110 years in pictures
Census counts: 4,910 in 2000, 8,650 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2016 and 5 maps from 1913 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1916Bryans Road is settled
Each edition grades its towns against each other only.

The town, settled in 1916, counts 9,371 residents.
One weak subject stands out against an otherwise good record. Bryans Road’s overall grade is B, better than 57% of U.S. towns. Its place in the ranking is 146th of 259 in Maryland. On incomes it is strong: the median household earns $118K. Add walkability to its strengths: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than just over two thirds of U.S. towns. The trade-off is schools: its schools rank behind just over two thirds of the state's. It lags on cost of living as well — the typical home is worth about $418K, 3.3 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. The biggest park or preserve is Chapman Residual, at 1,354 acres.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · OpenStreetMap.
Where Bryans Road beats most towns.
7,244 counted in 2010 and 8,650 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Bryans Road is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,910 in 2000, 8,650 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2016 and 5 maps from 1913 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bryans Road. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw20 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw19 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw20 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw20 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw20 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
Bryans Road is unincorporated, so Charles 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 Bryans Road.
Bryans Road sends many workers across the state line to Arlington and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Maryland.
43% of Bryans Road’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 13%. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 99% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Bryans Road once, in 2003.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The Charles County Public Schools runs its public schools. The 2 public schools in Bryans Road teach 1,354 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Henson Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 701 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
5.7 miles of trail wind through 5 parks and preserves. Bryans Road’s trail density comes in at 0.4 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves in the town: 5, covering 2,549 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chapman State Park | 3.2 mi | 750 |
| 2. Chapman Residual | — | 1,354 |
| 3. Mattawoman Natural Environment Area | — | 425 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
38% of working residents cross a state line to work, Arlington among the top destinations. Bryans Road has 799 jobs for its 3,943 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Washington (24%), Waldorf (6%) and Arlington (3%). For most workers, Bryans Road is a place to come home to: only 2% work in town. The mean commuting time for Bryans Road comes to 45 minutes, above both the Maryland town median (32 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Bryans Road: 19% of workers do their job from home.
| Bryans Road | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 45 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 2.8% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $118,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 19% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In July, afternoons reach 88°; in January, nights fall to 27°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within Maryland it is less healthy than 64% of the 261 graded towns: Maryland sets a high bar. Against the 5,969 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bryans Road’s, it is less healthy than 71%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Among adults in Bryans Road, 42% sleep under 7 hours. This Maryland town beats the Maryland average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
| Bryans Road | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 20% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Bryans Road | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.7% | 7.6% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.4% | 5.8% |
| More adults with obesity | 42% | 35.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On the market in Bryans Road: a median 44 days to sell. The going rate for rent for Bryans Road comes to $2,169 a month, against $1,809 a month in Maryland’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. For households in the town, the share who are owner-occupiers is 94%. Also worth knowing: a typical home here is worth about $418,000, down 1.3% in a year, close to the Maryland typical home.
| Bryans Road | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 94% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,169 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bryans Road
About 7 of every 100 Bryans Road residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Where Bryans Road’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Bryans Road.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Bryans Road is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charles County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 8,650. Bryans Road was named after Oliver Norris Bryan, a 19th-century farmer and scientist who owned and operated Locust Grove Farm near Marshall Hall. The area consisted mostly of tobacco farms until the establishment of the Naval Proving Grounds at Indian Head in 1890. Some commercial establishments came about by the early 1920s, when the name "Bryans Road" first appeared on maps. The construction of Maryland Route 210 (Indian Head Highway) during World War II brought new traffic. By the early 1960s, Bryans Road became an established bedroom community for bot…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Bryans Road.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryans Road | #146 | B | C+ | — | C | B |
| Bensville | #195 | C | C− | — | C | B |
| Potomac Heights | — | — | A+ | — | C | B− |
| Accokeek | #210 | C | C− | — | D | B+ |
Potomac Heights has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Bryans Road, Bensville, Potomac Heights and Accokeek report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bryans Road with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Bryans Road grades B overall, better than 57% of U.S. towns and #146 of 259 in Maryland. It grades B for health and C for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
3 notable people were born here, including A. J. DeLaGarza and Steve Blanchard.