City profile · Maryland · Census ACS 2023

Fort Meade, MD

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Fort Meade - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

10,477
Residents
$102,886
Median income
$1,857
Median rent (state)

Fort Meade - the verdict

Nationally, Fort Meade sits in the 79th percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.

79th
percentile, household income
78th
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: Fort Meade, MD

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 10,477 residents in Fort Meade, a small town within Maryland. Median household income here is $102,886 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 3.6%. The median resident age is 27.2 years. Educational attainment runs 47.1% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 36.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The city is served by 2 public schools according to NCES Common Core of Data.

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. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,857 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Maryland's average monthly utility costs around $255 (state average). Commute times here average 16.3 minutes, with 76.1% driving alone and 11.7% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 81.9 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (High).

Population

10,477 residents

Census ACS 2023 - Maryland

Median Household Income

$102,886 /yr

Poverty 3.6%

Cost of Living Index (state)

105.0 (US=100)

Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, Maryland average

How does Fort Meade compare to other US cities?

Here's how Fort Meade stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 79% higher than other cities
Median rent 78% 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

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Fort Meade's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Maryland, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

79thIncome percentile

79th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Fort Meade, MD Fort Meade, MD's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Fort Meade, MD-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Fort Meade, MD median $102,886/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%
Fort Meade, MD's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Fort Meade, MD. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 47.1%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 3.6%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 36.4%

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

Population
10,477
Median Income
$102,886
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
27.2
Poverty Rate
3.6%
Labor force participation
36.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
47.1%

Schools

Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
16.3 minutes
Drive Alone
76.1%
Carpool
2.7%
Public Transit
2.6%
Walk
6.3%
Work from Home
11.7%
Other
0.6%

Based on 5,358 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Maryland - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$120
avg/month
Natural Gas
$80
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$55
avg/month
Total Utilities
$255
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Maryland state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a Maryland state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Fort Meade sits in

Cost of Living Index
105.0
Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,857/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
81.9 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in Maryland

White Marsh
10,480 people
La Plata
10,470 people
Garrison
10,449 people
Scaggsville
10,441 people
Linthicum
10,545 people
Marlton
10,223 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Fort Meade's 10,477 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Marlton, NJ
10,473 people
River Grove, IL
10,482 people
Española, NM
10,472 people
Bastrop, TX
10,484 people
Sweetwater, TX
10,484 people
Milton, FL
10,485 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Fort Meade's $102,886 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Rutland, MA
$102,885 median income
North Lynnwood, WA
$102,888 median income
Sicklerville, NJ
$102,881 median income
Cornwall, PA
$102,861 median income
Bettendorf, IA
$102,917 median income
Wallins Creek, KY
$102,929 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Fort Meade, MD Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Fort Meade, MD - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 44.6% 26.5% 8.1% 16.7% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 16.4% White 44.6% Black or African American 26.5% Asian 8.1% American Indian 0.2% Native Hawaiian 0.3% Some other race 3.6% Two or more races 16.7% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Fort Meade compares to nearby Maryland cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Fort Meade (this city) 10,477 $102,886
White Marsh 10,480 $123,302
La Plata 10,470 $121,707
Garrison 10,449 $96,916
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MD NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Fort Meade, MD?

What is the population of Fort Meade, MD? +

10,477 people live in Fort Meade, MD according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Fort Meade, MD? +

Fort Meade households earn a median of $102,886 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Fort Meade? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Fort Meade; the closest available measure is the Maryland state average, a cost of living index of 105.0 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Maryland vary by metro area.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, 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.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

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

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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.