Community Corner

These 10 MD Counties Are 'The Best' To Live In: New Rankings

Niche ranked the best counties to live in across Maryland, including factors like crime and public schools. See if yours is on the list.

Niche ranked the best counties to live in across Maryland, including factors like crime and public schools. See if yours is on the list.
Niche ranked the best counties to live in across Maryland, including factors like crime and public schools. See if yours is on the list. (Jacob Baumgart/Patch)

MARYLAND — Finding the perfect place to live and raise a family in Maryland can involve factors like schooling, activities for families, public safety, the job market and the real estate market.

Neighborhood ranking site Niche released its 2023 list of the best counties to live in across the state. Factors include public schools, housing, crime, the county’s diversity, available jobs, and commuting. Users on Niche’s website can also write their own reviews of a place they have lived.

Several of the counties on the list are in either the Baltimore or DC metro, although one is in southern Maryland, and two resort area counties on the Eastern Shore are also on the list. A number of these counties also have communities named to Maryland's “Best Places to Raise a Family,” which takes into account school quality, safety, affordability, and access to amenities for families, or have cities on the Best Places To Live list.

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Here are the Niche rankings of the top 10 best counties to live in Maryland, and the score they got in certain factors. You can click on the link for each county to learn more about the Niche ranking.

1. Howard County

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  • Overall Grade A+
  • Public Schools grade A+
  • Housing grade A
  • Nightlife grade A minus
  • Good for Families grade A+
  • Diversity grade A
  • Jobs A

2. Montgomery County

  • Overall Grade A+
  • Public Schools grade A+
  • Housing grade B+
  • Nightlife grade A
  • Good for Families grade A+
  • Diversity grade A
  • Jobs B

3. Frederick County

  • Overall Niche Grade A+
  • Public Schools grade A
  • Housing grade B+
  • Nightlife grade A minus
  • Good for Families grade A+
  • Diversity grade B+
  • Jobs B+

4. Anne Arundel County

  • Overall Niche Grade A
  • Public Schools grade B+
  • Housing grade B minus
  • Nightlife grade A
  • Good for Families grade A
  • Diversity grade A minus
  • Jobs B+

5. Baltimore County

  • Overall Niche Grade A
  • Public Schools grade A minus
  • Housing grade B minus
  • Nightlife grade A
  • Good for Families grade A+
  • Diversity grade A
  • Jobs B-

6. Harford County

  • Overall Niche Grade A
  • Public Schools grade A
  • Housing grade B
  • Nightlife grade B+
  • Good for Families grade A
  • Diversity grade B+
  • Jobs B+

7. Calvert County

  • Overall Niche Grade A
  • Public Schools grade A+
  • Housing grade B+
  • Nightlife grade B
  • Good for Families grade A+
  • Diversity grade B
  • Jobs B+

8. Carroll County

  • Overall Niche Grade A-
  • Public Schools grade A
  • Housing grade B
  • Nightlife grade B+
  • Good for Families grade A
  • Diversity grade C+
  • Jobs B

9. Worcester County

  • Overall Niche Grade A-
  • Public Schools grade A+
  • Housing grade B minus
  • Nightlife grade A minus
  • Good for Families grade A minus
  • Diversity grade B
  • Jobs B-

10. Talbot County

  • Overall Niche Grade A-
  • Public Schools grade B+
  • Housing grade C
  • Nightlife grade B
  • Good for Families grade A minus
  • Diversity grade B
  • Jobs B-

About This List

Explore the best counties to live in the U.S. based on public schools, cost of living, job opportunities, and local amenities. Ranking based on county data from the U.S. Census, BLS, CDC, and other sources. Read more on how this ranking was calculated.

Where Niche Grades come from and how Niche calculates rankings.

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