Moving to
Bel Air South.

All Bel Air South data Compare Bel Air South

58,137people live here $123,653median household income▲ 53% above US $1,757median rent per month▲ 24% above US $405,900median home value▲ 22% above US

Bel Air South is an unincorporated community in Harford 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 Bel Air South

Bel Air South is a large 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. Bel Air South deals with rent well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and cold winters.

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
Cold winters

How Bel Air South compares

Median household income

Bel Air South$123,653

Maryland avg$103,678

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Bel Air South$1,757

Maryland avg$1,705

US$1,413

Median home value

Bel Air South$405,900

Maryland avg$419,900

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Bel Air South

Based on Bel Air South's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,514

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $70,280 a year
39% of Bel Air South renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$81,180

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $40,590
Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 24% above US

$1,757/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,757 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $405,900. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $405,900 · 39% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.6% county unemployment

Unemployment in Harford County is 3.6%, 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.

Harford County (county-wide)

Safety

153 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Bel Air South doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Harford 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 594/100k · Policed by Harford County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 17% above US

31 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.5 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; 19% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

72%

Work from home

19%

Carpool

6.1%

Other

2.1%

Walk

0.8%

Public transit

0.4%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 28°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▲ 37% above US

49% bachelor's degree or higher

The population is well-educated, with 49% 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 1 private school. 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 Hampton National Historic Site (15 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Bel Air South'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 ($1,757/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (19% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals.

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