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Moving to
Ferndale.
Ferndale is an unincorporated community in Anne Arundel 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 Ferndale
Ferndale is an unincorporated community in Maryland with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Ferndale deals with rent well above the national average, cold winters, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Ferndale compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Ferndale
Based on Ferndale's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,044
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $80,880 a year
- 42% of Ferndale renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$65,520
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $32,760
- Homes cost 3.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 43% above US
$2,022/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,022 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 reasonable, with a median around $327,600. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $327,600 · 42% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in Anne Arundel County is 3.4%, 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.
Anne Arundel County (county-wide)
Safety
274 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Ferndale doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Anne Arundel 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 1691/100k · Policed by Anne Arundel County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.7 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.
How workers get to work
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
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 36% 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 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 Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (6 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Ferndale'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 cold winters. A year of median rent ($2,022/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Ferndale
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