Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 45/100
D
Median home value$422,400
Washington $579,900
Median rent$2,040/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households30%
Washington 31%
Germantown
Montgomery County90,719 residentsMontgomery County Public Schools
62
C
Suburbgrade score
33rd of 60 Washington suburbs. Strong on amenities and schools, held back by housing & affordability.
62
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Germantown yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 62 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 Germantown is like to live in, by category
Bars show Germantown against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 77/100
B
Within-state proficiency78th pct
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio13.6
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate89%
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Housing cost index87
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate0.81%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax6.00%
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 45/100
D
Mean commute30.8 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes51%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi0.7
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 79/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés84
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries11
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks97
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 57/100
C−
Median household income$117,546
Washington $126,684
Unemployment5.6%
Washington 4.8%
Professional occupations54%
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 Germantown 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 Germantown on housing & affordability
Germantown's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
McLean16 mi from GermantownA 72 B− Potomac12 mi from GermantownB+ 67 C+ South Riding23 mi from GermantownB 68 B− Brambleton20 mi from GermantownB 66 C+ Bethesda15 mi from GermantownB− 73 B North Potomac6 mi from GermantownB− 68 B− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Germantown
Is Germantown, MD a good place to live?
Germantown scores 62 out of 100, 33rd 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 Germantown expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $422,400, 27% below the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.81%. $2,040/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Germantown?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Germantown sit at the 78th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 89% graduation rate and a 13.6 student–teacher ratio. Germantown is served by Montgomery County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Germantown?
The mean commute is 30.8 min, with 51% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 22% working from home. Transit density is 0.7 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Germantown?
Within two miles there are 11 groceries, 84 restaurants and cafés and 97 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Germantown old or new?
The median home in Germantown was built in 1990 — 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. 67% 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.