Moving to
Fort Meade.

11,225people live here $103,261median household income▲ 28% above US $2,435median rent per month▲ 72% above US

Fort Meade is a US Army post. These figures cover the people who live on post, mostly young service members and their families, so it isn’t ranked against other cities. Most people stationed here live off post, in Odenton, Severn or Laurel.

What it's like to live in Fort Meade

Fort Meade is an unincorporated community in Maryland with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Fort Meade deals with rent well above the national average, a population that has been shrinking, and cold winters.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Higher-than-average incomes
Short commutes
Highly educated workforce
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
Shrinking population
Cold winters

How Fort Meade compares

Median household income

Fort Meade$103,261

Maryland avg$103,678

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Fort Meade$2,435

Maryland avg$1,705

US$1,413

What it takes to move to Fort Meade

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

To rent

$4,870

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $97,400 a year
48% of Fort Meade renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 72% above US

$2,435/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,435 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.

48% 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

Fort Meade 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 around▼ 38% below US

16 min average commute

Commutes run short here, averaging 16.2 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

70%

Walk

14%

Work from home

10%

Carpool

3.2%

Public transit

1.6%

Other

0.7%

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▲ 39% above US

50% 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

7 public schools inside the boundary

There are 7 public schools inside the boundary. 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 Baltimore-Washington Parkway (8 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Fort Meade'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 a population that has been shrinking. A year of median rent ($2,435/mo) equals 28% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), people who want short commutes, and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

See all the data for Fort Meade →·All Maryland cities →