Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 71,113, settled in 1765.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Gaithersburg grades A− overall, 91st among Maryland's 259 graded towns. Natural-hazard risk is low. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 88% of the country and the median household earns $112K. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $513K, 4.1 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Gaithersburg is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. Gaithersburg has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory and J. A. Belt Building.
Where Gaithersburg beats most towns.
Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 547 in 1900, 69,657 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1878 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Gaithersburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gaithersburg. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw20 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw20 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw20 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw20 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw20 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gaithersburg, 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 Gaithersburg.
Gaithersburg draws workers from Germantown and beyond and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more.
45,107 jobs are based in Gaithersburg, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Gaithersburg for work: only 12% work in town. 26% of Gaithersburg workers work from home, above both Maryland’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (11%). Jobs based in Gaithersburg grew to 45,107 in 2023, 5,519 more than in 2013.
| Gaithersburg | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 26% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 3.1% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $112,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Montgomery County Public Schools. Three of its 20 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakelands Park MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 993 | A− |
| Gaithersburg HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,441 | B+ |
| Diamond ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 654 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 98% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gaithersburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
11 miles of trail in 28 parks and preserves. Gaithersburg’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile, above both the Maryland town median (0.6) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is Malcolm King Park, at 79 acres.
| Gaithersburg | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Seneca Creek State Park | 1.1 mi | 70 |
| 2. Diamond Farms Park | 0.6 mi | 24 |
| 3. Morris Park | 0.4 mi | 32 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
27% of adults have obesity in Gaithersburg. Gaithersburg beats the Maryland average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Gaithersburg.
| Gaithersburg | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Gaithersburg | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 19.1% | 25.8% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.4% | 5.9% |
| More uninsured adults | 12.2% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Gaithersburg has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 25° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Gaithersburg’s median rent is $2,058 a month. The typical Gaithersburg home is worth about $513,000, down 1.3% in a year, 21% above the Maryland typical home. 51% of Gaithersburg households own their home.
| Gaithersburg | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,058 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Maryland average. Gaithersburg has grown 2.1% since 2020, to 71,113 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 53% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 44% across Maryland.
| Gaithersburg | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 53% | 42% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.8 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.2, men 37.3.
| Gaithersburg | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.8% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.8% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.7% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.9% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.2% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.7% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.8% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.8% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 24.7% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Reported crimes fell from 1,177 to 891 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Maryland, it does better than 71% of towns.
| Gaithersburg | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.4 per 1,000 residents | 14.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
3 within 15 miles of the center of Gaithersburg
About 7 of every 100 Gaithersburg residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
59,933 counted in 2010 and 69,657 in 2020; an estimated 71,113 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in Gaithersburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Gaithersburg.
City in Maryland, United States
Gaithersburg ( GAY-thərz-burg) is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the third-largest incorporated city and the ninth-most populous community in the state. Gaithersburg is located to the northwest of Washington, D.C., and is considered a suburb and a primary city within the Washington metropolitan area. Gaithersburg was incorporated as a town in 1878 and as a city in 1968. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is headquartered in Gaithersburg directly west of I-270. Other major employers in the city include IBM, Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Glob…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Gaithersburg.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its A−; Darnestown (A−) is closest.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaithersburg | #91 | A− | C− | C+ | B+ | A |
| Flower Hill | #58 | A | C+ | — | B+ | A− |
| Montgomery Village | #53 | A | C+ | — | B+ | A− |
| Redland | #26 | A | C− | — | B+ | A |
| North Potomac | #48 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Darnestown | #74 | A− | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Washington Grove | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Flower Hill, Montgomery Village, Redland, North Potomac and Darnestown report no FBI crime data of their own. Washington Grove isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Gaithersburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Gaithersburg grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns and #91 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A for health, C+ for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Maryland, it does better than 71% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
17 notable people were born here, including Shane McMahon and Jessica Watkins.
