Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 60/100
C
Median home value$450,100
Baltimore $391,300
Median rent$2,031/mo
Baltimore $1,611/mo
Cost-burdened households25%
Baltimore 32%
North Laurel
Howard County25,563 residentsHoward County Public Schools
69
B−
Suburbgrade score
5th of 58 Baltimore suburbs. Strong on schools and employment & income, held back by commute & transport.
69
Baltimore median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for North Laurel yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 69 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 North Laurel is like to live in, by category
Bars show North Laurel against Baltimore. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 89/100
A
Within-state proficiency98th pct
Baltimore median 58th pct
Student–teacher ratio13.6
Baltimore median 15.1
Graduation rate93%
Baltimore median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 65/100
C+
Housing cost index121
Baltimore 100
Eff. tax rate1.01%
Baltimore 0.96%
Local sales tax6.00%
Baltimore median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 57/100
C−
Mean commute27.7 min
Baltimore 29.4 min
Under 30 minutes55%
Baltimore 55%
Transit stops / sq mi2.9
Baltimore median 3.3 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 59/100
C
Restaurants & cafés23
Baltimore median 52 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Baltimore median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks68
Baltimore median 56 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 78/100
B+
Median household income$122,949
Baltimore $99,470
Unemployment2.2%
Baltimore 4.6%
Professional occupations57%
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 North 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 North Laurel on commute & transport
North Laurel's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Fort Meade6 mi from North LaurelB 62 C Pikesville20 mi from North LaurelB− 61 C Towson22 mi from North LaurelB− 64 C+ Linthicum11 mi from North LaurelB− 68 B− Catonsville11 mi from North LaurelB− 63 C+ Mays Chapel24 mi from North LaurelB− 66 C+ Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in North Laurel
Is North Laurel, MD a good place to live?
North Laurel scores 69 out of 100, 5th 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 North Laurel expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $450,100, 15% above the Baltimore median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.01%. $2,031/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in North Laurel?
Schools grade A. The districts serving North Laurel sit at the 98th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 93% graduation rate and a 13.6 student–teacher ratio. North Laurel is served by Howard County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from North Laurel?
The mean commute is 27.7 min, with 55% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 23% working from home. Transit density is 2.9 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in North Laurel?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 23 restaurants and cafés and 68 parks, which grades C on amenities.
Are the homes in North Laurel old or new?
The median home in North Laurel was built in 1994 — 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. 68% 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.