from home. Transit density is 0.4 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Ballenger Creek?
Within two miles there are 9 groceries, 73 restaurants and cafés and 46 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Ballenger Creek old or new?
The median home in Ballenger Creek was built in 1997 — newer than the Washington median of 1983. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 73% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.