Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
College Park's standout: few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Overall it grades B−, better than 52% of U.S. towns. Natural-hazard risk is low and 12% of its land is conserved. Its weakest subject is schools: its schools rank behind 92% of the state's. College Park is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Maryland’s towns. 33% of residents live below the poverty line in College Park, above both Maryland’s towns (7%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). College Park is home to University of Maryland-College Park. Only 1 of the 261 Maryland towns we compare have a lower median age than College Park.
Where College Park beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Paint Branch Elementary | PK–5 | 488 |
| Hollywood Elementary | PK–5 | 284 |
| Holy Redeemer School | PK–8 | 191 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far College Park is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for schools (better than 8%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 11,170 in 1950, 34,740 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 3 maps from 1900 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around College Park. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw9 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw9 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw11 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw10 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaNorthwest StadiumWhite 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 · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0 · Northwest Stadium: Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in College Park, and how to reach them.
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 College Park.
College Park is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Washington and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
52.9% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.9% statewide, which pulls the median age down. Only 34% of households own their home, against 67.6% across Maryland.
11% of College Park residents are under 18. Adults 18 to 34 are 65% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 19% of residents (40% statewide). 6.3% of College Park residents are 65 or older.
| College Park | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 11% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 6.3% | 16% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 53% | 42% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.9 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women. Among residents 65 to 74, 61% are men (MD 46%). Median age: women 21.1, men 21.9.
| College Park | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.5% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 51.4% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.3% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.8% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.6% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 5.3% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 4.4% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 1.8% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.2% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.4% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.2% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.5% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.3% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 24.3% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Its public schools are run by the Prince George's County Public Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paint Branch ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 488 | C |
| Al-Huda School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 731 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
21,269 jobs are based in College Park, 2.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave College Park for work: only 8% work in town. The median household income in College Park is $70,000. Since 2013, College Park has lost 4,392 jobs, to 21,269 in 2023.
| College Park | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $70,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 16% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.5% | 3.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 97% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 41 flood insurance claims have been paid out in College Park.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4.3 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Paint Branch Stream Valley Park, at 202 acres. College Park’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Paint Branch Stream Valley Park | 0.8 mi | 202 |
| 2. Lakeland Park | 0.5 mi | 17 |
| 3. Lake Artemesia Park | 0.1 mi | 86 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 10,499 U.S. towns with household incomes like College Park’s, it is healthier than 86%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within Maryland it is less healthy than 57% of the 261 graded towns: Maryland sets a high bar.
21% of adults have high blood pressure in College Park. College Park beats the Maryland average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 23% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in College Park.
| College Park | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 35% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 34% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 68% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | College Park | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 2.7% | 7.6% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 11.9% | 25.8% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 16% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
College Park has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 26° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
65.7% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.5% across Maryland.
The typical College Park home is worth about $429,000, down 2.1% in a year, close to the Maryland typical home.
| College Park | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 34% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,912 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
33 within 15 miles of the center of College Park
College town 53 of every 100 College Park residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
30,413 counted in 2010 and 34,740 in 2020; an estimated 35,418 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
4 places in College Park on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in College Park.
City in Maryland, United States
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located approximately four miles (6.4 km) from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. Its population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the home of the University of Maryland, College Park. College Park is also home to federal agencies such as the National Archives at College Park (Archives II), NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, and the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, as well as tech companies such as IonQ (quantum computing) and Cybrary (cyber security). College Park Airport, established in 1909, is the world's oldest continuously operated airport. The College Park Aviation Muse…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with College Park.
It grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Berwyn Heights (C+) comes closest.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College Park | – | B− | C+ | — | D | B+ |
| Adelphi | #234 | C− | C | — | D | C |
| Beltsville | #203 | C | C | — | D | B |
| Greenbelt | #235 | C− | B− | D− | D | B |
| Riverdale Park | #250 | D | C− | D | D | C |
| Berwyn Heights | #171 | C+ | C− | C+ | D | A− |
| University Park | — | — | C− | B | D | A |
University Park has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. College Park, Adelphi and Beltsville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare College Park with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
College Park grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns. College Park is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Maryland’s towns. It grades B+ for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.4 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+.
3 notable people were born here, including Jason Wolfe and Maxine Baker.
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