Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 40/100
D−
Median home value$496,500
Washington $579,900
Median rent$2,058/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households37%
Washington 31%
Gaithersburg
Montgomery County69,825 residentsMontgomery County Public Schools
64
C+
Suburbgrade score
30th of 60 Washington suburbs. Strong on amenities and schools, held back by housing & affordability.
64
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Gaithersburg yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 64 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 Gaithersburg is like to live in, by category
Bars show Gaithersburg against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 79/100
B+
Within-state proficiency78th pct
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio12.1
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate89%
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 73/100
B
Housing cost index100
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate0.94%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax6.00%
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 54/100
C−
Mean commute29.4 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes53%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi2.1
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 85/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés126
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries18
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks134
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 60/100
C
Median household income$112,467
Washington $126,684
Unemployment4.6%
Washington 4.8%
Professional occupations53%
Washington 58%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
—
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 Gaithersburg yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
—
Do you feel safe walking after dark?
—
Can you walk to a grocery store?
—
Is it good for young children?
—
Are yards and streets well kept?
—
Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Gaithersburg on housing & affordability
Gaithersburg's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
McLean14 mi from GaithersburgA 72 B− Potomac9 mi from GaithersburgB+ 67 C+ South Riding24 mi from GaithersburgB 68 B− Brambleton22 mi from GaithersburgB 66 C+ Bethesda12 mi from GaithersburgB− 73 B North Potomac4 mi from GaithersburgB− 68 B− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Gaithersburg
Is Gaithersburg, MD a good place to live?
Gaithersburg scores 64 out of 100, 30th of 60 Washington suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Gaithersburg expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $496,500, 14% below the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.94%. $2,058/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Gaithersburg?
Schools grade B+. The districts serving Gaithersburg sit at the 78th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 89% graduation rate and a 12.1 student–teacher ratio. Gaithersburg is served by Montgomery County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Gaithersburg?
The mean commute is 29.4 min, with 53% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 26% working from home. Transit density is 2.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Gaithersburg?
Within two miles there are 18 groceries, 126 restaurants and cafés and 134 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Gaithersburg old or new?
The median home in Gaithersburg was built in 1989 — 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. 48% 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.
Six Washington lists
Best Washington suburbs for familiesMost affordable Washington suburbsBest Washington suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown WashingtonMost walkable Washington suburbsBest Washington suburbs for young professionalsCompare Gaithersburg
Every Washington suburb, side by side