Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 31/100
F
Median home value$385,500
Washington $579,900
Median rent$1,873/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households37%
Washington 31%
Laurel
Prince George's County29,798 residentsPrince George'S County Public Schools
51
D+
Suburbgrade score
50th of 60 Washington suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
51
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Laurel yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 51 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 Laurel is like to live in, by category
Bars show Laurel against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 35/100
F
Within-state proficiency18th pct
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio15.1
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate79%
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 75/100
B
Housing cost index88
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate1.08%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax6.00%
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 45/100
D
Mean commute30.9 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes48%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi8.4
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 79/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés95
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries11
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks93
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 60/100
C
Median household income$100,504
Washington $126,684
Unemployment4.7%
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 Laurel 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 Laurel on housing & affordability
Laurel's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
McLean21 mi from LaurelA 72 B− Potomac19 mi from LaurelB+ 67 C+ Bethesda16 mi from LaurelB− 73 B North Potomac20 mi from LaurelB− 68 B− Olney12 mi from LaurelB− 66 C+ Clarksburg23 mi from LaurelC+ 64 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Laurel
Is Laurel, MD a good place to live?
Laurel scores 51 out of 100, 50th 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 Laurel expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $385,500, 34% below the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.08%. $1,873/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Laurel?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Laurel sit at the 18th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 79% graduation rate and a 15.1 student–teacher ratio. Laurel is served by Prince George'S County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Laurel?
The mean commute is 30.9 min, with 48% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 17% working from home. Transit density is 8.4 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Laurel?
Within two miles there are 11 groceries, 95 restaurants and cafés and 93 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Laurel old or new?
The median home in Laurel was built in 1985 — 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. 50% 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.