Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 39/100
D−
Median home value$643,300
Washington $579,900
Median rent$1,913/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households40%
Washington 31%
Silver Spring
Montgomery County81,462 residentsMontgomery County Public Schools
65
C+
Suburbgrade score
26th of 60 Washington suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
65
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Silver Spring yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 65 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 Silver Spring is like to live in, by category
Bars show Silver Spring against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 78/100
B+
Within-state proficiency78th pct
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio13.4
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate89%
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 83/100
A−
Housing cost index97
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate0.78%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax6.00%
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 45/100
D
Mean commute34.0 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes39%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi36
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 93/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés176
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries19
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks200
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 58/100
C
Median household income$99,860
Washington $126,684
Unemployment5.4%
Washington 4.8%
Professional occupations57%
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 Silver Spring 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 Silver Spring on housing & affordability
Silver Spring's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
McLean10 mi from Silver SpringA 72 B− Potomac9 mi from Silver SpringB+ 67 C+ Burke20 mi from Silver SpringB 67 C+ Bethesda5 mi from Silver SpringB− 73 B North Potomac13 mi from Silver SpringB− 68 B− Olney10 mi from Silver SpringB− 66 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Silver Spring
Is Silver Spring, MD a good place to live?
Silver Spring scores 65 out of 100, 26th 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 Silver Spring expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades A−. The median home is $643,300, 11% above the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.78%. $1,913/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Silver Spring?
Schools grade B+. The districts serving Silver Spring sit at the 78th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 89% graduation rate and a 13.4 student–teacher ratio. Silver Spring is served by Montgomery County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Silver Spring?
The mean commute is 34.0 min, with 39% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 27% working from home. Transit density is 36 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Silver Spring?
Within two miles there are 19 groceries, 176 restaurants and cafés and 200 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Silver Spring old or new?
The median home in Silver Spring was built in 1964 — 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. 35% 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.