Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 52/100
D+
Median home value$469,000
Baltimore $391,300
Median rent$1,764/mo
Baltimore $1,611/mo
Cost-burdened households35%
Baltimore 32%
Towson
Baltimore County58,679 residentsBaltimore County Public Schools
64
C+
Suburbgrade score
16th of 58 Baltimore suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by schools.
64
Baltimore median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Towson yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 64 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 Towson is like to live in, by category
Bars show Towson against Baltimore. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 51/100
D+
Within-state proficiency36th pct
Baltimore median 58th pct
Student–teacher ratio15.9
Baltimore median 15.1
Graduation rate88%
Baltimore median 88%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 78/100
B+
Housing cost index111
Baltimore 100
Eff. tax rate0.91%
Baltimore 0.96%
Local sales tax6.00%
Baltimore median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Mean commute25.1 min
Baltimore 29.4 min
Under 30 minutes65%
Baltimore 55%
Transit stops / sq mi8.8
Baltimore median 3.3 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 89/100
A
Restaurants & cafés140
Baltimore median 52 · within 2 miles
Groceries9
Baltimore median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks85
Baltimore median 56 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 57/100
C−
Median household income$101,320
Baltimore $99,470
Unemployment4.8%
Baltimore 4.6%
Professional occupations63%
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 Towson 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 Towson on schools
Towson's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbSchoolsOverall
Columbia19 mi from TowsonA 71 B− Ilchester15 mi from TowsonA 71 B− Elkridge15 mi from TowsonA 67 C+ North Laurel22 mi from TowsonA 69 B− Scaggsville23 mi from TowsonA 74 B Ellicott City14 mi from TowsonA− 72 B− Within-state proficiency: EDFacts SY2021–22 · Graduation rate: EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19
Common questions about living in Towson
Is Towson, MD a good place to live?
Towson scores 64 out of 100, 16th of 58 Baltimore suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on schools. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Towson expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $469,000, 20% above the Baltimore median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.91%. $1,764/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Towson?
Schools grade D+. The districts serving Towson sit at the 36th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 88% graduation rate and a 15.9 student–teacher ratio. Towson is served by Baltimore County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Towson?
The mean commute is 25.1 min, with 65% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 23% working from home. Transit density is 8.8 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Towson?
Within two miles there are 9 groceries, 140 restaurants and cafés and 85 parks, which grades A on amenities.
Are the homes in Towson old or new?
The median home in Towson was built in 1966 — older 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. 55% 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.