Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hagerstown grades D overall, 244th of 259 graded towns in Maryland, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country. It reports more crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns, including 267 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 24 places on the National Register. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in Hagerstown, against 7% in Maryland’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On incomes, just 14 of Maryland’s 329 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Valentia and Hager House.
Where Hagerstown beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Valentia| Widest gap | Hagerstown | MD |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.8% | 9.9% |
Its 24 National Register listings are more than in 98% of Maryland towns with a listing.
Census counts: 2,670 in 1820, 43,527 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1740 and 6 maps from 1912 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Hagerstown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hagerstown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
10 mi National BattlefieldAntietam National Battlefield161K visitors a year
29 mi Ancient siteGettysburg Battlefield
6 mi National Historical ParkChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park4.6M visitors a year
12 mi National park siteCatoctin Mountain Park461K visitors a year
29 mi LandmarkGettysburg National CemeteryRaven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Antietam National Battlefield: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain · Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park: Bonnachoven, CC0 · Catoctin Mountain Park: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gettysburg National Cemetery: Photo: Henryhartley at en.wikipedia Statue: Randolph Rogers (1825-1892), Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hagerstown, 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 Hagerstown.
Hagerstown trades workers with Frederick and other neighbors, but it has poverty well above the Maryland rate and scores below Halfway and its other neighbors on health.
All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from Halfway (C+) to Fountainhead-Orchard Hills (B+).
Hagerstown: a quarter of adults have been diagnosed with depression. Among 261 Maryland towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Hagerstown. Against the Maryland average, Hagerstown comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 25.
| Hagerstown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 23% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Hagerstown | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 35.1% | 38.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.8% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Washington County Public Schools runs its public schools. Below: Three of its 19 schools, each with why it was picked. Public school enrollment in Hagerstown: 3,252 students across 6 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Heights MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 883 | C+ |
| South Hagerstown HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,690 | A |
| Barbara Ingram School for the ArtsTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 347 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
For Hagerstown, the violent crime rate is 6.1 per 1,000 residents. Within Maryland, it does better than 31% of towns.
| Hagerstown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.5 per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA puts 54% of Hagerstown’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 15% to hurricanes. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out here.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hagerstown’s midpoint rent stands at $1,114 a month. The share of households in Hagerstown who are owner-occupiers: 43%. A home in Hagerstown typically sold within 52 days of listing.
| Hagerstown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,114 a month | $1,810 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 52% | 51% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Fairgrounds Park, at 70 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. In 19 parks and preserves, walkers have 6.0 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Hagerstown: 19, covering 239 acres.
| Hagerstown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. City Park | 3 mi | 68 |
| 2. Fairgrounds Park | 1.2 mi | 70 |
| 3. Doubs Woods Park | — | 45 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Summers in Hagerstown are warm, and winters chilly, snowy. Summer afternoons peak near 87° in July, and January nights bottom out around 23°; snowfall runs to about 31 inches a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Hagerstown has about as many jobs (21,284) as working residents, but only 3,431 people both live and work here.
Most people who work leave Hagerstown to do it: just 19% work in town. This Maryland town had 21,284 jobs in 2023, down 4,334 from 2013. Half of commuters travel less than 13 miles. In Hagerstown, the typical journey to work is 26 minutes.
| Hagerstown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 3.1% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 12% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2 within 15 miles of the center of Hagerstown
About 3 of every 100 Hagerstown residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
24 places in Hagerstown on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Maryland, United States
Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. The population was 43,527 at the 2020 census. Hagerstown ranks as Maryland's sixth-most populous incorporated city and is the most populous city in the Maryland Panhandle. Hagerstown anchors the Hagerstown metropolitan area extending into West Virginia. It makes up the northwesternmost portion of the Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area in the heart of the Great Appalachian Valley. The population of the metropolitan area in 2020 was 293,844. Greater Hagerstown was the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the state of Maryland and among the fastest growing in the United States, as of 2009. Hage…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Hagerstown.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Halfway (C+) is closest.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hagerstown | #244 | D | C+ | D | B | D |
| Halfway | #178 | C+ | C+ | — | B | C+ |
| Robinwood | #147 | B | C | — | B | B− |
| Fountainhead-Orchard Hills | #55 | A | B− | — | B | B+ |
| Paramount-Long Meadow | #121 | B+ | C | — | B | B− |
| Funkstown | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Halfway, Robinwood, Fountainhead-Orchard Hills and Paramount-Long Meadow report no FBI crime data of their own. Funkstown isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hagerstown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hagerstown grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #244 of 259 in Maryland. It grades D for health, D for safety and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Maryland, it does better than 31% of towns.
That is 3.8 years of the area's median household income ($78,802 across the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, 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+.
