Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 8,206 residents and lies in Maryland.
A town of contrasts. Baltimore Highlands grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns. The ranking puts it 231st of 259 in Maryland. Its lowest grade is for health — residents are less healthy than 86% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also trails on schools (C−): its public schools trail 76% of Maryland towns on state tests and graduation. On walkability it is strong — it is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. Homes run about $267K for a typical one, 2.7 times the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income. Baltimore Highlands’ trail density is 2.3 miles per square mile, where Maryland’s towns sit at 0.6 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
Where Baltimore Highlands beats most towns.
24% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Baltimore Highlands is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 13,134 in 1960, a peak of 17,770 in 1970, 7,740 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 7 maps from 1894 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Baltimore Highlands. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw3 mi Stadium & arenaM&T Bank Stadium
Big draw32 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
3 mi Stadium & arenaOriole Park at Camden Yards
Big draw34 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw33 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 · M&T Bank Stadium: United States Department of Defense Cherie Cullen, Public domain · Washington Monument: Oren Rozen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0
Baltimore Highlands 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 Baltimore Highlands.
Baltimore Highlands has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Maryland, has homes that are cheap against local pay and is one of Maryland’s best towns for the outdoors.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #5 of 261 in Maryland.
4.2 miles of trail wind through 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Southwest Area Park, at 234 acres.
| Baltimore Highlands | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.3 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 24% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Patapsco Valley State Park Belle Grove Area | 1.2 mi | 126 |
| 2. Southwest Area Park | 0.9 mi | 234 |
| 3. Patapsco Flats | — | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The public schools here belong to the Baltimore County Public Schools. Its one school is below. Baltimore Highlands’ only public school teaches 461 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Highlands ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 461 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Baltimore Highlands’ risk rating from FEMA comes in at 5 of 100. Expected losses in Baltimore Highlands break down as 42% from heat waves and 29% from inland flooding. Paid flood insurance claims here since 2011: 2.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Baltimore Highlands: 15% of adults report frequent physical distress. Only 8 of the 261 Maryland towns we compare have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Baltimore Highlands. CDC measures, 32 in all: Baltimore Highlands beats Maryland on 1 and trails on 23.
| Baltimore Highlands | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 23% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 17% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 8% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Baltimore Highlands | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.1% | 7.6% |
| More uninsured adults | 17.8% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 1,095 in 2013 to 1,497.
Employers in Baltimore Highlands added 402 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,497. Most working residents leave Baltimore Highlands for work: only 2% work in town. 18% of residents live below the poverty line here. The top destinations are Baltimore (20%), Columbia (4%) and Linthicum (4%).
| Baltimore Highlands | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 11% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons average 89°, the #2 highest of 536 Maryland places with climate records; January nights average 27.5°.
About 19 inches of snow falls in a winter. Only 7 of the 261 Maryland towns we compare have a higher typical July afternoon high than Baltimore Highlands. In Baltimore Highlands, the January low is 28°F.
| Baltimore Highlands | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 89°F | 88°F | 85°F |
| January low | 28°F | 26°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 2.7 years of the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 89% of Maryland towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living.
The share of households in Baltimore Highlands who are owner-occupiers: 54%. Baltimore Highlands’ rent at the middle of the market stands at $1,392 a month.
| Baltimore Highlands | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,392 a month | $1,810 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
19 within 15 miles of the center of Baltimore Highlands
About 6 of every 100 Baltimore Highlands residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
7,019 counted in 2010 and 7,740 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Baltimore Highlands is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States, directly south of the city of Baltimore. The population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. At the 2000 census and earlier, the area was delineated as part of the Lansdowne-Baltimore Highlands CDP.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Baltimore Highlands.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Highlands | #231 | C− | C+ | — | C− | D |
| Brooklyn Park | #94 | A− | B | — | B− | B− |
| Baltimore | #251 | D | B− | D− | D− | C |
| Lansdowne | #206 | C | B− | — | C− | C− |
| Linthicum | #77 | A− | C+ | — | B− | A |
Baltimore Highlands, Brooklyn Park, Lansdowne and Linthicum report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Baltimore Highlands with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Baltimore Highlands grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #231 of 259 in Maryland. It grades D for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
The typical home is worth about $267,000, 37% 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+.
