Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 22,507, settled in 1886.
Arbutus's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades B+, 109th among Maryland's 259 graded towns. It is healthier than 78% of U.S. towns and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is schools: its schools rank behind 76% of the state's. Arbutus has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Halethorpe Colored School. 11% of residents are 65 or older in Arbutus, where Maryland’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 18%.
Where Arbutus beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Arbutus is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Thomas Viaduct, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 22,402 in 1960, 21,655 in 2020. The archive holds 4 maps from 1944 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Arbutus. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw30 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw4 mi Stadium & arenaM&T Bank Stadium
Big draw32 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
5 mi Stadium & arenaOriole Park at Camden Yards
Big draw32 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal ArchWhite 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 · M&T Bank Stadium: United States Department of Defense Cherie Cullen, Public domain · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0 · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0
Arbutus is unincorporated, so Baltimore County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Arbutus.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 95% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 40 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Arbutus.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Baltimore County Public Schools. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arbutus MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 974 | B |
| Maiden Choice SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 118 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
31% of adults have high blood pressure in Arbutus. Arbutus beats the Maryland average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 77% of adults had a checkup this year in Arbutus.
| Arbutus | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 36% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 79% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 34% | 33% |
| What stands out | Arbutus | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.7% | 3.4% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8% | 9.9% |
| More adults with depression | 22.2% | 19.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Arbutus | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Patapsco Valley State Park Deep Run Area | 0.9 mi | 95 |
| 2. Patapsco Valley State Park Glen Artney Area | 0.1 mi | 20 |
| 3. Maiden Choice Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Arbutus has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Arbutus is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 30% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 11% of residents (17% statewide). 42% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 44% across Maryland.
| Arbutus | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.9 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 42% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.8 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 35.6, men 32.3.
| Arbutus | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.1% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.7% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.2% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.8% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.5% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.8% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.6% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.5% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.8% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.1% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.5% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 20% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.6% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.2% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.6% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The average commute for its 9,360 working residents takes 24.5 minutes, against 31.1 across Maryland.
Most working residents leave Arbutus for work: only 5% work in town. 14% of Arbutus residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Arbutus fell to 11,816 in 2023, 1,324 fewer than in 2013.
| Arbutus | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $99,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Arbutus’ median rent is $1,318 a month.
| Arbutus | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,318 a month | $1,810 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
19 within 15 miles of the center of Arbutus
About 11 of every 100 Arbutus residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Arbutus is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 20,483 at the 2010 census. The census area also contains the communities of Halethorpe and Relay, in which all three names were used during the 1960 census when the area had a population of 22,402.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Arbutus.
Ilchester next door grades higher for schools (A to Arbutus’s C−) and lower for cost of living (D to B−).
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbutus | #109 | B+ | B− | — | C− | A− |
| Catonsville | #131 | B | C− | — | C− | A− |
| Elkridge | #49 | A | D | — | A | A |
| Lansdowne | #206 | C | B− | — | C− | C− |
| Baltimore | #251 | D | B− | D− | D− | C |
| Ilchester | #23 | A+ | D | — | A | A+ |
Arbutus, Catonsville, Elkridge, Lansdowne and Ilchester report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Arbutus with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Arbutus grades B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns and #109 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A− for health and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
The typical home is worth about $323,000, 24% below the Maryland typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
2 notable people were born here, including Bob Ehrlich and Adrienne A. Jones.
