Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 55/100
C−
Median home value$459,300
Washington $579,900
Median rent$2,330/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households27%
Washington 31%
Bowie
Prince George's County57,926 residentsPrince George'S County Public Schools
53
C−
Suburbgrade score
48th of 60 Washington suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by schools.
53
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Bowie yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 53 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 Bowie is like to live in, by category
Bars show Bowie against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 33/100
F
Within-state proficiency18th pct
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.0
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate79%
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Housing cost index97
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate1.14%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax6.00%
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 39/100
D−
Mean commute34.8 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes40%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi5.2
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 67/100
C+
Restaurants & cafés47
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks26
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 64/100
C+
Median household income$141,995
Washington $126,684
Unemployment4.7%
Washington 4.8%
Professional occupations57%
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 Bowie 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 Bowie on schools
Bowie's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbSchoolsOverall
Wheaton18 mi from BowieB+ 62 C Silver Spring15 mi from BowieB+ 65 C+ Fairland14 mi from BowieB+ 55 C− Aspen Hill21 mi from BowieB 59 C North Bethesda21 mi from BowieB 69 B− Rockville24 mi from BowieB 65 C+ Within-state proficiency: EDFacts SY2021–22 · Graduation rate: EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19
Common questions about living in Bowie
Is Bowie, MD a good place to live?
Bowie scores 53 out of 100, 48th of 60 Washington suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on schools. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Bowie expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $459,300, 21% below the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.14%. $2,330/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Bowie?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Bowie sit at the 18th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 79% graduation rate and a 16.0 student–teacher ratio. Bowie is served by Prince George'S County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Bowie?
The mean commute is 34.8 min, with 40% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 26% working from home. Transit density is 5.2 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Bowie?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 47 restaurants and cafés and 26 parks, which grades C+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Bowie old or new?
The median home in Bowie was built in 1982 — close to 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. 90% 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.