Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Frederick grades B+ overall, 114th among Maryland's 259 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 76% of Maryland towns and it is healthier than 76% of U.S. towns. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 76% of U.S. towns, including 359 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 17 places on the National Register. Frederick is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 94% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Schifferstadt (aka Scheifferstadt) and Hessian Barracks. Among 261 Maryland towns, just 7 have a higher share of working residents who work in town than Frederick.
Where Frederick beats most towns.
Schifferstadt (aka Scheifferstadt)
Schifferstadt (aka Scheifferstadt) is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its 17 National Register listings are more than in 97% of Maryland towns with a listing.
Census counts: 3,640 in 1820, 78,171 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1758 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Frederick is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Frederick, 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 Frederick.
21 miles of trail in 52 parks and preserves. Frederick’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile, above both Maryland’s towns (0.6) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is Renn Quarter Parkland, at 78 acres.
| Frederick | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.3% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fredericktowne Village Park | 0.7 mi | 25 |
| 2. Rose Hill Manor Park | 0.5 mi | 43 |
| 3. McCurdy Field | 0.5 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Frederick County Public Schools. Three of its 26 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waverley ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 965 | C− |
| Gov. Thomas Johnson HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,066 | A |
| Frederick HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,821 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 44 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Frederick.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Frederick’s violent crime rate is 3.9 per 1,000 residents, above both the Maryland town median (2.3) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). Frederick reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 76% report less. Frederick’s property crime rate is 15.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Frederick | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.6 per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
11% of adults report frequent physical distress in Frederick. Frederick beats the Maryland average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 9.9% of adults smoke cigarettes in Frederick.
| Frederick | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 11% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 8% | 8.1% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 23% |
| What stands out | Frederick | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.9% | 3.4% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 10.9% | 12.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 10.5% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Frederick has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 24° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 4 of Frederick’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Frederick is 30 minutes. The top destinations are Ballenger Creek (8%), Rockville (4%) and Gaithersburg (3%).
| Frederick | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 18% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.2% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Frederick home is worth about $457,000, down 1.1% in a year, 7% above the Maryland typical home. 59% of Frederick households own their home.
| Frederick | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,764 a month | $1,810 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 51% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Frederick has grown 18% since 2020, to 92,059 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 43% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 44% across Maryland.
| Frederick | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 42% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.1 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 16% | 18% |
51.6% women, 48.4% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.3, men 36.9.
| Frederick | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.3% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.1% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.5% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.4% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.6% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.3% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.9% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.7% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.9% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.3% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Frederick. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
Big draw36 mi LandmarkMount Weather Emergency Operations Center
37 mi MuseumSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center1.6M visitors a year
37 mi LandmarkCIA Memorial Wall
16 mi National BattlefieldAntietam National Battlefield161K visitors a year
31 mi MuseumNational Capital Trolley MuseumRaven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center: Unknown, Public domain · Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · CIA Memorial Wall: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Antietam National Battlefield: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · National Capital Trolley Museum: Frank Hicks, Wheaton Maryland, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Frederick
About 7 of every 100 Frederick residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
65,239 counted in 2010 and 78,171 in 2020; an estimated 92,059 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 17.8% since 2020, after 19.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
17 places in Frederick on the National Register of Historic Places.
55 notable people were born in Frederick.
City in Maryland, United States
Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland, United States. Frederick's population was 78,171 people as of the 2020 census, making it the second-largest incorporated city in Maryland behind Baltimore. It is a part of the Washington metropolitan area and the greater Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area. The city is located at an important crossroads at the intersection of a major north–south Native American trail and east–west routes to the Chesapeake Bay, both at Baltimore and what became Washington, D.C., and across the Appalachian Mountains to the Ohio River watershed. Frederick Municipal Airport accommodates general aviation, and Fort Detrick, a U.S…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Frederick.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick | #114 | B+ | C+ | C− | A− | A− |
| Ballenger Creek | #31 | A | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Linganore | #54 | A | C | — | A− | A+ |
Ballenger Creek and Linganore report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Frederick with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Frederick grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #114 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A− for health, C− for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Maryland, it does better than 49% of towns.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($126,684 across the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
55 notable people were born here, including Shawn Hatosy and Lester Bowie.
