Moving to
Ballenger Creek.

All Ballenger Creek data Compare Ballenger Creek

26,390people live here $108,944median household income▲ 35% above US $1,987median rent per month▲ 41% above US $387,300median home value▲ 16% above US

Ballenger Creek is an unincorporated community in Frederick 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 Ballenger Creek

Ballenger Creek 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 class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Ballenger Creek deals with rent well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Higher-than-average incomes
Highly educated workforce
Average class sizes

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
Above-average commute times
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options

How Ballenger Creek compares

Median household income

Ballenger Creek$108,944

Maryland avg$103,678

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Ballenger Creek$1,987

Maryland avg$1,705

US$1,413

Median home value

Ballenger Creek$387,300

Maryland avg$419,900

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Ballenger Creek

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

To rent

$3,974

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $79,480 a year
50% of Ballenger Creek renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$77,460

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $38,730
Homes cost 3.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 41% above US

$1,987/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $1,987 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 run above average, with a median around $387,300. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $387,300 · 50% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.5% county unemployment

Unemployment in Frederick County is 3.5%, 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.

Frederick County (county-wide)

Safety

106 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Ballenger Creek doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Frederick County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 633/100k · Policed by Frederick County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 25% above US

33 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 32.5 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 21% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

65%

Work from home

21%

Carpool

10%

Other

2.2%

Public transit

0.9%

Walk

0.5%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 87°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 29°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 29% above US

46% bachelor's degree or higher

The population is well-educated, with 46% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.

Schools

7 public schools inside the boundary

There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to 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 Monocacy National Battlefield (2 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Ballenger Creek'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 commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,987/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (21% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who dread long commutes.

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