Whether you want the excitement of the big city or a suburban atmosphere, Movoto is your trusted resource for real estate information for Maryland cities. Let's start with what makes up a good work-life balance.
For some people, work-life balance means shorter weekly work hours. For others, it may mean a shorter commute to work. For still others, it means that they have enough income to support the cost-of-living in the area where they want to live.
The 2012 US Census Bureau's American Community Survey identifies the factors important in determining a city's work-life balance: home-to-work commute time; hours worked per week; the size of households in the area; the unemployment rate; the poverty rate; things to do per person in the area. A study conducted by Zippia found the following cities to be the top ten in terms of work-life balance.
Located in Harford County, Maryland, Mount Airy is the County Seat and has a small population (around 10,000) with an average number of hours worked of 37.9. The median listing price is $375,000. A large percentage of residents (41%) have household incomes between $75,000 and $149,000. Based on a cost-of-living index of 100 for the US as a base, Mount Airy is 138.70.
Hampstead, in Carroll County, is smaller still with a population under 7,000. Workers put in an average of 38.4 work hours every week. The median listing price for homes is $299,900. The largest income group (42%) has household income between $75,000 and $149,000. The cost-of-living index for Hampstead is 114.80.
Walkersville in Frederick County, Maryland, has an even smaller population (under 6,000) and workers there put in an average of 37.8 work hours each week. The median listing price for homes is $254,947. The largest income group (69%) has household income between $30,000 and $149,000. The cost-of-living index for Walkersville is 119.50.
With a population around 62,000 in Montgomery County, Maryland, the City of Gaithersburg's residents work an average of 39.2 hours a week. The median price listing of zip code 20877 is $339,900. The largest income group (39%) has household income between $30,000 and $74,999. Another 29% has income between $75,000 and $149,999. The cost-of-iving index for Gaithersburg is 134.00.
Also in Montgomery County, with a population just over 62,000, Rockville's residents put in 40.1 hours a week. The median list price for homes in zip code 20850 is $569,000. The largest income group (34%) have household income between $75,000 and $149,999. The cost-of-living index for Rockville is 154.20.
Easton is the County Seat of Talbott County, Maryland. Easton's population is 16,318 and workers there put in 37.6 work hours a week. The median list price of homes in Easton is $325,000. The largest income group (35%) has household income between $30,000 and $74,999 while another 31% have income between $75,000 and $149, 999. The cost-of-living index for Easton is 116.00.
Bel Air is the County Seat of Harford County. Its population is just over 10,000 and its residents log 39 work hours a week. The median list price for homes in Bel Air is $311,990. The largest income group (67%) has household income between $30,000 and $149,999. The cost-of-living index for Bel Air is 116.50.
Bowie is the largest municipality in Prince George's County. Workers in Bowie log an average of 39.4 work hours a week. The median list price for homes in Bowie is $289,950. The largest income group (50%) is between $75,000 and $149,500. The cost-of-living index for Bel Air is 125.90.
Greenbelt workers log about 38.1 work hours a week. The median list price for homes is $136,000. Almost half of the residents (48%) have income between $30,000 and $74,999. Greenbelt's cost-of-living index is 98.40 (lower than the national base score of 100).
College Park residents (Prince George's County) log the shortest number of hours in this top ten list: 29.5. The median list price for homes is $269,900. More than half of the residents (52%) have household incomes up to $75,000 (evenly split between under $30,000 and $30,000 to $74,999). Another 31% have income between $75,000 and $149,999. College Park's cost-of-living index is 119.20.
Two cities in Maryland made a list of the top ten worst cities for work-life balance. NerdWallet.com conducted its study in 2014 using data from the 2012 U.S. Census' "American Community Survey." The two cities are Waldorf, Maryland and Germantown, Maryland.
The study found that Waldorf made number two on this list based on its mean weekly hours worked of 39.1, its mean travel time to work of 41.9 minutes, its median earnings of $56,857, median gross rent of $1,429 and an overall score of 30.66 (higher is better).
Germantown made number five on the top ten worst cities list based on its 40.2 hours worked, mean commute time of 36.3 minutes, its median earnings of $61,229, a mean gross rent of $1,640, and a score of 33.28 (higher is better).
Self-test your city's work-life balance by substituting your hours worked, commuter time, earnings, and rent. Remember, that some people enjoy spending more time working to advance their careers. Some people do not mind a longer commute by public transportation, where they can catch up on the news of the day or get started on the day's work projects. You are the best judge of where your happiness lies.
