Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 18,336 people, lies in Maryland.
Several subjects drag its grade down. Its lowest grade is for schools (D): its public schools trail 92% of Maryland towns on state tests and graduation. Overall, East Riverdale earns a C−, better than 18% of U.S. towns. It ranks 240th of 259 in Maryland. At about $363K, a typical home costs 2.9 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Where it does best is walkability (A+): it is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. Nearly a quarter of residents live below the poverty line here, above both Maryland’s towns (7%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 28 of Maryland’s 329 towns score lower on health.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES.
Where East Riverdale beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| William Wirt Middle | 6–8 | 1,124 |
| Parkdale High | 9–12 | 2,588 |
15,509 counted in 2010 and 18,459 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far East Riverdale is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for schools (better than 8%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 8,941 in 1970, 18,459 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2016 and 3 maps from 1900 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around East Riverdale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw8 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw10 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw10 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw8 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw4 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 · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0 · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · Northwest Stadium: Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0
East Riverdale 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 East Riverdale.
East Riverdale draws workers from Washington and beyond and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has poverty well above the Maryland rate.
8,801 jobs are based in East Riverdale, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 24% of working residents cross a state line to work.
Among residents in East Riverdale, 24% live below the poverty line. Jobs based in East Riverdale grew to 8,801 in 2023, 4,866 more than in 2013. In East Riverdale, the typical journey to work is 33 minutes. The top destinations are Washington (25%), Baltimore (3%) and Bethesda (3%).
| East Riverdale | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $82,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 3.2% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The largest public high school is Parkdale High, with 2,588 students. Its two schools are below. The 2 public schools in East Riverdale teach 3,712 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Wirt MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,124 | C− |
| Parkdale HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,588 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
On expected storm and flood damage, East Riverdale sits below 91% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts just over two fifths of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 15% to heat waves.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Only 3 of the 261 Maryland towns we compare have a lower share of adults who had a checkup this year than East Riverdale. On the CDC’s 32 measures, East Riverdale is ahead of Maryland on 6 and behind on 22.
| East Riverdale | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 14% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 79% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 8% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | East Riverdale | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.6% | 7.6% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 19.4% | 25.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 29.2% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The town’s typical July afternoon high comes in at 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 2.9 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income, the typical home (about $363K) costs less against local pay than in 84% of Maryland towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
East Riverdale’s rent at the middle of the market stands at $1,716 a month. The typical home value here is about $363,000, down 3.2% in a year, 14% below the Maryland typical home. In East Riverdale, 53% of households are owner-occupiers.
| East Riverdale | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,716 a month | $1,810 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
For East Riverdale, the trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile. Walkers can cover 0.2 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Baltimore-Washington Parkway, at 91 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Baltimore-Washington Parkway | — | 91 |
| 2. Browning's Grove Park | 0.2 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
33 within 15 miles of the center of East Riverdale
About 5 of every 100 East Riverdale residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Where East Riverdale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
East Riverdale is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 18,459 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with East Riverdale.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Riverdale | #240 | C− | C+ | — | D | C− |
| Riverdale Park | #250 | D | C− | D | D | C |
| Bladensburg | #252 | D | C+ | D | D | C− |
| Woodlawn | #175 | C+ | B− | — | D | C+ |
| Edmonston | — | — | C | — | D | B+ |
| New Carrollton | #236 | C− | C | C− | D | C+ |
| Greenbelt | #235 | C− | B− | D− | D | B |
Edmonston has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. East Riverdale, Woodlawn and Edmonston report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare East Riverdale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
East Riverdale grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #240 of 259 in Maryland. It grades C− for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
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