Moving to
South Laurel.

All South Laurel data Compare South Laurel

29,272people live here $88,933median household income▲ 10% above US $1,830median rent per month▲ 30% above US $458,100median home value▲ 38% above US

South Laurel 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 South Laurel

South Laurel is an unincorporated community in Maryland with household incomes running above the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, a highly educated workforce, 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. South Laurel deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and a population that has been shrinking.

The good

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
Shrinking population
High rent burden for renters

How South Laurel compares

Median household income

South Laurel$88,933

Maryland avg$103,678

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

South Laurel$1,830

Maryland avg$1,705

US$1,413

Median home value

South Laurel$458,100

Maryland avg$419,900

US$332,700

What it takes to move to South Laurel

Based on South Laurel's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,660

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $73,200 a year
54% of South Laurel renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$91,620

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $45,810
Homes cost 5.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 30% above US

$1,830/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,830 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $458,100. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $458,100 · 54% 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

South Laurel 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; 6% take public transit; 13% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

70%

Work from home

13%

Carpool

6.2%

Public transit

6.1%

Other

3.7%

Walk

0.6%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 87°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 29°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▲ 12% above US

40% bachelor's degree or higher

The population is well-educated, with 40% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.

Schools

5 public schools inside the boundary

There are 5 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, 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 (3 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

South Laurel'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 ($1,830/mo) equals 25% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who dread long commutes.

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