The 10 Best Cities in Maryland

Maryland is many things – one of the smallest states in the country, but one of the most densely populated; it’s also the wealthiest state in the nation, and thanks to its varied scenery and topography it’s nicknamed America in Miniature. So if Maryland is full of wealthy people, is it a great place to live? We’ve taken the top 10 largest cities in the state and ranked them according to how livable they are, considering such things as cost of living, amenities, schools, employment, the housing market, crime, and weather. Here’s how they rank…

10. Baltimore

The state’s largest city is Baltimore and it ranks as the 10th best city in Maryland. This vibrant city is the 26th largest in the nation and many of its residents are employed in science, technology, math, and engineering positions. The bad crime index stops Baltimore from ranking any higher, plus it has a high cost of living, and underperforming schools.

9. Salisbury

Salisbury is in the south east of Maryland, just over 100 miles south of Baltimore. Salisbury suffers from plenty of crime too, but the cost of living is far more reasonable here than in Baltimore. Education also scores better, and Salisbury has a stable housing market and average unemployment.

8. Hagerstown

Hagerstown is the county seat of Washington County and it’s the sixth largest city in the state. Though the crime index is an improvement on our previous two cities, Hagerstown still suffers with plenty of crime. This combined with below average schools, and a higher cost of living puts Hagerstown in as the eighth best city in Maryland.

7. Frederick

Frederick is Maryland’s second largest city and it’s known as the City of Clustered Spires due to its many historic churches. Frederick is the seventh best city in Maryland, scoring highly for employment and a stable housing market, while cost of living and crime rates are high.

6. Annapolis

Famous as the home of the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis is also a popular sailing center because of its location right on Chesapeake Bay. Ranked as the sixth best city in Maryland, Annapolis has an above average crime index and a very high cost of living.

5. Laurel

The city of Laurel takes the center spot on our list of ten best cities in Maryland. Set in Prince George’s County, Laurel has a nice historic district with great amenities. The city’s schools, employment, and housing market all perform above average, but cost of living is high and there’s still a lot of crime.

4. College Park

A higher cost of living, and an above average crime rate stops College Park from ranking any higher than fourth best city in Maryland. But, this city in Prince George’s County does have good schools, low unemployment, a stable housing market, and plenty of amenities, and it’s the home of the University of Maryland.

3. Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg is the fourth largest city in Maryland and it’s a little way northwest of Washington, D.C. The crime index is an improvement over the other cities in our list but Gaithersburg has a high cost of living. Unemployment is below average though, and the city has a stable housing market.

2. Bowie

Once a small stop on the railroad, Bowie is now the largest city in Prince George’s County, and the fifth largest in the state. Bowie is one of the best places to live in Maryland because of its low level of crime, low unemployment, a stable housing market, and great schools. The downside is a higher cost of living.

1. Rockville

Rockville ranks as the best city in Maryland. The third largest city in the state is the county seat of Montgomery County. It has some of the best schools, and ranks among the lowest unemployment levels of all ten cities on our list. The crime index is one of the lowest but Rockville does have an above average cost of living.