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Place dossier plate
SheetMD-FROSTBURG-MD · Frostburg, MD 7,025 pop · income 21st pct
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 Frostburg
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Frostburg on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Fort Pierce N… · lowest
36,707
Fort Pierce N… · lowest
36,707 median HH income
16.9% of the leader · rank #1
Anthony · near
51,047
Anthony · near
51,047 median HH income
23.5% of the leader · rank #2
Whetstone · near
51,050
Whetstone · near
51,050 median HH income
23.5% of the leader · rank #3
Aliquippa · near
51,050
Aliquippa · near
51,050 median HH income
23.5% of the leader · rank #4
Frostburg · this city
51,052
Frostburg · this city
51,052 median HH income
23.5% of the leader · rank #5
Salisbury · near
51,058
Salisbury · near
51,058 median HH income
23.5% of the leader · rank #6
Darnestown · highest
217,679
Darnestown · highest
217,679 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
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.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Frostburg on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. 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: 7,025.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Frostburg - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Frostburg lands in the 21st percentile for household income and the 98th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
21st
percentile, household income
34th
percentile, home value
84th
percentile, median rent
98th
percentile, safety
📝 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: Frostburg, MD
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 7,025 residents in Frostburg, a small town within Maryland. Frostburg households earn a median of $51,052 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 17.7%. Home values in Frostburg run a median of $172,600, and the median resident age is 25.6 years. Educational attainment runs 41.3% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 45.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 21 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 250% from five years earlier. Frostburg reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 115.2 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 48.6°F with 45.2 inches of precipitation per year and 72.1 inches of snowfall.
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 $1,657 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $255 across Maryland, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 60.2 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Frostburg'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 reported crime to schools and households to climate and hazard context to comparison shortlist to population change to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Frostburg, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, local building permits, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Frostburg?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 75.3%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Frostburg?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 115.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 95% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
What does the education layer cover for Frostburg?
The NCES join finds 4 public schools within the city match. 41.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Which cities make useful reference points for Frostburg?
Within Maryland, the closest population matches are Ocean City (6,887 residents, $69,675 income); Darnestown (6,835 residents, $217,679 income); Woodlawn CDP (Prince George's County) (7,221 residents, $90,565 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are St. Joseph, MN (7,024 residents); Fort Pierce North, FL (7,023 residents); Isanti, MN (7,023 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.
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. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Frostburg?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 48.6°F, with 45.2 inches of precipitation and 72.1 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Maryland is 60.2 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
48.6°F
Annual precipitation
45.2 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
60.2
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
Is Frostburg growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -24 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 21 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-0.3%
2025 estimate
6,979
2020 estimate
7,003
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
How far does income reach against housing in Frostburg?
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 17.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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.
Household income
$51,052
Home value
$172,600
Value / income
3.4×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
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.
Violent crime A+
14 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share B+
41.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$51,052
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
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.
Poverty rate F
17.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Frostburg profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 93/100 (A+) · 14 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 76/100 (B+) · 41.3%
Household income: 22/100 (F) · $51,052
Cost of living: 21/100 (F) · 105.0 index
Poverty rate: 18/100 (F) · 17.7%
Where Frostburg sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Frostburg's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Frostburg highlighted among 26 peers.Read the chart values
Frostburg, MD (this city): home $172,600, crime 115/100k
St. Joseph, MN : home $240,300, crime 567/100k
Isanti, MN : home $264,600, crime 570/100k
Morrilton, AR : home $150,900, crime 3,347/100k
Ocean City, MD : home $373,700, crime 9,787/100k
Riverdale Park, MD : home $447,000, crime 3,897/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Frostburg compare to other US cities?
Here's how Frostburg stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income21% higher than other cities
Home value34% pricier than other cities
Median rent84% pricier than other cities
Safety98% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Maryland and the picture shifts: Frostburg ranks #2 of 70 Maryland cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Frostburg 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 Frostburg near the bottom of Maryland's cities
Among the 479 Maryland cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Frostburg ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Frostburg only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#413 of 445
7th percentile in Maryland
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 479
0th percentile in Maryland
Median Home Value
#411 of 450
9th percentile in Maryland
Poverty Rate
#45 of 479
91st percentile in Maryland
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#178 of 479
62nd 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.
Gauge source note
21st percentile nationally for median household income · 98th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Frostburg's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Frostburg's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Frostburg's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$172,600Among the most affordablemore affordable than 66% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
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
Frostburg'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
#8,495 of 15,516
More affordable than 45% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#6,906 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.4×, Frostburg sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,495 of 15,516 and #6,906 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
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
$51,052Frostburg, MD median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Frostburg, 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 Frostburg, MD.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)41.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)17.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)45.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
7,025
Median Income
$51,052
Median Home Value
$172,600
Median Age
25.6
Poverty Rate
17.7%
Labor force participation
45.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
41.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
115.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
14.4
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
100.8
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
48.6°F
Annual Precipitation
45.2"
Annual Snowfall
72.1"
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Frostburg's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
7,003 residents
2021
6,958 residents
2022
6,935 residents
2023
6,966 residents
2024
6,979 residents
2025
6,979 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
21
housing units authorized
Single-Family
8
detached homes
Multifamily
13
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
6
6
0
$1.3M
2020
2
2
0
$0.3M
2021
9
9
0
$1.7M
2022
5
5
0
$0.5M
2023
9
5
4
$0.7M
2024
21
8
13
$3.3M
Permit volume increased 250% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
75.3%
Carpool
3.8%
Public Transit
0.6%
Walk
9.1%
Work from Home
10.6%
Other
0.6%
Based on 2,696 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 Frostburg. 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 Frostburg 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 Frostburg sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Frostburg 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.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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.