Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
La Plata's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades B, 130th among Maryland's 259 graded towns. The median household earns $121K. La Plata’s average trip to work is 40 minutes, above both the Maryland town median (32 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). La Plata has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them La Grange and Mt. Carmel Monastery.
Where La Plata beats most towns.
8,753 counted in 2010 and 10,159 in 2020; an estimated 12,137 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 19.2% since 2020, after 16.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far La Plata is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 116 in 1890, 10,159 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 7 maps from 1892 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around La Plata. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw24 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw24 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw24 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw24 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw24 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 La Plata, 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 La Plata.
La Plata draws workers from Waldorf and beyond, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more.
7,198 jobs are based in La Plata, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 39.6 minutes, against 31.1 across Maryland.
Most working residents leave La Plata for work: only 13% work in town. The top destinations are Washington (15%), Waldorf (11%) and Baltimore (2%). Half commute less than 25 miles.
| La Plata | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $121,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 3.1% | 8% |
| Work from home | 17% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Charles County Public Schools. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton M. Somers Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 671 | B |
| La Plata High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,217 | 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 2008, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in La Plata.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 5,583 U.S. towns with household incomes like La Plata’s, it is less healthy than 66%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
La Plata beats the Maryland average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 39% of La Plata adults have high blood pressure.
| La Plata | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 16% |
| What stands out | La Plata | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.9% | 8.7% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.2% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
La Plata has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 27° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3.4 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Clark Run Nature Park, at 104 acres.
| La Plata | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tilghman Park | 0.7 mi | 62 |
| 2. Clark Run Nature Park | — | 104 |
| 3. Silver Linden Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 232 to 174 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Maryland, it does better than 65% of towns.
| La Plata | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.3 per 1,000 residents | 14.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical La Plata home is worth about $476,000, down 0.8% in a year, 12% above the Maryland typical home. The median rent in La Plata is $1,559 a month.
| La Plata | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,559 a month | $1,810 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. La Plata has grown 19% since 2020, to 12,137 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 20% of residents are under 18 in La Plata.
| La Plata | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 42% | 29% |
| Median age | 41.7 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 16% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.1 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women.
| La Plata | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.8% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.8% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.7% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.6% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.6% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.3% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.8% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.1% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.9% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.3% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.2% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of La Plata
About 9 of every 100 La Plata residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Where La Plata’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in La Plata on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in La Plata.
Town in Maryland, United States
La Plata ( lə-PLAY-tə) is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 10,159 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Charles County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. La Plata grades B overall, better than 63% of U.S. towns and #130 of 259 in Maryland. It grades B+ for health, C+ for safety and C for schools.
Within Maryland, it does better than 65% of towns.
That is 3.8 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 B.
14 notable people were born here, including Andrew Grant Chapman and Daryl Thompson.
