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Cabin John
Maryland›Montgomery County

Cabin JohnMD

A town of 2,179, settled in 1878.

5 bordering townsMap →
Cabin John Aqueduct · Photo: Moreau1 · Public domain
Photo of Cabin John

Cabin John, MD · Cabin John Aqueduct · Photo: Moreau1 · Public domain

Is Cabin John a good place to live?

The best of Cabin John’s subject grades are an A+ for incomes and health and an A for walkability; the weakest is a D for cost of living. 87% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Cabin John, against 42% in Maryland’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Only 2 of Maryland’s 329 towns score higher on incomes. Cabin John's schools rank ahead of 72% of Maryland towns. 32% of the land in Cabin John is conserved, above both Maryland’s towns (9.5%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 6 of Maryland’s 329 towns score higher on the outdoors. Cabin John Aqueduct is on the National Register of Historic Places. Cabin John has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

What makes Cabin John stand out

Where Cabin John beats most towns.

A commuter town

98% of working residents leave Cabin John for work

Where Cabin John’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

31% → Washington Washington 31% 11% → Bethesda Bethesda 11% 4% → Rockville Rockville 4% 3% → Arlington Arlington 3% 3% → Potomac Potomac 3% 2% → North Bethesda North Bethesda 2% Cabin John · 2% stay
476jobs based in Cabin John
2%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How Cabin John grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Cabin John is from typical.

How grading works

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Cabin John Aqueduct
Cabin John Aqueduct · National Register of Historic Places
Cabin John’s story

148 years in pictures

Census counts: 1,734 in 2000, 2,459 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1859 and 7 maps from 1900 on.

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • 1878Cabin John is settled
Explore the history →
Nearby attractions

White House and 287 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cabin John. Close and well known come first.

All 326 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

White 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

Getting set up

Moving to Cabin John: who provides what

Cabin John is unincorporated, so Montgomery County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPotomac Electric Power21.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWSSC WaterNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesmontgomerycountymd.govMontgomery County provides services here
SchoolsMontgomery County Public SchoolsWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn 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).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereMontgomery County Board of ElectionsMontgomery County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2025
ZIP codes20818, 2081720818 74% · 20817 25%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Cabin John.

HousingCost of living grade D

In Cabin John, the median rent runs higher than in the typical Maryland or U.S. town

The median rent in Cabin John is $3,501 a month. The typical Cabin John home is worth about $1,264,000, up 0.7% in a year, 3 times the Maryland typical home. 95% of Cabin John households own their home.

$1.26MZillow home value
Cabin JohnMaryland townsU.S. towns
Median rent$3,501 a month$1,809 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home95%74%73%

Typical home value

Cabin John$1.26M
Maryland$425K
+0.7%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

HealthA+

Cabin John stands out in Maryland and nationally, with fewer of its adults who have obesity

23% of adults have obesity in Cabin John. Cabin John beats the Maryland average on 25 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 18% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Cabin John.

99%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
Cabin JohnMaryland townsU.S. towns
Obesity (CDC PLACES)23%36%35%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)9.7%15%17%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)28%38%36%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)4.6%11%14%
32 measures vs. Maryland
25 better5 too close to call2 worse
What stands outCabin JohnMD
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth2.6%9.9%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity4.8%15.4%
More adults who have had cancer10.4%7.6%
Suburban Hospital
3.3 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A

Very low risk in Cabin John, with inland flooding at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cabin John.

9risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
9Very low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingHurricanesEarthquakes
15
paid flood claims since 1979
1
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

OutdoorsA+

Conserved land covers nearly a third of Cabin John

4.8 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. Cabin John’s trail density is 3.0 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Cabin John Stream Valley Park, 106 acres with 2 miles of trail.

31.8%conserved
31.8%
conserved · 327 of 1,029 acres
4.8 mi
of trails · 3 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Cabin John Stream Valley Park2 mi106
2. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park—20
3. Seven Locks Local Park0.1 mi11

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+

Cabin John has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out

Most working residents leave Cabin John for work: only 2% work in town. Among 262 Maryland towns, just 2 have a higher median household income than Cabin John. Since 2013, Cabin John has added 50 jobs, to 476 in 2023.

2%work in town
Cabin JohnMaryland townsU.S. towns
Median household income$250,000$113,000$80,000
Below the poverty line0.8%7%9.6%
Average trip to work31 minutes32 minutes25 minutes
Working residents who work in town1.5%3.1%8%

Where working residents work

In Cabin John2%
Washington31%
Bethesda11%
Rockville4%
Arlington3%
9 mi
median commute distance
476
jobs based in Cabin John
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

In Cabin John, expect four seasons and pleasant summers

Cabin John has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 26° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.

6″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter28–45°
Spring44–65°
Summer66–85°
Fall48–68°
Oct 31
typical first frost
Apr 9
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Cabin John

17pages on Cabin John
After high school

Colleges nearby

36 within 15 miles of the center of Cabin John

About Cabin John

Census-designated place in Maryland, United States

Cabin John is a census-designated place and unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 2,459. Overlooking the Potomac River, it is a suburb of Washington, D.C.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
1.6 sq mi
Elevation
171 ft
ZIP code
20818
Area code
301, 240

Cabin John’s neighbors

5 towns share a border with Cabin John.

Explore the map →
How the neighbors grade
TownMD rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Cabin John——D—B+A+
Potomac#40AD—B+A+
Glen Echo——————
Brookmont#17A+C−—B+A+
Bethesda#37AD—B+A+

Cabin John has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Cabin John, Potomac, Brookmont and Bethesda report no FBI crime data of their own. Glen Echo isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cabin John with a neighbor →

Questions about Cabin John

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Cabin John, MD expensive?

Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.