Fort Meade, MD vs Laurel, MD

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricFort Meade, MDLaurel, MD
Population11,22529,798
Median Household Income$103,261$100,504
Median Rent$2,435/mo$1,873/mo
Median Home Value—$385,500
Cost of Living (US = 100)105109
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income48.2%43.5%
Poverty Rate4.1%9%
Unemployment Rate3.4% (county)4.4%
Violent Crime Rate /100k274*350
Property Crime Rate /100k1,691*3,907
Median AQI4040
Good AQI Days /yr—306
Summer Highs87°F87°F
Winter Lows27°F29°F
Snowfall19 in/yr16 in/yr
Avg Commute16.2 min30.9 min
Hospitals——
Avg Hospital Rating——
Students per Teacher1516.4
College Degree Rate50.2%47.7%
Foreign-Born %7.9%32.9%
Population Growth (2020–2025)-3.6%+0.6%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.
* Rate of the agency that polices Fort Meade (the city has no police department of its own), so it isn’t scored.