Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Ellicott City grades A overall, 50th among Maryland's 259 graded towns. Natural-hazard risk is low. The median household earns $157K and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 96% of the country. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $726K for a typical one and 7.3 times the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income. 69% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Ellicott City, where Maryland’s towns sit at 42% and U.S. towns at 29%. Its National Register listings include Ellicott City Station and Doughoregan Manor. Ellicott City's schools rank ahead of 88% of Maryland towns.
Where Ellicott City beats most towns.
Ellicott City Station| Widest gap | Ellicott City | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.2% | 8.4% |
Ellicott City Station is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 14 National Register listings are more than in 95% of Maryland towns with a listing.
Census counts: 17,455 in 1970, 75,947 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 6 maps from 1892 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Ellicott City is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 5%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ellicott City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw29 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw30 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw30 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw29 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaM&T Bank 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 · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0 · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · M&T Bank Stadium: United States Department of Defense Cherie Cullen, Public domain
Ellicott City is unincorporated, so Howard 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 Ellicott City.
Ellicott City has schools in the top 5% of Maryland and has less utility shut-off threats than most of Maryland, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Maryland.
63 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. Ellicott City’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile. PVSP Hollofield Area, at 610 acres with 10.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Patapsco Valley State Park Daniels Area | 11.7 mi | 451 |
| 2. PVSP Hollofield Area | 10.6 mi | 610 |
| 3. Patapsco Valley State Park Davis Area | 10.1 mi | 318 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A ranks #12 of the 261 Maryland towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $726K.
Its public schools are run by the Howard County Public Schools. Three of its 19 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 883 | A− |
| Mount Hebron HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,455 | A+ |
| Centennial HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,377 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
At 7.3 years of the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home (about $726K) costs more against local pay than in 96% of Maryland towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $8,044, against $4,093 across Maryland, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Ellicott City is $2,061 a month. The typical Ellicott City home is worth about $726,000, up 1% in a year, 71% above the Maryland typical home.
| Ellicott City | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,061 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Maryland is utility shut-off threats: 4.2% of its 56,772 adults were threatened with a utility shut-off, against 8.4% statewide.
11% of adults report frequent mental distress in Ellicott City. Ellicott City beats the Maryland average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 27% of adults have obesity in Ellicott City.
| Ellicott City | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ellicott City | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.2% | 8.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7% | 13.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.5% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 97% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 212 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ellicott City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Ellicott City for work: only 8% work in town. 27% of Ellicott City workers work from home. Jobs based in Ellicott City grew to 21,011 in 2023, 1,224 more than in 2013.
| Ellicott City | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $157,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 27% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ellicott City has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 24° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
17 within 15 miles of the center of Ellicott City
About 7 of every 100 Ellicott City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
65,834 counted in 2010 and 75,947 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
14 places in Ellicott City on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Ellicott City.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Ellicott City ( EL-ih-kət) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in and the county seat of Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its population was 75,947 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous unincorporated county seat in the United States. Ellicott City's historic downtown – the Ellicott City Historic District – lies in the valleys of the Tiber and Patapsco rivers. The historic district includes the Ellicott City Station; it is the oldest surviving train station in the United States, having been built in 1830 as the first terminus of the original B&O Railroad line. The historic district of the town is often called "…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Ellicott City.
Catonsville next door grades lower for schools (C− to Ellicott City’s A) and higher for cost of living (C− to D−).
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellicott City | #50 | A | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Catonsville | #131 | B | C− | — | C− | A− |
| Ilchester | #23 | A+ | D | — | A | A+ |
| Woodlawn | #181 | C+ | C+ | — | C− | C+ |
| Columbia | #36 | A | D | — | A | A |
Ellicott City, Catonsville, Ilchester, Woodlawn and Columbia report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ellicott City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Ellicott City grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #50 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A+ for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
10 notable people were born here, including Lauren Arikan and Bryce Hall.
