Arnold is an unincorporated community in Anne Arundel 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 Arnold

Arnold is an unincorporated community in Maryland with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, 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. Arnold deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, and commute times longer than most cities.

The good

  • Low unemployment in the county
  • Higher-than-average incomes
  • Highly educated workforce
  • Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Above-average commute times

How Arnold compares

Median household income

Arnold$141,639
Maryland avg$103,678
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Arnold$2,158
Maryland avg$1,705
US$1,413

Median home value

Arnold$564,200
Maryland avg$419,900
US$332,700

What it takes to move to Arnold

Based on Arnold's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$4,316

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $86,320 a year
  • 44% of Arnold renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$112,840

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $56,420
  • Homes cost 4.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 53% above US

$2,158/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,158 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $564,200. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $564,200 · 44% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.4% county unemployment

Unemployment in Anne Arundel County is 3.4%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Anne Arundel County (county-wide)

Safety

274 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Arnold doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Anne Arundel County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs close to the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 1691/100k · Policed by Anne Arundel County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

28 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 28.1 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; 23% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
69%
Work from home
23%
Carpool
5.9%
Other
1.6%
Public transit
0.5%
Walk
0.4%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 32°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
20°40°60°80°100°5.5"Jan: 2.84" precipitationFeb: 2.38" precipitationMar: 3.80" precipitationApr: 3.38" precipitationMay: 3.15" precipitationJun: 4.04" precipitationJul: 4.94" precipitationAug: 4.27" precipitationSep: 5.14" precipitationOct: 4.04" precipitationNov: 3.03" precipitationDec: 2.98" precipitation30°JJan: high 43°F, low 30°FFFeb: high 45°F, low 32°FMMar: high 53°F, low 38°FAApr: high 64°F, low 47°FMMay: high 73°F, low 57°FJJun: high 82°F, low 68°F86°JJul: high 86°F, low 72°FAAug: high 84°F, low 71°FSSep: high 77°F, low 65°FOOct: high 67°F, low 52°FNNov: high 56°F, low 42°FDDec: high 47°F, low 34°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 61% above US

58% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

6 public schools inside the boundary

There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 3 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 Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (4 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Arnold's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,158/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), remote workers (23% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

See all the data for Arnold →·All Maryland cities →

Other places near Arnold

All Maryland guides →

Not sure Arnold is the one?

Put it side by side with another city.

Compare Arnold →