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Moving to
Lanham.
Lanham is an unincorporated community in Prince George's 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 Lanham
Lanham is an unincorporated community in Maryland with household incomes running above the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, a growing population, 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. Lanham deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and cold winters.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Clean air
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Cold winters
How Lanham compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lanham
Based on Lanham's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,100
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $82,000 a year
- 43% of Lanham renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$87,380
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $43,690
- 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▲ 45% above US
$2,050/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,050 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 run above average, with a median around $436,900. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $436,900 · 43% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in Prince George's County is 4.4%, 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.
Prince George's County (county-wide)
Safety
265 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Lanham doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Prince George's 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 1919/100k · Policed by Prince George's County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 25% above US
33 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 32.5 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. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 85°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▼ 23% below US
28% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 28%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Greenbelt Park (2 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Lanham's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,050/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who dread long commutes.
Other places near Lanham
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