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Place dossier plate
SheetMD-TAKOMA-PARK-MD · Takoma Park, MD 17,522 pop · income 76th 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 Takoma Park
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Takoma Park on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
McKeesport · lowest
31,854
McKeesport · lowest
31,854 median HH income
26.3% of the leader · rank #1
Willowbrook · near
97,861
Willowbrook · near
97,861 median HH income
80.7% of the leader · rank #2
Clinton · near
97,868
Clinton · near
97,868 median HH income
80.7% of the leader · rank #3
Takoma Park · this city
97,872
Takoma Park · this city
97,872 median HH income
80.7% of the leader · rank #4
Bay Park · near
97,880
Bay Park · near
97,880 median HH income
80.7% of the leader · rank #5
Captains Cove · near
97,880
Captains Cove · near
97,880 median HH income
80.7% of the leader · rank #6
Spanish Sprin… · highest
121,250
Spanish Sprin… · highest
121,250 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 Takoma Park 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: 17,522.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Takoma Park - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Takoma Park lands in the 76th percentile for household income and the 1st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
76th
percentile, household income
93rd
percentile, home value
84th
percentile, median rent
1st
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: Takoma Park, MD
17,522 people live in Takoma Park, Maryland - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Takoma Park report a median income of $97,872 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 5.8%. Takoma Park's housing stock carries a median value of $721,500, and the median resident age is 41.1 years. 60.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 69.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Takoma Park's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 7612.8 incidents per 100,000 residents, above the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
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. Workers in Takoma Park report an average commute of 22.7 minutes, with 43.5% driving alone and 30.0% 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 Takoma Park'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 reported crime to schools and households to housing and income to work and mobility to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Takoma Park, 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 local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Population change
Is Takoma Park growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -319 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.8% 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.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Takoma Park?
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 7612.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 234% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
What does the education layer cover for Takoma Park?
The NCES join finds 4 public schools within the city match. 60.3% 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 Takoma Park?
Within Maryland, the closest population matches are Glassmanor (17,687 residents, $69,778 income); Calverton (17,721 residents, $108,315 income); Adelphi (17,210 residents, $80,833 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are McKeesport, PA (17,520 residents); Wahiawa, HI (17,515 residents); Streetsboro, OH (17,514 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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Takoma Park?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 7.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.8%, 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. 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.
Household income
$97,872
Home value
$721,500
Value / income
7.4×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the journey to work look like in Takoma Park?
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.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 43.5%. The reported mean trip to work is 22.7 minutes.
Public transit
13.3%
Work from home
30.0%
Drive alone
43.5%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 8,746 workers age 16+.
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+
60.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income B+
$97,872
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate C+
5.8%
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
540 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Takoma Park profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 92/100 (A+) · 60.3%
Household income: 76/100 (B+) · $97,872
Poverty rate: 60/100 (C+) · 5.8%
Cost of living: 21/100 (F) · 105.0 index
Violent crime: 13/100 (F) · 540 /100k
Where Takoma Park sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Takoma Park'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 - Takoma Park highlighted among 25 peers.Read the chart values
Takoma Park, MD (this city): home $721,500, crime 7,613/100k
McKeesport, PA : home $69,800, crime 4,259/100k
Streetsboro, OH : home $197,000, crime 1,788/100k
Graham, NC : home $200,600, crime 2,227/100k
Easton, MD : home $348,400, crime 2,380/100k
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 Takoma Park compare to other US cities?
Here's how Takoma Park stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income76% higher than other cities
Home value93% pricier than other cities
Median rent84% pricier than other cities
Safety1% 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: Takoma Park ranks #68 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 Takoma Park 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 Takoma Park near the bottom of Maryland's cities
Among the 479 Maryland cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Takoma Park ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Takoma Park only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#224 of 445
50th percentile in Maryland
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 479
0th percentile in Maryland
Median Home Value
#32 of 450
93rd percentile in Maryland
Poverty Rate
#172 of 479
64th percentile in Maryland
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#64 of 479
87th 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
76th percentile nationally for median household income · 1st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Takoma Park's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Takoma Park'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 Takoma Park's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$721,5007th percentilemore affordable than 7% 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
Takoma Park's home-value-to-income ratio: 7.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,843 of 15,516
More affordable than 4% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,160 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 7.4×, Takoma Park sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,843 of 15,516 and #3,160 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
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
$97,872Takoma Park, MD median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Takoma Park, 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 Takoma Park, MD.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)60.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)69.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
17,522
Median Income
$97,872
Median Home Value
$721,500
Median Age
41.1
Poverty Rate
5.8%
Labor force participation
69.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
60.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
7612.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
539.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
7073.1
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
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Takoma Park's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
17,579 residents
2021
17,417 residents
2022
17,338 residents
2023
17,316 residents
2024
17,364 residents
2025
17,260 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
22.7 minutes
Drive Alone
43.5%
Carpool
5.6%
Public Transit
13.3%
Walk
5.0%
Work from Home
30.0%
Other
2.6%
Based on 8,746 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 Takoma Park. 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 Takoma Park 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 Takoma Park sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Takoma Park 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.