Untitled photo, 2004
Adamstown’s story
186 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
- 1840Adamstown is settled
AdamstownMD
A town of 2,025, settled in 1840.
Photo: Rick Calvert · Public domain
Population
2,025
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$650K
−0.3% in a year
Household income
$196K
median
Median age
52.1
years
Jobs based here
517
A commuter town
Is Adamstown a good place to live?
Adamstown’s best subject grades are an A+ for incomes and an A for health; its weakest is a C for walkability. Adamstown’s median household income is $196,000, where Maryland’s towns sit at $113,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. On incomes, just 15 of Maryland’s 329 towns do better. Adamstown has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Adamstown stand out
Where Adamstown beats most towns.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Adamstown for work
Where Adamstown’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
517jobs based in Adamstown
0%of working residents work in town
23 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Adamstown grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Adamstown is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 2% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA+Open →Jobs & incomeA+Open →HealthFrederick Health Hospital 8.6 miles awayAOpen →SchoolsA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.3 of 20; 1.2% of households have no car; 0.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $650K, 5.1 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market$650K typical home, down 0.3% in a year–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 52.1; 56% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 321 attractions →White House and 235 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Adamstown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw37 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw37 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw37 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw37 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw30 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain ComplexSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
White House: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Washington Monument: Oren Rozen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0 · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · Raven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain
Getting set up
Moving to Adamstown: who provides what
Adamstown is unincorporated, so Frederick County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPotomac Edison15.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNew Design - Frederick County water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesFrederick CountyFrederick County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Maryland you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereFrederick County Board of ElectionsFrederick County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2023
ZIP code2171021710 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Adamstown.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Adamstown
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 98% of U.S. communities.
2risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesTornadoes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsA−
On state tests, Adamstown’s schools beat 76% of Maryland districts
Its public schools are run by the Frederick County Public Schools. Its one school is below.
76%of MD districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll Manor ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 530 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
HealthA
Adamstown is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns
Adamstown beats the Maryland average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 10% of adults report frequent physical distress in Adamstown, below both Maryland’s towns (12%) and U.S. towns (14%). 18% of adults get no exercise outside work in Adamstown.
90%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Adamstown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 23% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 11% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Maryland
15 better16 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Adamstown | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.8% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.8% | 15.4% |
| More binge drinkers | 16.7% | 14.1% |
Frederick Health Hospital
8.6 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade B−
Adamstown stands out in Maryland and nationally: a larger share of its households own their home
98% of Adamstown households own their home. The typical Adamstown home is worth about $650,000, about the same as a year ago, 53% above the Maryland typical home.
$650KZillow home value
Typical home value
Adamstown$650K
Maryland$425K
−0.3%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
A smaller share of residents in Adamstown live below the poverty line than in the typical Maryland or U.S. town
Only 2 of the 262 Maryland towns we compare have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Adamstown. The average trip to work in Adamstown is 35 minutes. Jobs based in Adamstown grew to 517 in 2023, 290 more than in 2013.
0%work in town
| Adamstown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 0.9% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.5% | 3.1% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Adamstown0%
Frederick11%
Ballenger Creek9%
Rockville8%
Gaithersburg5%
23 mi
median commute distance
517
jobs based in Adamstown
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 31% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Adamstown has four seasons and pleasant summers
Adamstown has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
31″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter27–44°
Spring43–65°
Summer64–85°
Fall46–67°
Nov 6
typical first frost
Apr 2
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3.1%conserved
| Adamstown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.1% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
3.1%
conserved · 21 of 676 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Green Hill Park | 0.1 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Adamstown
17pages on Adamstown
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Adamstown
Hood CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Frederick8.3 mi$47,700 tuitionFrederick Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Frederick10.4 mi$3,849 in-state tuition
About 8 of every 100 Adamstown residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
About Adamstown
Census-designated place in Maryland
Adamstown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. It is named for Adam Kohlenberg (March 11, 1819 – January 1, 1868), a station agent and first town merchant who owned much of present-day Adamstown. As of the 2020 census, the Adamstown CDP had a population of 2,331.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1840
- Area
- 3.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 305 ft
- ZIP code
- 21710
Questions about Adamstown
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Adamstown, MD expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.