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Moving to
Garrison.
Garrison is an unincorporated community in Baltimore 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 Garrison
Garrison is an unincorporated community in Maryland with household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Garrison deals with rent well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
How Garrison compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Garrison
Based on Garrison's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,904
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $78,080 a year
- 43% of Garrison renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$66,320
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $33,160
- Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 38% above US
$1,952/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $1,952 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 $331,600. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $331,600 · 43% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Baltimore County is 4.0%, 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.
Baltimore County (county-wide)
Safety
401 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Garrison doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Baltimore County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs above the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 2400/100k · Policed by Baltimore 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; 20% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 88°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 32°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 58% above US
57% 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
1 public school inside the boundary
There is 1 public school inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to 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 Hampton National Historic Site (9 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Garrison's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,952/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (20% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
Other places near Garrison
All Maryland guides →Moving to Owings Mills →
2 mi away · pop. 37,245
Rent $1,841/mo · Income $96,243
Compare with Garrison →Moving to Randallstown →
3 mi away · pop. 35,957
Rent $1,577/mo · Income $85,735
Compare with Garrison →Not sure Garrison is the one?
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