Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 40/100
D−
Median home value$318,400
Baltimore $391,300
Median rent$1,492/mo
Baltimore $1,611/mo
Cost-burdened households36%
Baltimore 32%
Bel Air
Harford County10,585 residentsHarford County Public Schools
59
C
Suburbgrade score
36th of 58 Baltimore suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
59
Baltimore median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Bel Air yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 59 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 Bel Air is like to live in, by category
Bars show Bel Air against Baltimore. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 65/100
C+
Within-state proficiency64th pct
Baltimore median 58th pct
Student–teacher ratio15.6
Baltimore median 15.1
Graduation rate90%
Baltimore median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 79/100
B+
Housing cost index89
Baltimore 100
Eff. tax rate1.03%
Baltimore 0.96%
Local sales tax6.00%
Baltimore median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 46/100
D
Mean commute27.7 min
Baltimore 29.4 min
Under 30 minutes51%
Baltimore 55%
Transit stops / sq mi4.7
Baltimore median 3.3 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 82/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés86
Baltimore median 52 · within 2 miles
Groceries6
Baltimore median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks56
Baltimore median 56 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 50/100
D+
Median household income$74,605
Baltimore $99,470
Unemployment4.4%
Baltimore 4.6%
Professional occupations47%
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 Bel Air 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 Bel Air on housing & affordability
Bel Air's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Fallston5 mi from Bel AirB+ 57 C− Honeygo10 mi from Bel AirB 59 C Bel Air North2 mi from Bel AirC+ 65 C+ Mays Chapel18 mi from Bel AirC+ 66 C+ Timonium15 mi from Bel AirC+ 65 C+ Bel Air South3 mi from Bel AirC 63 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Bel Air
Is Bel Air, MD a good place to live?
Bel Air scores 59 out of 100, 36th 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 Bel Air expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $318,400, 19% below the Baltimore median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.03%. $1,492/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Bel Air?
Schools grade C+. The districts serving Bel Air sit at the 64th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 90% graduation rate and a 15.6 student–teacher ratio. Bel Air is served by Harford County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Bel Air?
The mean commute is 27.7 min, with 51% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 10% working from home. Transit density is 4.7 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Bel Air?
Within two miles there are 6 groceries, 86 restaurants and cafés and 56 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Bel Air old or new?
The median home in Bel Air was built in 1978 — close to 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. 54% 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.