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Chillum.

All Chillum data Compare Chillum

34,871people live here $79,864median household incomeNear US average $1,735median rent per month▲ 23% above US $393,600median home value▲ 18% above US

Chillum is an unincorporated community in Prince George's 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 Chillum

Chillum is an unincorporated community in Maryland with air quality that stays clean most of the year, schools with smaller class sizes than the national average, and public transit that many commuters actually use. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Chillum deals with rent well above the national average and long average commutes.

The good

Clean air
Low student-teacher ratio
Public transit that many commuters use

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
Long commutes

How Chillum compares

Median household income

Chillum$79,864

Maryland avg$103,678

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Chillum$1,735

Maryland avg$1,705

US$1,413

Median home value

Chillum$393,600

Maryland avg$419,900

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Chillum

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

To rent

$3,470

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $69,400 a year
47% of Chillum renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$78,720

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $39,360
Homes cost 4.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 23% above US

$1,735/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,735 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 $393,600. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $393,600 · 47% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.4% county unemployment

Unemployment in Prince George's County is 4.4%, 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.

Prince George's County (county-wide)

Safety

265 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Chillum doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Prince George's 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 1919/100k · Policed by Prince George's County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 40% above US

37 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 36.5 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. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 16% take public transit; 10% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

51%

Public transit

16%

Carpool

15%

Work from home

10%

Other

5.4%

Walk

1.8%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 88°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 30°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% below US

23% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 23%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

5 public schools inside the boundary

There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, 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 Civil War Defenses of Washington (2 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Chillum's strongest points are air quality that stays clean most of the year and public transit that many commuters actually use; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and long average commutes. A year of median rent ($1,735/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people who would rather not drive. It may be a harder fit for people who dread long commutes.

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