191 years in pictures
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1835Brandywine is settled
Each edition grades its towns against each other only.

A town of 12,160, settled in 1835.
Brandywine's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades C, 220th of 259 graded towns in Maryland. The median household earns $158K and it has 12 miles of trail. Its weakest subject is schools: its public schools trail 92% of Maryland towns on state tests and graduation. Brandywine’s median rent is $2,757 a month, against $1,809 a month in Maryland’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Brandywine has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them William W. Early House and Chapel of the Incarnation. Only 10 of the 261 Maryland towns we compare have a higher average trip to work than Brandywine.
Where Brandywine beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
6,719 counted in 2010 and 10,550 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Brandywine is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for schools (better than 8%), so the C overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brandywine. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw16 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw17 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw17 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw16 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw17 mi National MemorialLincoln Memorial7.7M 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 · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · Lincoln Memorial: Aerial_view_of_Lincoln_Memorial_-_east_side.jpg: Carol M. Highsmith derivative w, Public domain
Brandywine is unincorporated, so Prince George's 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 Brandywine.
Brandywine sends many workers across the state line to Arlington, has household incomes well above the Maryland norm and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Maryland.
Its public schools are run by the Prince George's County Public Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Gwynn Park High, with 1,147 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gwynn Park MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 702 | C |
| Gwynn Park HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,147 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 96% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Brandywine.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
39% of working residents cross a state line to work, Arlington among the top destinations. The average commute for its 5,286 working residents takes 41.5 minutes, against 31.1 across Maryland.
Most working residents leave Brandywine for work: only 2% work in town. 26% of workers work from home in Brandywine. Jobs based in Brandywine grew to 2,641 in 2023, 945 more than in 2013.
| Brandywine | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $158,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 26% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 3.2% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The biggest park or preserve is Piscataway Creek Stream Valley Park, at 430 acres.
| Brandywine | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 19% | 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. Piscataway Creek Stream Valley Park | — | 430 |
| 2. Brandywine Area Recreation Area | — | 271 |
| 3. L P Cosca Regional Park | — | 45 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Brandywine has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 27° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median household earns $157,587, against $103,678 across Maryland, one input to its A− for jobs and income.
Adults 35 to 64 are 48% of residents (40% statewide); children under 18 are 18% of residents (22% statewide). 14% of Brandywine residents are 65 or older. 39% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 44% across Maryland.
| Brandywine | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 44 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 42% | 29% |
57% women, 43% men
About 77 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.2 points). Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 44.6, men 43.2.
| Brandywine | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.5% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.7% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.7% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.7% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.8% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.9% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.7% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.6% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.9% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.5% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.3% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Brandywine home is worth about $501,000, about the same as a year ago, 18% above the Maryland typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within Maryland it is less healthy than 68% of the 261 graded towns: Maryland sets a high bar. Against the 2,315 U.S. towns with household incomes like Brandywine’s, it is less healthy than 96%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Brandywine beats the Maryland average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9.
| Brandywine | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 38% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 20% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 36% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Brandywine | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.3% | 7.6% |
| Fewer adults with depression | 15.1% | 19.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.4% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4 within 15 miles of the center of Brandywine
About 6 of every 100 Brandywine residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Where Brandywine’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Brandywine on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 towns share a border with Brandywine.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C; Rosaryville (C) is closest.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandywine | #220 | C | C− | — | D | B |
| Clinton | #192 | C+ | C+ | — | D | B− |
| Rosaryville | #211 | C | C | — | D | B |
| Accokeek | #210 | C | C− | — | D | B+ |
| Waldorf | #162 | B− | C+ | — | C | B |
| Cedarville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Croom | — | — | B+ | — | D | B+ |
Croom has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Brandywine, Clinton, Rosaryville, Accokeek, Waldorf and Croom report no FBI crime data of their own. Cedarville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Brandywine with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Brandywine grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #220 of 259 in Maryland. It grades B for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 4 years of the area's median household income ($126,684 across the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.