Moving to
Damascus.

All Damascus data Compare Damascus

17,640people live here $158,883median household income▲ 97% above US $1,792median rent per month▲ 27% above US $528,400median home value▲ 59% above US

Damascus is an unincorporated community in Montgomery 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 Damascus

Damascus is an unincorporated community in Maryland with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Damascus deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, long average commutes, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Higher-than-average incomes
Clean air
Highly educated workforce
Fast-growing population
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Long commutes
High rent burden for renters
Cold winters

How Damascus compares

Median household income

Damascus$158,883

Maryland avg$103,678

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Damascus$1,792

Maryland avg$1,705

US$1,413

Median home value

Damascus$528,400

Maryland avg$419,900

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Damascus

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

To rent

$3,584

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $71,680 a year
63% of Damascus renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$105,680

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $52,840
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▲ 27% above US

$1,792/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,792 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $528,400. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $528,400 · 63% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.7% county unemployment

Unemployment in Montgomery County is 3.7%, 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.

Montgomery County (county-wide)

Safety

167 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Damascus doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Montgomery County Police Department 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 1571/100k · Policed by Montgomery County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 45% above US

38 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 37.6 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; 27% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

62%

Work from home

27%

Carpool

8.2%

Public transit

1.5%

Other

1.0%

Walk

0.7%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 27°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▲ 36% 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

6 public schools inside the boundary

There are 6 public schools inside the boundary. 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 Monocacy National Battlefield (11 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Damascus'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 ($1,792/mo) equals 14% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (27% 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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