Moving to
Ellicott City.

All Ellicott City data Compare Ellicott City

75,257people live here $156,964median household income▲ 94% above US $2,061median rent per month▲ 46% above US $661,700median home value▲ 99% above US

Ellicott City is an unincorporated community in Howard 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 Ellicott City

Ellicott City is a large 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. Ellicott City deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, 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
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Above-average commute times
High rent burden for renters
Cold winters

How Ellicott City compares

Median household income

Ellicott City$156,964

Maryland avg$103,678

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Ellicott City$2,061

Maryland avg$1,705

US$1,413

Median home value

Ellicott City$661,700

Maryland avg$419,900

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Ellicott City

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

To rent

$4,122

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $82,440 a year
52% of Ellicott City renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$132,340

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $66,170
Homes cost 4.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 46% above US

$2,061/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,061 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 are steep, with a median around $661,700. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $661,700 · 52% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.5% county unemployment

Unemployment in Howard 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.

Howard County (county-wide)

Safety

116 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Ellicott City doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Howard 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 1483/100k · Policed by Howard County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

28 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 28.2 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 27% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

65%

Work from home

27%

Carpool

4.8%

Other

1.4%

Walk

0.7%

Public transit

0.5%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 87°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▲ 91% above US

69% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

13 public schools inside the boundary

There are 13 public schools inside the boundary and 6 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, 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 Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail (11 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Ellicott City'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 ($2,061/mo) equals 16% 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.

See all the data for Ellicott City →·All Maryland cities →