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Place dossier plate
SheetMD-GREENBELT-MD · Greenbelt, MD 24,572 pop · income 68th 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 Greenbelt
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Greenbelt on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Watertown · lowest
49,692
Watertown · lowest
49,692 median HH income
26.7% of the leader · rank #1
Hyde Park · near
86,346
Hyde Park · near
86,346 median HH income
46.3% of the leader · rank #2
Huntley · near
86,349
Huntley · near
86,349 median HH income
46.3% of the leader · rank #3
Greenbelt · this city
86,352
Greenbelt · this city
86,352 median HH income
46.3% of the leader · rank #4
Panhandle · near
86,354
Panhandle · near
86,354 median HH income
46.3% of the leader · rank #5
Edgewood · near
86,355
Edgewood · near
86,355 median HH income
46.3% of the leader · rank #6
North Potomac · highest
186,438
North Potomac · highest
186,438 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 Greenbelt 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: 24,572.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Greenbelt - the verdict
Nationally, Greenbelt sits in the 68th percentile for household income and the 4th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
68th
percentile, household income
57th
percentile, home value
84th
percentile, median rent
4th
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: Greenbelt, MD
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 24,572 residents in Greenbelt, a small city within Maryland. The typical household in Greenbelt brings in $86,352 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 12.8%. Greenbelt's housing stock carries a median value of $258,600, and the median resident age is 37.2 years. 46.1% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 67.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Greenbelt's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 5026.2 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, above the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Maryland carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Maryland at 105.0 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Above Average). 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. The average commute for Greenbelt workers runs 28.7 minutes, with 57.2% driving alone and 14.5% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 60.2 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Greenbelt'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 population change to comparison shortlist to housing and income to schools and households to work and mobility to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Greenbelt, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Population change
Is Greenbelt 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 grew by +89 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +0.4% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Which cities make useful reference points for Greenbelt?
Within Maryland, the closest population matches are Landover (24,558 residents, $68,679 income); Suitland (24,667 residents, $71,886 income); North Potomac (23,994 residents, $186,438 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Watertown, NY (24,574 residents); Selma, CA (24,586 residents); Maywood, CA (24,593 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.
How far does income reach against housing in Greenbelt?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 12.8%, 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.
What does the education layer cover for Greenbelt?
The NCES join finds 5 public schools within the city match. 46.1% 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.
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.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Greenbelt?
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 57.2%. The reported mean trip to work is 28.7 minutes.
Public transit
12.1%
Work from home
14.5%
Drive alone
57.2%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 12,768 workers age 16+.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Greenbelt?
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 5026.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 120% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
4377.3
Violent rate
648.9
Total reported rate
5026.2
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Above median income · poverty 12.8% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
105.0 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, Maryland average
D
City profile score · Greenbelt, MD
40/100
5 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-
46.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income B-
$86,352
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
12.8%
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 F
649 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Greenbelt profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 80/100 (A-) · 46.1%
Household income: 66/100 (B-) · $86,352
Poverty rate: 29/100 (F) · 12.8%
Cost of living: 21/100 (F) · 105.0 index
Violent crime: 8/100 (F) · 649 /100k
Where Greenbelt sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Greenbelt'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 - Greenbelt highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Greenbelt, MD (this city): home $258,600, crime 5,026/100k
Watertown, NY : home $149,800, crime 4,528/100k
Selma, CA : home $288,700, crime 2,172/100k
Maywood, CA : home $595,000, crime 1,921/100k
Wyandotte, MI : home $159,700, crime 1,064/100k
Ridgeland, MS : home $259,600, crime 1,700/100k
Bainbridge Island, WA : home $1,076,200, crime 989/100k
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 Greenbelt compare to other US cities?
Here's how Greenbelt stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income68% higher than other cities
Home value57% pricier than other cities
Median rent84% pricier than other cities
Safety4% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Maryland alone, Greenbelt ranks #62 of 70 Maryland cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Greenbelt 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 Greenbelt near the bottom of Maryland's cities
Among the 479 Maryland cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Greenbelt ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Greenbelt only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#283 of 445
36th percentile in Maryland
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 479
0th percentile in Maryland
Median Home Value
#337 of 450
25th percentile in Maryland
Poverty Rate
#77 of 479
84th percentile in Maryland
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#137 of 479
71st 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
68th percentile nationally for median household income · 4th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Greenbelt's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Greenbelt'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 Greenbelt's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$258,60043rd percentilemore affordable than 43% 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
Greenbelt's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#6,661 of 15,516
More affordable than 57% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#894 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.0×, Greenbelt sits in the affordable band:
national rank #6,661 of 15,516 and #894 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
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
$86,352Greenbelt, MD median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Greenbelt, 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 Greenbelt, MD.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)46.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)12.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)67.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
24,572
Median Income
$86,352
Median Home Value
$258,600
Median Age
37.2
Poverty Rate
12.8%
Labor force participation
67.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
46.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
5026.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
648.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
4377.3
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.
Schools
Total Schools
5
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Greenbelt's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
24,859 residents
2021
24,634 residents
2022
24,509 residents
2023
24,572 residents
2024
24,817 residents
2025
24,948 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
28.7 minutes
Drive Alone
57.2%
Carpool
9.4%
Public Transit
12.1%
Walk
3.5%
Work from Home
14.5%
Other
3.3%
Based on 12,768 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 Greenbelt. 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 Greenbelt 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 Greenbelt sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Greenbelt 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, 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.