Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,840.
Few places in the country grade higher. Forest Glen earns an A+, 7th of 259 graded towns in Maryland. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 95% of the country, the median household earns $128K, and few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Its lowest mark, a C+, is in cost of living. Forest Glen’s trail density is 2.9 miles per square mile, above both the Maryland town median (0.6) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Among 261 Maryland towns, just 8 have a higher share of workers working from home than Forest Glen. The biggest park or preserve is Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park, at 28 acres.
Where Forest Glen beats most towns.
14.1% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Forest Glen is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 7,344 in 2000, 6,897 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Forest Glen. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw9 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw10 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw9 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw9 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw9 mi National MemorialLincoln Memorial7.7M visitors a yearWhite 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 · Lincoln Memorial: Aerial_view_of_Lincoln_Memorial_-_east_side.jpg: Carol M. Highsmith derivative w, Public domain
Forest Glen is unincorporated, so Montgomery 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 Forest Glen.
Forest Glen sends many workers across the state line to Arlington and has less smoking than most of Maryland.
2.9 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park | 0.6 mi | 28 |
| 2. McKenney Hills Park | 0.3 mi | 13 |
| 3. Capitol View Open Space Urban Park | 0.1 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Montgomery County Public Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flora M. Singer ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 653 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Maryland is smoking: 7% of its 5,215 adults smoke cigarettes, against 10.9% statewide.
12% of Forest Glen adults report frequent mental distress, where Maryland’s towns sit at 15% and U.S. towns at 17%. 27% of Forest Glen adults have obesity. Forest Glen beats the Maryland average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Forest Glen | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 36% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Forest Glen | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer smokers | 7% | 10.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.6% | 8.4% |
| More adults with high cholesterol | 40.8% | 38.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Forest Glen.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Forest Glen has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
21% of working residents cross a state line to work, Arlington among the top destinations. 37% of workers work from home, against 19.3% across Maryland.
Most working residents leave Forest Glen for work: only 2% work in town. Forest Glen’s average trip to work is 32 minutes. The top destinations are Washington (30%), Bethesda (7%) and Rockville (5%).
| Forest Glen | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $128,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 3.2% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median rent in Forest Glen is $1,582 a month.
| Forest Glen | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,582 a month | $1,810 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
36 within 15 miles of the center of Forest Glen
About 6 of every 100 Forest Glen residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Forest Glen is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Its population was 6,897 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Forest Glen.
At #7 in MD, it grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Kemp Mill (A) comes closest.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Glen | #7 | A+ | C+ | — | B+ | A |
| Kemp Mill | #46 | A | C | — | B+ | A |
| Wheaton | #87 | A− | C | — | B+ | A− |
| South Kensington | #47 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Silver Spring | #76 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
Forest Glen, Kemp Mill, Wheaton, South Kensington and Silver Spring report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Forest Glen with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Forest Glen grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #7 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A for health and B+ for schools.
The typical home is worth about $606,000, 43% 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+.
