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Moving to
Arbutus.
Arbutus is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, MD. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Arbutus
Arbutus is an unincorporated community in Maryland with household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, a growing population, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Arbutus deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Growing population
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
How Arbutus compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Arbutus
Based on Arbutus's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,636
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $52,720 a year
- 38% of Arbutus renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$64,520
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $32,260
- Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,318/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,318 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $322,600. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $322,600 · 38% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Baltimore County is 4.0%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Baltimore County (county-wide)
Safety
401 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Arbutus doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Baltimore County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs above the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 2400/100k · Policed by Baltimore County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 14% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 88°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 32°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 16% above US
42% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 42% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (6 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Arbutus's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoff is air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,318/mo) equals 16% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit college-educated professionals.
Other places near Arbutus
All Maryland guides →Not sure Arbutus is the one?
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