Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 70/100
B−
Median home value$532,400
Baltimore $391,300
Median rent$2,115/mo
Baltimore $1,611/mo
Cost-burdened households23%
Baltimore 32%
Ilchester
Howard County28,364 residentsHoward County Public Schools
71
B−
Suburbgrade score
4th of 58 Baltimore suburbs. Strong on schools and employment & income, held back by amenities.
71
Baltimore median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Ilchester yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 71 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 Ilchester is like to live in, by category
Bars show Ilchester against Baltimore. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 90/100
A
Within-state proficiency98th pct
Baltimore median 58th pct
Student–teacher ratio13.0
Baltimore median 15.1
Graduation rate93%
Baltimore median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 60/100
C
Housing cost index128
Baltimore 100
Eff. tax rate1.09%
Baltimore 0.96%
Local sales tax6.00%
Baltimore median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 62/100
C
Mean commute27.6 min
Baltimore 29.4 min
Under 30 minutes60%
Baltimore 55%
Transit stops / sq mi1.8
Baltimore median 3.3 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 53/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés24
Baltimore median 52 · within 2 miles
Groceries2
Baltimore median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks44
Baltimore median 56 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 82/100
B+
Median household income$152,103
Baltimore $99,470
Unemployment3.0%
Baltimore 4.6%
Professional occupations70%
Baltimore 52%
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 Ilchester 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 Ilchester on amenities
Ilchester's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Baltimore10 mi from IlchesterA+ 50 D+ Towson15 mi from IlchesterA 64 C+ Parkville16 mi from IlchesterA− 59 C Mays Chapel17 mi from IlchesterA− 66 C+ Timonium18 mi from IlchesterA− 65 C+ Rossville18 mi from IlchesterA− 56 C− Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Ilchester
Is Ilchester, MD a good place to live?
Ilchester scores 71 out of 100, 4th of 58 Baltimore suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Ilchester expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $532,400, 36% above the Baltimore median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.09%. $2,115/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Ilchester?
Schools grade A. The districts serving Ilchester sit at the 98th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 93% graduation rate and a 13.0 student–teacher ratio. Ilchester is served by Howard County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Ilchester?
The mean commute is 27.6 min, with 60% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 28% working from home. Transit density is 1.8 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Ilchester?
Within two miles there are 2 groceries, 24 restaurants and cafés and 44 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in Ilchester old or new?
The median home in Ilchester was built in 1995 — 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. 69% 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.