Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 82/100
B+
Median home value$1,157,000
Washington $579,900
Median rent$2,887/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households24%
Washington 31%
Potomac
Montgomery County45,902 residentsMontgomery County Public Schools
67
C+
Suburbgrade score
18th of 60 Washington suburbs. Strong on housing & affordability and employment & income, held back by amenities.
67
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Potomac yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 67 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 Potomac is like to live in, by category
Bars show Potomac against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 69/100
B−
Within-state proficiency78th pct
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.5
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate89%
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 57/100
C−
Housing cost index142
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate0.88%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax6.00%
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 57/100
C−
Mean commute29.7 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes50%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi5.4
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 55/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés13
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries2
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks36
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 75/100
B
Median household income$236,675
Washington $126,684
Unemployment3.6%
Washington 4.8%
Professional occupations80%
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 Potomac 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 Potomac on amenities
Potomac's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Washington12 mi from PotomacA+ 67 C+ Arlington11 mi from PotomacA+ 73 B Bailey's Crossroads12 mi from PotomacA+ 61 C Alexandria15 mi from PotomacA+ 64 C+ Silver Spring9 mi from PotomacA+ 65 C+ Fairfax12 mi from PotomacA 67 C+ Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Potomac
Is Potomac, MD a good place to live?
Potomac scores 67 out of 100, 18th of 60 Washington suburbs. It is strongest on housing & affordability and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Potomac expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C−. The median home is $1,157,000, 100% above the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.88%. $2,887/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Potomac?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Potomac sit at the 78th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 89% graduation rate and a 16.5 student–teacher ratio. Potomac is served by Montgomery County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Potomac?
The mean commute is 29.7 min, with 50% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 38% working from home. Transit density is 5.4 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Potomac?
Within two miles there are 2 groceries, 13 restaurants and cafés and 36 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in Potomac old or new?
The median home in Potomac was built in 1977 — older 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. 85% 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.