Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Easton is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, 188th among Maryland's 259 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 65% of the country. Expect to pay for it: the typical home is worth about $441K, 5.2 years of the Easton area’s $85K median household income. 31% of working residents work locally in Easton, where Maryland’s towns sit at 3.1% and U.S. towns at 8%. Easton has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Myrtle Grove and Troth's Fortune. Easton is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns.
Where Easton beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,413 in 1850, a low of 1,358 in 1860, 17,101 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 3 maps from 1904 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Easton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Easton, 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 Easton.
Easton draws workers from Cambridge and beyond and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Maryland.
11,412 jobs are based in Easton, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 20.4 minutes, against 31.1 across Maryland.
About one in 3 of Easton’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Easton is 20 minutes. The top destinations are Cambridge (4%), Baltimore (4%) and St.
| Easton | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Talbot County Public Schools. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Easton High, with 1,179 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easton ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 1,075 | C |
| Easton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,179 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 93% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Easton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Easton’s violent crime rate is 4.9 per 1,000 residents. Within Maryland, it does better than 41% of towns. Easton’s property crime rate is 16.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Easton | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
6.6 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is John F. Ford Park, 59 acres with 1.4 miles of trail.
| Easton | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. John F. Ford Park | 1.4 mi | 59 |
| 2. North Easton park | 0.2 mi | 27 |
| 3. Idlewild Park | 0.1 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
28% of residents are 65 or older in Easton. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 44% across Maryland.
| Easton | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 28% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 45.8 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 42% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 22% | 23% | 22% |
54% women, 46% men
About 85 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.8 points). Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Easton | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.2% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.6% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.4% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.7% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.8% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 16.4% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.6% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.9% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.1% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.4% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.7% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.3% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Easton has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 28° and about 14 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within Maryland it is less healthy than 62% of the 261 graded towns: Maryland sets a high bar.
33% of Easton adults sleep under 7 hours. Easton beats the Maryland average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 40% of Easton adults have high blood pressure.
| Easton | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 38% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 79% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Easton | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 32.5% | 37.7% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 72.7% | 68.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.2% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Easton home is worth about $441,000, down 0.6% in a year, close to the Maryland typical home.
| Easton | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,197 a month | $1,810 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Easton. Close and well known come first.
28 mi Stadium & arenaNavy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
32 mi Theme parkMaryland Renaissance Festival
8 mi Ancient siteWye House
27 mi LandmarkUnited States Naval Academy Cemetery
27 mi LandmarkTripoli Monument
39 mi LandmarkFort CarrollNavy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium: Damon J. Moritz, Public domain · Maryland Renaissance Festival: Wiki publius at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Wye House: Historic American Buildings Survey, Public domain · United States Naval Academy Cemetery: Unknown, Public domain · Tripoli Monument: Employees of the United States Naval Academy, Public domain · Fort Carroll: Jstuby at English Wikipedia, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Easton
About 4 of every 100 Easton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Where Easton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Easton on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Easton.
Town in Maryland, United States
Easton is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,101 at the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 17,342 in 2022. The primary ZIP Code is 21601, and the secondary is 21606. The primary phone exchange is 822, the auxiliary exchanges are 690, 819, 820, 763, and 770, and the area code is 410. Easton may be named because of its location east of Saint Michaels; however, it is more likely that it was named after Easton in Somerset, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Easton grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #188 of 259 in Maryland. It grades B for health, C− for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Maryland, it does better than 41% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
16 notable people were born here, including Maggie Rogers and Philip Francis Thomas.
