Broad Creek Church, 9801 Old Oxon Hill Road
Friendly’s story
136 years in pictures
Census counts: 10,938 in 2000, 9,937 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers and 2 maps from 1945 on.
- 1890Friendly is settled
FriendlyMD
A town of 11,119, settled in 1890.
Population
11,119
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$438K
Census ACS
Household income
$128K
median
Median age
47.5
years
Jobs based here
467
A commuter town
TownGrade
C+
#191 of 259 in MD
Is Friendly a good place to live?
Friendly's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades C+, 191st among Maryland's 259 graded towns. The median household earns $128K and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is schools: its schools rank behind 92% of the state's. Friendly’s typical rent is $2,306 a month, above both the Maryland town median ($1,809 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
What makes Friendly stand out
Where Friendly beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Natural hazardsA+
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
WalkabilityA
More walkable than 89% of U.S. towns
4.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Prince George's County Public Schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Tayac Elementary | PK–5 | 459 |
| Friendly High | 9–12 | 894 |
Worth knowing · SchoolsD
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Friendly for work
Where Friendly’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
467jobs based in Friendly
1%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Friendly grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Friendly is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 8% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA+Open →SchoolsDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.4 of 20; 1.3% of households have no carAOpen →Jobs & incomeA−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $438K, 3.5 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household incomeC−Open →HealthAdventist Healthcare Fort Washington Medical Center 2.5 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 308 attractions →White House and 249 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Friendly. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw9 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw10 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw10 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw9 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw10 mi National MemorialLincoln Memorial7.7M visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
White 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
Getting set up
Moving to Friendly: who provides what
Friendly is unincorporated, so Prince George's County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPotomac Electric Power21.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWSSC WaterNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesPrince George's CountyPrince George's County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Maryland you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections herePrince George's County Board of ElectionsPrince George's County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2023
ZIP code2074420744 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Friendly.
Friendly sends many workers across the state line to Arlington and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Maryland.
SchoolsD
Friendly earns a D for schools
The largest public high school is Friendly High, with 894 students. Its two schools are below. 2 public schools serve Friendly, with 1,353 students in all.
8%of MD districts it outscoresDSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tayac ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 459 | D |
| Friendly HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 894 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
Very low risk in Friendly, with inland flooding at the top
The national flood insurance program has paid 4 claims in Friendly since 2010. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 92% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 57% come from inland flooding and 9% from heat waves.
8risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHeat wavesTornadoes
4
paid flood claims since 2010
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Most working residents commute out of Friendly
38% of working residents cross a state line to work, Arlington among the top destinations. Friendly has 467 jobs for its 4,194 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Washington (25%), Arlington (5%) and Alexandria (3%). For most workers, Friendly is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Friendly dropped by 192, to 467. The town’s average trip to work stands at 37 minutes.
1%work in town
| Friendly | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $128,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1% | 3.2% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Friendly1%
Washington25%
Arlington5%
Alexandria3%
National Harbor3%
12 mi
median commute distance
467
jobs based in Friendly
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
13″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter29–47°
Spring45–66°
Summer66–86°
Fall49–69°
Nov 8
typical first frost
Apr 3
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsB
Conserved land covers 12.4% of Friendly
The biggest park or preserve is Tinkers Creek Stream Valley Park, at 191 acres. Walkers can cover 0.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. In Friendly, the concentration of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile.
12.4%conserved
12.4%
conserved · 386 of 3,109 acres
0.4 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tinkers Creek Stream Valley Park | — | 191 |
| 2. Rose Valley Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthB−
Friendly ranks healthier than 53% of the country’s towns
Within Maryland it is less healthy than 74% of the 261 graded towns: Maryland sets a high bar. Against the 4,782 U.S. towns with household incomes like Friendly’s, it is less healthy than 90%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Among adults in Friendly, 9.8% smoke cigarettes. Against the Maryland average, Friendly comes out ahead on 4 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 12. In Friendly, 45% of adults sleep under 7 hours, and 16% have diabetes. Only 10 of the 261 Maryland towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Friendly.
53%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Friendly | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 20% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Maryland
4 better16 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Friendly | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with depression | 13.8% | 19.4% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6% | 7.6% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 18.3% | 13.5% |
Adventist Healthcare Fort Washington Medical Center
2.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
26th
percentile among MD towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade C−
A home in Friendly sells for about $460K at the median
A home in Friendly typically sold within 37 days of listing. Half of the homes sold in Friendly went for more than their asking price.
$460Kmedian sale price
Market temperature
37
days on market
105.4%
sale-to-list price
6
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Friendly
17pages on Friendly
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
27 within 15 miles of the center of Friendly
Strayer University-MarylandUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Suitland5.3 mi$13,920 tuitionPrince George's Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Largo11.7 mi$4,034 in-state tuitionUniversity of Maryland Global CampusUniversity or college · Public · Adelphi12.3 mi$8,136 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Friendly residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
About Friendly
Census-designated place in Maryland
Friendly is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, with an African-American majority population, located a few miles south of Washington, D.C. The population was 9,937 at the 2020 census. Friendly had its own rural post office in the early 20th century, and is now under the mailing address Fort Washington. The name "Friendly" is most associated with Friendly High School, which serves most of the greater Fort Washington area. The Friendly area was largely rural until about 1960 and has steadily grown with single-family housing developments. At least five new residential neighborhoods are currently under construction in the…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 236 ft
Friendly’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Friendly.
ClintonOxon HillCamp SpringsFort WashingtonFriendly
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendly | #191 | C+ | C− | — | D | B− |
| Clinton | #192 | C+ | C+ | — | D | B− |
| Oxon Hill | #168 | B− | B− | — | D | B− |
| Camp Springs | #174 | C+ | C | — | D | B− |
| Fort Washington | #185 | C+ | C− | — | D | B+ |
Friendly, Clinton, Oxon Hill, Camp Springs and Fort Washington report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Friendly with a neighbor →
Questions about Friendly
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Friendly, MD a good place to live?
Friendly grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #191 of 259 in Maryland. It grades B− for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Friendly, MD expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $438,000, 3% 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−.