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Moving to
Waldorf.
Waldorf is an unincorporated community in Charles 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 Waldorf
Waldorf is a large unincorporated community in Maryland with household incomes running above the national average, 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. Waldorf deals with rent well above the national average and long average commutes.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Long commutes
How Waldorf compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Waldorf
Based on Waldorf's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,990
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $79,800 a year
- 45% of Waldorf renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$81,520
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $40,760
- 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▲ 41% above US
$1,995/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $1,995 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 $407,600. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $407,600 · 45% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Charles County is 4.2%, 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.
Charles County (county-wide)
Safety
273 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Waldorf doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Charles County Sheriff's Office 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 944/100k · Policed by Charles County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 58% above US
41 min average commute
Commutes run long, averaging 41.1 minutes, and that's just the average, meaning a lot of people are doing significantly more. This isn't a city where living far from the office is a comfortable bet. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 17% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 86°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 29°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
35% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 35% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
17 public schools inside the boundary
There are 17 public schools 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 Fort Washington Park (9 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Waldorf's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a growing population; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and long average commutes. A year of median rent ($1,995/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (17% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who dread long commutes.
Other places near Waldorf
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