Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 14,335.
Lake Arbor's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades B−, 169th of 259 graded towns in Maryland. The median household earns $121K and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 95% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is schools: its public schools trail 92% of Maryland towns on state tests and graduation. Lake Arbor’s median rent is $2,431 a month, above both Maryland’s towns ($1,809 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Only 5 of Maryland’s 329 towns score lower on history. Lake Arbor is home to University of Maryland Global Campus.
Where Lake Arbor beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Arbor Elementary | PK–5 | 593 |
| Ernest Everett Just Middle | 6–8 | 752 |
| Woodstream Christian Academy | PK–12 | 278 |
9,776 counted in 2010 and 14,541 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Lake Arbor is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for schools (better than 8%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 8,533 in 2000, 14,541 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2016 and 7 maps from 1900 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Arbor. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw11 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw2 mi Stadium & arenaNorthwest Stadium
Big draw11 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw13 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw12 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal ArchWhite 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 · Northwest Stadium: Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0 · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0
Lake Arbor is unincorporated, so Prince George's 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 Lake Arbor.
Lake Arbor draws workers from Waldorf and beyond and owes part of its health edge to its incomes.
13,820 jobs are based in Lake Arbor, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 34% of working residents cross a state line to work, Arlington among the top destinations.
Most working residents leave Lake Arbor for work: only 3% work in town. The average trip to work in Lake Arbor is 38 minutes. Since 2013, Lake Arbor has added 8,165 jobs, to 13,820 in 2023.
| Lake Arbor | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 38 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $121,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 19% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Prince George's County Public Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Everett Just MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 752 | C+ |
| Woodstream Christian Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 278 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 95% of U.S. communities. Since 2018, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lake Arbor.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 5,583 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lake Arbor’s, it is less healthy than 58%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Lake Arbor beats the Maryland average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 14% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Lake Arbor.
| Lake Arbor | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 20% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lake Arbor | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer smokers | 7.3% | 10.9% |
| Fewer adults with depression | 13.7% | 19.4% |
| More adults with obesity | 41% | 35.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lake Arbor has chilly winters and warm summers. Lake Arbor’s July high is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.4 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Western Branch Stream Valley Park I, at 221 acres.
| Lake Arbor | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.6% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Western Branch Stream Valley Park I | — | 221 |
| 2. Bald Hill Stream Valley Park | — | 12 |
| 3. Arbor Park | 0.1 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Lake Arbor home is worth about $412,000, down 2% in a year, close to the Maryland typical home. 63% of Lake Arbor households own their home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
29 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Arbor
About 10 of every 100 Lake Arbor residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Lake Arbor is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 14,541 at the 2020 census. The ZIP Codes encompassing the CDP area are 20721 and 20774. In the 1990s, the U.S. Census Bureau defined the area now delineated as Lake Arbor CDP as being in Mitchellville CDP. The Lake Arbor CDP was delineated as of the 2000 U.S. census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Lake Arbor.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Arbor | #169 | B− | C− | — | D | B+ |
| Mitchellville | #182 | C+ | D | — | D | B+ |
| Springdale | #164 | B− | C+ | — | D | B |
| Summerfield | #200 | C | C | — | D | B− |
| Glenarden | #151 | B | B− | B | D | C+ |
| Largo | #180 | C+ | C | — | D | B |
| Kettering | #184 | C+ | C | — | D | B |
Lake Arbor, Mitchellville, Springdale, Summerfield, Largo and Kettering report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lake Arbor with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lake Arbor grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #169 of 259 in Maryland. It grades B+ for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 3.2 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 C−.
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