City profile · Maryland · Census ACS 2023

Ballenger Creek, MD

Ballenger Creek's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

25,866
Residents
$108,385
Median income
$369,800
Median home
$1,657
Median rent (state)
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Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

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Starting with Ballenger Creek, MD - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Ballenger Creek.

Place dossier plate

Sheet MD-BALLENGER-CREEK-MD · Ballenger Creek, MD 25,866 pop · income 82nd pct

POP-SMALL · INC-HIGH · COL-ABOVE · SAFE-UNK · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-MID · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-SMALL 25,866
  • INC-HIGH $108,385
  • COL-ABOVE 105.0
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-TOP 82nd
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Homewood
  • HOME-MID $369,800
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Homewood, AL (+ $1 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Ballenger Creek

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Ballenger Creek on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Ballenger Creek on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 25,866.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $108,385. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Ballenger Creek - the verdict

Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Ballenger Creek lands in the 82nd percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

82nd
percentile, household income
74th
percentile, home value
84th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Ballenger Creek, MD

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 25,866 residents in Ballenger Creek, a small city within Maryland. Ballenger Creek households earn a median of $108,385 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 12.0%. Ballenger Creek's housing stock carries a median value of $369,800, and the median resident age is 34.4 years. 48.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 69.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Maryland carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 105.0 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,657 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Maryland run around $255, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 60.2 out of 100 (Moderate).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Ballenger Creek's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to comparison shortlist to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Ballenger Creek, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for annual population history, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

Question 1

What does the journey to work look like in Ballenger Creek?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 68.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.

Compare commute patterns →

2. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Ballenger Creek?

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Within Maryland, the closest population matches are Fort Washington (25,843 residents, $145,942 income); Elkridge (26,183 residents, $135,412 income); Fairland (26,183 residents, $87,924 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Moscow, ID (25,868 residents); Terrytown, LA (25,844 residents); Imperial Beach, CA (25,897 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

3. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Ballenger Creek?

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.

The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 12.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Population

25,866 residents

Small city (10k–49k)

Median Household Income

$108,385 /yr

High income · poverty 12.0% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

105.0 (US=100)

High cost · BEA RPP 2024, Maryland average

City profile score · Ballenger Creek, MD

54/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Bachelor's+ share A-
48.3%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Household income A-
$108,385

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Poverty rate F
12.0%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Cost of living F
105.0 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Ballenger Creek profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Bachelor's+ share, Household income, Poverty rate, Cost of living. Bachelor's+ shareHousehold incomePoverty rateCost of living 54 C-
Ballenger Creek profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Bachelor's+ share: 82/100 (A-) · 48.3%
  • Household income: 81/100 (A-) · $108,385
  • Poverty rate: 32/100 (F) · 12.0%
  • Cost of living: 21/100 (F) · 105.0 index

How does Ballenger Creek compare to other US cities?

Where Ballenger Creek sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 82% higher than other cities
Home value 74% pricier than other cities
Median rent 84% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Ballenger Creek against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Maryland only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Maryland-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Ballenger Creek near the bottom of Maryland's cities

Among the 479 Maryland cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Ballenger Creek ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Ballenger Creek only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#195 of 445
56th percentile in Maryland
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 479
0th percentile in Maryland
Median Home Value
#214 of 450
52nd percentile in Maryland
Poverty Rate
#80 of 479
83rd percentile in Maryland
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#126 of 479
74th percentile in Maryland
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Maryland only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

82ndIncome percentile
Gauge source note

82nd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Ballenger Creek's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$369,800 26th percentile more affordable than 26% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). This entry sits in this band. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Ballenger Creek $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Ballenger Creek's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.4×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,622 of 15,516
More affordable than 44% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,409 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)

At 3.4×, Ballenger Creek sits in the moderate band: national rank #8,622 of 15,516 and #1,409 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999). Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$108,385 Ballenger Creek, MD median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Ballenger Creek, MD Ballenger Creek, MD's median household income ($108,385) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Ballenger Creek, MD-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Ballenger Creek, MD median $108,385/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Ballenger Creek, MD median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Ballenger Creek, MD.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 48.3%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 12.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 69.3%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
25,866
Median Income
$108,385
Median Home Value
$369,800
Median Age
34.4
Poverty Rate
12.0%
Labor force participation
69.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
48.3%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
68.5%
Carpool
6.4%
Public Transit
1.1%
Walk
0.1%
Work from Home
21.4%
Other
2.5%

Based on 13,588 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Maryland statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $255

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Maryland at $255 (electricity about $120 , water and sewer about $55 ).

These are Maryland statewide averages, not a meter reading for Ballenger Creek. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Maryland's BEA cost-of-living index is 105.0 (Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Ballenger Creek is $1,657/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Maryland statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 60.2 / 100 (Moderate).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Maryland statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Ballenger Creek sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Ballenger Creek compares to similar-size Maryland cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Ballenger Creek (this city) 25,866 $108,385
Fort Washington 25,843 $145,942
Elkridge 26,183 $135,412
Fairland 26,183 $87,924
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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