210 years in pictures
Census counts: 19,810 in 2000, 15,421 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1936 and 4 maps from 1945 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1816Colesville is settled
Each edition grades its towns against each other only.

A town of 14,519, settled in 1816.
Few places in the country grade higher. Colesville earns an A, 29th of 259 graded towns in Maryland. The median household earns $131K, it is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns, and natural-hazard risk is low. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $617K for a typical one and 4.9 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Colesville’s trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile, against 0.6 in Maryland’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Colesville is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. Milimar is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Colesville beats most towns.
Where Colesville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Colesville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 19,810 in 2000, 15,421 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1936 and 4 maps from 1945 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Colesville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw13 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw14 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw13 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw13 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw13 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
Colesville is unincorporated, so Montgomery 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 Colesville.
Colesville has less tooth loss than most of Maryland and sends most of its workers to Washington and beyond, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
8.4 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park, at 153 acres with 3.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park | 3.9 mi | 153 |
| 2. Upper Paint Branch Stream Valley Park | 1.4 mi | 122 |
| 3. Paint Branch Stream Valley Park | 0.9 mi | 85 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Montgomery County Public Schools. One of its 5 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Tyler Page ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 620 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Maryland is tooth loss: 5.7% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.9% statewide. Against the 4,464 U.S. towns with household incomes like Colesville’s, it is healthier than 65%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
11% of adults report frequent mental distress in Colesville, where Maryland’s towns sit at 15% and U.S. towns at 17%. 16% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Colesville. Colesville beats the Maryland average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Colesville | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 20% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 36% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Colesville | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.7% | 9.9% |
| Fewer smokers | 6.9% | 10.9% |
| More adults with high cholesterol | 43.7% | 38.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 93% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Colesville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Colesville has 1,960 jobs for its 6,548 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. 32.5% of workers work from home, against 19.3% across Maryland.
Most working residents leave Colesville for work: only 2% work in town. 33% of Colesville workers work from home. Jobs based in Colesville grew to 1,960 in 2023, 309 more than in 2013.
| Colesville | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 33% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $131,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.4% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Colesville has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
82.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.5% across Maryland.
The median rent in Colesville is $1,893 a month.
| Colesville | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,893 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
32 within 15 miles of the center of Colesville
About 7 of every 100 Colesville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Colesville is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 15,421 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Colesville.
It grades higher overall than all 7 graded towns on its borders; Layhill (A) comes closest.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colesville | #29 | A | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Fairland | #72 | A− | C | — | B+ | A− |
| Glenmont | #66 | A | C− | — | B+ | A− |
| Cloverly | #73 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Kemp Mill | #46 | A | C | — | B+ | A |
| White Oak | #125 | B+ | C− | — | B+ | B+ |
| Layhill | #41 | A | C | — | B+ | A− |
| Wheaton | #87 | A− | C | — | B+ | A− |
Colesville, Fairland, Glenmont, Cloverly, Kemp Mill, White Oak, Layhill and Wheaton report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Colesville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Colesville grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #29 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $617,000, 45% above the Maryland typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.