Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 24/100
F
Median home value$229,600
Baltimore $391,300
Median rent$1,331/mo
Baltimore $1,611/mo
Cost-burdened households42%
Baltimore 32%
Baltimore
Baltimore County573,243 residentsBaltimore City Public Schools
50
D+
Suburbgrade score
57th of 58 Baltimore suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
50
Baltimore median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Baltimore yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 50 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 Baltimore is like to live in, by category
Bars show Baltimore against Baltimore. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 28/100
F
Within-state proficiency6th pct
Baltimore median 58th pct
Student–teacher ratio14.8
Baltimore median 15.1
Graduation rate70%
Baltimore median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 73/100
B
Housing cost index81
Baltimore 100
Eff. tax rate1.37%
Baltimore 0.96%
Local sales tax6.00%
Baltimore median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 57/100
C−
Mean commute29.1 min
Baltimore 29.4 min
Under 30 minutes58%
Baltimore 55%
Transit stops / sq mi74
Baltimore median 3.3 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 100/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés596
Baltimore median 52 · within 2 miles
Groceries25
Baltimore median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks358
Baltimore median 56 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 35/100
F
Median household income$62,177
Baltimore $99,470
Unemployment6.5%
Baltimore 4.6%
Professional occupations48%
Baltimore 52%
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 Baltimore 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 Baltimore on housing & affordability
Baltimore's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Scaggsville18 mi from BaltimoreA 74 B Fallston19 mi from BaltimoreB+ 57 C− Honeygo12 mi from BaltimoreB 59 C Arnold19 mi from BaltimoreB 63 C+ Severna Park15 mi from BaltimoreB 66 C+ Crofton20 mi from BaltimoreB− 63 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Baltimore
Is Baltimore, MD a good place to live?
Baltimore scores 50 out of 100, 57th of 58 Baltimore suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Baltimore expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $229,600, 41% below the Baltimore median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.37%. $1,331/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Baltimore?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Baltimore sit at the 6th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 70% graduation rate and a 14.8 student–teacher ratio. Baltimore is served by Baltimore City Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Baltimore?
The mean commute is 29.1 min, with 58% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 18% working from home. Transit density is 74 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Baltimore?
Within two miles there are 25 groceries, 596 restaurants and cafés and 358 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Baltimore old or new?
The median home in Baltimore was built in 1947 — older than the Baltimore median of 1976. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 65% 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.