City profile · Maryland · Census ACS 2023

North Potomac, MD

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

23,994
Residents
$186,438
Median income
$793,200
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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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for North Potomac.

Place dossier plate

Sheet MD-NORTH-POTOMAC-MD · North Potomac, MD 23,994 pop · income 97th pct

POP-TOWN · INC-TOP · COL-ABOVE · SAFE-UNK · RANK-TOP · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-TOP · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-TOWN 23,994
  • INC-TOP $186,438
  • COL-ABOVE 105.0
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-TOP 97th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Floyd Hill
  • HOME-TOP $793,200
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Floyd Hill, CO ( $18 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 North Potomac

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest North Potomac 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 North Potomac 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: 23,994.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $186,438. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

North Potomac - the verdict

Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, North Potomac lands in the 97th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

97th
percentile, household income
95th
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: North Potomac, MD

23,994 people live in North Potomac, Maryland - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in North Potomac brings in $186,438 a year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 3.9%. Home values in North Potomac run a median of $793,200, and the median resident age is 45.5 years. Educational attainment runs 77.1% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 62.4% 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: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Maryland scores 105.0 (Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,657 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Maryland run around $255, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. 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 North Potomac'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 housing and income to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

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

1. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in North Potomac?

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. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 3.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

2. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for North Potomac?

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 Arnold (23,866 residents, $137,799 income); Landover (24,558 residents, $68,679 income); Greenbelt (24,572 residents, $86,352 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Brambleton, VA (23,999 residents); South Elgin, IL (23,984 residents); Elmwood Park, IL (23,982 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 →

Question 3

What does the journey to work look like in North Potomac?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 52.2%. 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 →

4. Schools and households

What does the education layer cover for North Potomac?

The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.

The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 77.1% 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.

See how the family ranking is built →

Population

23,994 residents

Small city (10k–49k)

Median Household Income

$186,438 /yr

Top-decile income · poverty 3.9% (Below-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

105.0 (US=100)

High cost · BEA RPP 2024, Maryland average

City profile score · North Potomac, MD

73/100

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.

Household income A+
$186,438

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

Bachelor's+ share A+
77.1%

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

Poverty rate B
3.9%

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).

North Potomac profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Household income, Bachelor's+ share, Poverty rate, Cost of living. Household incomeBachelor's+ sharePoverty rateCost of living 73 B
North Potomac profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Household income: 100/100 (A+) · $186,438
  • Bachelor's+ share: 100/100 (A+) · 77.1%
  • Poverty rate: 72/100 (B) · 3.9%
  • Cost of living: 21/100 (F) · 105.0 index

How does North Potomac compare to other US cities?

North Potomac measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 97% higher than other cities
Home value 95% 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 North Potomac 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 North Potomac near the bottom of Maryland's cities

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

Median Household Income
#35 of 445
92nd percentile in Maryland
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 479
0th percentile in Maryland
Median Home Value
#26 of 450
94th percentile in Maryland
Poverty Rate
#231 of 479
51st percentile in Maryland
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#18 of 479
96th 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.

97thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

97th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How North Potomac's home value compares nationally

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

$793,200 5th percentile more affordable than 5% 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%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Below this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). This entry sits in this band. $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. North Potomac $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

North Potomac's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.3×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#11,406 of 15,516
More affordable than 26% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,184 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)

At 4.3×, North Potomac sits in the moderate band: national rank #11,406 of 15,516 and #2,184 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

$186,438 North Potomac, MD median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - North Potomac, MD North Potomac, MD's median household income ($186,438) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not North Potomac, MD-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution North Potomac, MD median $186,438/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%
North Potomac, 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 North Potomac, MD.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 77.1%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 3.9%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 62.4%

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

Population
23,994
Median Income
$186,438
Median Home Value
$793,200
Median Age
45.5
Poverty Rate
3.9%
Labor force participation
62.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
77.1%

Schools

Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
52.2%
Carpool
6.0%
Public Transit
3.3%
Walk
0.3%
Work from Home
36.8%
Other
1.4%

Based on 12,267 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 North Potomac. 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 North Potomac 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 North Potomac sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How North Potomac 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
North Potomac (this city) 23,994 $186,438
Arnold 23,866 $137,799
Landover 24,558 $68,679
Greenbelt 24,572 $86,352
NCES CCD
Primary sources on this page

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.

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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