Photo: Preservation Maryland · CC BY-SA 2.0Living in Benedict, MD: what to set up and who to call
Benedict has no town government of its own, so Charles County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Charles County Public Schools. Tap water in Benedict comes from the Benedict water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 23% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Benedict, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Benedict.
Power comes from Southern Maryland Elec Coop
Southern Maryland Elec Coop (Southern Maryland Elec Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Benedict. Its homes paid an average of 16.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $192 a month (its average across Maryland, for customers on its standard service). Maryland lets you buy power from another supplier; 0% of Southern Maryland Elec Coop’s home customers do, and Southern Maryland Elec Coop still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Benedict water system
The Benedict water system supplies almost all of Benedict. It draws ground water and serves 376 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MD0080062.
4 home internet providers serve Benedict
100% of 142 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 92% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 1,200/35 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 94% | 2,300/2,300 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 11% | 25/3 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 9% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 4 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Benedict.
Barstow Convenience Center
350 Stafford Road, Barstow
This isn’t Benedict’s own facility. Whether Benedict residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Benedict is in Charles County Public Schools.
Test scores and every school: see Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Benedict is unincorporated, so Charles County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Mar 2018; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.
Benedict is in ZIP code 20612
ZIP codes where Benedict residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Benedict | ZIP’s residents in Benedict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20612 | Benedict, MD | 100% | 100% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Benedict
Who supplies Benedict’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Benedict water system (EPA ID MD0080062). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Benedict?
Southern Maryland Elec Coop (Southern Maryland Elec Coop Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 16.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Benedict?
Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Benedict?
20612. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Benedict in?
Charles County Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Benedict?
In 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). Elections here are run by the Charles County Board of Elections. Check your registration at voterservices.elections.maryland.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.