Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 26,390.
Yes, by almost any measure. Ballenger Creek earns an A, 31st of 259 graded towns in Maryland. Residents are healthier than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, the median household earns $109K, and its public schools beat 76% of Maryland towns on state tests and graduation. Its lowest mark, a C+, is in cost of living. Ballenger Creek has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Monocacy National Battlefield and Guilford. 10% of residents are 65 or older in Ballenger Creek, against 16% in Maryland’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Monocacy National Battlefield - Best Farm, at 204 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Ballenger Creek beats most towns.
18,274 counted in 2010 and 24,999 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Ballenger Creek is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Monocacy National Battlefield is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 5,546 in 1990, 24,999 in 2020. The archive holds 5 maps from 1908 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ballenger Creek. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw40 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw40 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw39 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw24 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
Big draw40 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a yearWhite 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 · Raven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain
Ballenger Creek is unincorporated, so Frederick 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 Ballenger Creek.
22,699 jobs are based in Ballenger Creek, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 17,304 in 2013 to 22,699.
Most working residents leave Ballenger Creek for work: only 11% work in town. The average trip to work in Ballenger Creek is 33 minutes. Jobs based in Ballenger Creek grew to 22,699 in 2023, 5,395 more than in 2013.
| Ballenger Creek | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 3.1% | 8% |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Frederick County Public Schools. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestwood MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 996 | B− |
| Tuscarora HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,735 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 97% of U.S. communities. Since 2015, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ballenger Creek.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
9.5% of adults smoke cigarettes in Ballenger Creek. Ballenger Creek beats the Maryland average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 21% of adults get no exercise outside work in Ballenger Creek.
| Ballenger Creek | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 11% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 23% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Ballenger Creek | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.6% | 3.4% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.7% | 9.9% |
| Fewer women getting mammograms | 75.9% | 80.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Ballenger Creek 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.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 10% of residents (17% statewide). 46% of Ballenger Creek adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Ballenger Creek | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34.3 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 42% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 26% | 23% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 35.4, men 32.9.
| Ballenger Creek | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.9% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.8% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.8% | 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 | 11.8% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.1% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.2% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.6% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.1% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.3% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.5% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.1% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.3% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
3.8 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
| Ballenger Creek | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.8% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Monocacy National Battlefield - Best Farm | 1.3 mi | 204 |
| 2. Ballenger Creek Park | 0.8 mi | 91 |
| 3. Monocacy River Park | — | 53 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Ballenger Creek’s median rent is $1,987 a month.
| Ballenger Creek | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,987 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Ballenger Creek
About 7 of every 100 Ballenger Creek residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Where Ballenger Creek’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Ballenger Creek on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in Maryland
Ballenger Creek is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. It is a part of the Frederick, Maryland urban area and is adjacent to Frederick's southern city limits. The CDP had a 2010 census population of 18,274.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Ballenger Creek.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballenger Creek | #31 | A | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Frederick | #114 | B+ | C+ | C− | A− | A− |
Ballenger Creek reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Ballenger Creek with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Ballenger Creek grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #31 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A− for health and A− for schools.
The typical home is worth about $387,000, 9% 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 C+.
