Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
90,719 people live in this city, settled in 1830.
On health it is strong: residents are healthier than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. With an A+ overall, Germantown is better than 96% of U.S. towns and ranks 19th of 259 in Maryland. Add walkability to its strengths: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 95% of U.S. towns. What counts against it is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $414K, 3.3 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. 22% of the land locally is conserved, above both the Maryland town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The city has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them William and Catherine Biggs Farm and U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Its trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile, above both Maryland’s towns (0.6) and U.S. towns (0.4).
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · USGS PAD-US · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
Where Germantown beats most towns.
Where Germantown’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Germantown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 9,721 in 1980, 91,249 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1878 and 4 maps from 1908 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Germantown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw23 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw23 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw23 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw24 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw23 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
Germantown 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 Germantown.
Great Seneca Stream Valley Park, at 431 acres with 3.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. In 29 parks and preserves, walkers have 21 miles of trail.
| Germantown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 22% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Great Seneca Stream Valley Park | 3.6 mi | 431 |
| 2. Ridge Road Recreational Park | 1.5 mi | 78 |
| 3. Seneca Creek State Park | 1.2 mi | 363 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Of its 22 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. Public schools: the Montgomery County Public Schools. Also worth knowing: 6 public schools serve Germantown, with 3,643 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsview MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 908 | A− |
| Seneca Valley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,409 | A |
| Northwest HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,300 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 97% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Germantown, 53% come from inland flooding and 11% from heat waves. Since 1979, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out here.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For adults in Germantown, the share who binge drink is 14%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Germantown beats Maryland on 13 and trails on 4. 18% of adults here have been diagnosed with depression; 14% report frequent mental distress.
| Germantown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 36% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Germantown | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 7.6% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 18.2% | 25.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 10.3% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Germantown’s average trip to work comes in at 31 minutes. For most workers, Germantown is a place to come home to: only 8% work in town. 22% of Germantown workers do their job from home. Half of commuters travel less than 14 miles.
| Germantown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $118,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.7% | 3.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The range runs from 25° on a January night to 86° on a July afternoon, with about 33 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The midpoint age in Germantown is 37.5 years. People 65 and older are just over one in ten residents (17% statewide). The share of adults 25 and older in Germantown who hold a bachelor’s degree or more: 50%.
| Germantown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 50% | 42% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.5 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.2 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women. Among residents 75 and older, 50% are men (MD 41%). Median age: women 38.8, men 36.2.
| Germantown | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.6% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.4% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.2% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.7% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.7% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.9% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.9% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.6% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.1% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.6% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.4% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.6% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.9% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 24.5% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Zillow values the typical Germantown home at about $414,000, down 2% in a year, close to the Maryland typical home. For Germantown, the rent at the middle of the market is $2,040 a month. On the market here: a median 40 days to sell.
| Germantown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,040 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Germantown
About 7 of every 100 Germantown residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. With a population of 91,249 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous community in Maryland, after Baltimore and Columbia. Germantown is located approximately 28 miles (45 km) outside the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C., and is an important part of the Washington metropolitan area. Germantown was founded in the early 19th century by European immigrants, though much of the area's development did not take place until the mid-20th century. The original plan for Germantown divided the area into a downtown and six town villages: Gunners Lake Village, Kingsview Village, Churchill Village,…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Germantown.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germantown | #19 | A+ | C+ | — | B+ | A |
| Clarksburg | #45 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Darnestown | #74 | A− | D | — | B+ | A+ |
Germantown, Clarksburg and Darnestown report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Germantown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Germantown grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #19 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A for health and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
