Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bel Air is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 158th of 259 graded towns in Maryland, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: residents are healthier than 69% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $457K for a typical one and 4.6 times the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income. Bel Air is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. Bel Air has 8 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Hays-Heighe House and Medical Hall Historic District. 16% of residents are under 18 in Bel Air, below both the Maryland town median (23%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%).
Where Bel Air beats most towns.
Census counts: 255 in 1850, a low of 197 in 1860, 10,661 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers and 6 maps from 1901 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Bel Air is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bel Air, and how to reach them.
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 Bel Air.
Bel Air draws workers from Bel Air South and beyond and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Maryland.
14,915 jobs are based in Bel Air, 3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 10,364 in 2013 to 14,915.
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Bel Air rose by 4,551, to 14,915. Commuting out is the norm in the town: 15% of working residents work locally. Bel Air: 14% of residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Baltimore (12%), Bel Air South (5%) and Towson (4%).
| Bel Air | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 3.1% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 10% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The largest public high school is Bel Air High, with 1,341 students. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by the Harford County Public Schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bel Air MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,080 | B+ |
| Bel Air HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,341 | A+ |
| Bel Air ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 521 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Paid flood insurance claims in Bel Air since 1978: 6. Compared with 90% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower. Expected losses in Bel Air break down as 57% from inland flooding and 10% from heat waves.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Bel Air’s rate of thefts and burglaries is 22.5 per 1,000 residents. Within Maryland, it does better than 53% of towns.
| Bel Air | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 22.5 per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within Maryland it is less healthy than 56% of the 261 graded towns: Maryland sets a high bar.
12% of adults worry about having enough food in Bel Air. The town does better than the Maryland average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 4. Among adults here, 15% binge drink and 12% smoke cigarettes.
| Bel Air | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bel Air | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.1% | 13.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.7% | 15.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The range runs from 24° on a January night to 88° on a July afternoon, with about 18 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Here, 43% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 44% in Maryland as a whole.
| Bel Air | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 42% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.6 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.2 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Bel Air | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.2% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.7% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.2% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.6% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.7% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.8% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.1% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.4% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.9% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.9% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.7% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.7% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.3% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Walkers can cover 0.9 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Rockfield Park, at 54 acres. The density of trails in Bel Air is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Bel Air | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.7% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rockfield Park | 0.6 mi | 54 |
| 2. Heavenly Waters Park | — | 11 |
| 3. Aquila Scott Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
For Bel Air, the going rate for rent is $1,492 a month. The typical Bel Air home is worth about $457,000, up 1% in a year, 8% above the Maryland typical home. The share of households in Bel Air who live in a home they own: 59%.
| Bel Air | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,492 a month | $1,810 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bel Air. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaM&T Bank Stadium
23 mi Stadium & arenaOriole Park at Camden Yards
22 mi MuseumNS Savannah
22 mi National MonumentFort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine283K visitors a year
22 mi MuseumWalters Art Museum
22 mi Stadium & arenaCFG Bank ArenaM&T Bank Stadium: United States Department of Defense Cherie Cullen, Public domain · Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0 · NS Savannah: Elton Lord/Atomic Energy Commission, Public domain · Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine: ScottyBoy900Q at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walters Art Museum: Dylan k, CC BY-SA 3.0 · CFG Bank Arena: Don Woods, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bel Air
About 5 of every 100 Bel Air residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Where Bel Air’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
8 places in Bel Air on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Bel Air.
Town in Maryland, United States
Bel Air is a town and the county seat of Harford County, Maryland, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, the population of the town was 10,661. The United States Census Bureau defines an urban area in northeast Maryland in which Bel Air is the principal settlement: the Bel Air–Aberdeen urban area had a population of 214,647 as of the 2020 census, making it the 180th most populous in the United States.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Bel Air.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bel Air | #158 | B− | C | C | B | B+ |
| Bel Air North | #62 | A | C+ | — | B | A |
| Bel Air South | #67 | A | C | — | B | A− |
Bel Air North and Bel Air South report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bel Air with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bel Air grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #158 of 259 in Maryland. It grades B+ for health, C for safety and B for schools.
Within Maryland, it does better than 53% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
16 notable people were born here, including Chase Kalisz and Edwin Booth.
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