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Moving to
Carney.
Carney 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 Carney
Carney is an unincorporated community in Maryland with 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. Carney deals with rent well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and a population that has been shrinking.
The good
- Highly educated workforce
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Shrinking population
- High rent burden for renters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Carney compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Carney
Based on Carney's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,586
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $71,720 a year
- 51% of Carney renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$63,940
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $31,970
- Homes cost 3.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 27% above US
$1,793/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,793 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $319,700. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $319,700 · 51% 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
Carney 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 around▲ 13% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.4 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; 13% 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▲ 12% above US
40% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 40% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 3 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 Hampton National Historic Site (4 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Carney's strongest point is a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,793/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Carney
All Maryland guides →Not sure Carney is the one?
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