Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 31,695, settled in 1873.
Yes, by almost any measure. Eldersburg earns an A, 33rd of 259 graded towns in Maryland. The median household earns $143K, its schools outperform 92% of the state's, and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 87% of the country. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. Eldersburg’s trail density is 2.4 miles per square mile, above both Maryland’s towns (0.6) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest place to walk is Liberty Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area, 3,277 acres with 44.7 miles of trail.
Where Eldersburg beats most towns.
20.6% of the town is conserved land, across 15 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Eldersburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Eldersburg. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw36 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw37 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw36 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw36 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw34 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain ComplexWhite 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 · Raven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain
Eldersburg is unincorporated, so Carroll 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 Eldersburg.
Eldersburg has schools in the top 5% of Maryland and has less food insecurity than most of Maryland.
100 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Liberty Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area | 44.7 mi | 3,277 |
| 2. Patapsco Valley State Park McKeldin Area | 14.5 mi | 573 |
| 3. Piney Run Park | 12.6 mi | 532 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A ranks #6 of the 261 Maryland towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Carroll County Public Schools. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma Road MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 816 | A− |
| Century HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,101 | A+ |
| Liberty HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,007 | 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 1979, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Eldersburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its widest gap with Maryland is food insecurity: 7.7% of its 25,028 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide. Against the 3,323 U.S. towns with household incomes like Eldersburg’s, it is healthier than 51%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
30% of Eldersburg adults feel lonely, below both the Maryland town median (34%) and the median of U.S. towns (33%). 13% of Eldersburg adults say their health is fair or poor. Eldersburg beats the Maryland average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Eldersburg | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 33% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | Eldersburg | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.7% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.5% | 13.5% |
| More binge drinkers | 17.3% | 14.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Eldersburg for work: only 11% work in town. The average trip to work in Eldersburg is 34 minutes. Jobs based in Eldersburg grew to 10,163 in 2023, 1,402 more than in 2013.
| Eldersburg | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $143,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 22% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Eldersburg has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Maryland average. 53% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Eldersburg.
| Eldersburg | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 53% | 42% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 39 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.3 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.7, men 38.6.
| Eldersburg | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.3% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.5% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.2% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.5% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.1% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.4% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.1% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.4% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.4% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.2% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 32.3% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.6% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Eldersburg’s median rent is $1,705 a month.
| Eldersburg | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,705 a month | $1,810 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
7 within 15 miles of the center of Eldersburg
About 6 of every 100 Eldersburg residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Where Eldersburg’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Eldersburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
Unincorporated community in Maryland, United States
Eldersburg is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The population was 30,531 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Eldersburg.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eldersburg | #33 | A | C | — | A | A |
| Sykesville | #20 | A+ | C | B+ | A | A |
Eldersburg reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Eldersburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Eldersburg grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #33 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A for health and A for schools.
The typical home is worth about $494,000, 16% 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.
