Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 70/100
B−
Median home value$661,700
Baltimore $391,300
Median rent$2,061/mo
Baltimore $1,611/mo
Cost-burdened households30%
Baltimore 32%
Ellicott City
Howard County75,257 residentsHoward County Public Schools
72
B−
Suburbgrade score
2nd of 58 Baltimore suburbs. Strong on schools and amenities, held back by commute & transport.
72
Baltimore median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Ellicott City yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 72 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 Ellicott City is like to live in, by category
Bars show Ellicott City against Baltimore. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 86/100
A−
Within-state proficiency98th pct
Baltimore median 58th pct
Student–teacher ratio14.8
Baltimore median 15.1
Graduation rate93%
Baltimore median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 59/100
C
Housing cost index140
Baltimore 100
Eff. tax rate1.15%
Baltimore 0.96%
Local sales tax6.00%
Baltimore median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 59/100
C
Mean commute28.2 min
Baltimore 29.4 min
Under 30 minutes58%
Baltimore 55%
Transit stops / sq mi1.4
Baltimore median 3.3 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 79/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés120
Baltimore median 52 · within 2 miles
Groceries10
Baltimore median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks39
Baltimore median 56 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 76/100
B
Median household income$156,964
Baltimore $99,470
Unemployment3.0%
Baltimore 4.6%
Professional occupations70%
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 Ellicott City 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 Ellicott City on commute & transport
Ellicott City's weakest grade is C. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Fort Meade13 mi from Ellicott CityB 62 C Pikesville11 mi from Ellicott CityB− 61 C Towson14 mi from Ellicott CityB− 64 C+ Linthicum10 mi from Ellicott CityB− 68 B− Timonium17 mi from Ellicott CityB− 65 C+ Catonsville5 mi from Ellicott CityB− 63 C+ Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Ellicott City
Is Ellicott City, MD a good place to live?
Ellicott City scores 72 out of 100, 2nd of 58 Baltimore suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Ellicott City expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $661,700, 69% above the Baltimore median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.15%. $2,061/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Ellicott City?
Schools grade A−. The districts serving Ellicott City sit at the 98th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 93% graduation rate and a 14.8 student–teacher ratio. Ellicott City is served by Howard County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Ellicott City?
The mean commute is 28.2 min, with 58% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 27% working from home. Transit density is 1.4 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Ellicott City?
Within two miles there are 10 groceries, 120 restaurants and cafés and 39 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Ellicott City old or new?
The median home in Ellicott City was built in 1992 — newer 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. 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.