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2016-06-25 09 47 34 View south along Maryland State Route 36 (Mount Savage Road) just east of St. Georges Lane in Mount Savage, Allegany County, Maryland
Maryland›Allegany County

Mount SavageMD

Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo of Mount Savage

Mount Savage, MD · Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗

Is Mount Savage a good place to live?

Its National Register listings include Inns on the National Road and Mount Savage Historic District. Mount Savage has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

What makes Mount Savage stand out

Where Mount Savage beats most towns.

Small town

514 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Mount Savage Historic District
Mount Savage Historic District · National Register of Historic Places
Mount Savage’s story

179 years in pictures

The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2000.

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • 1847Mount Savage is settled
Explore the history →
Nearby attractions

Fallingwater and 15 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mount Savage. Close and well known come first.

All 39 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Fallingwater: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Flight 93 National Memorial: James Steakley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Davis: Wikiuser100, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park: Bonnachoven, CC0 · Deep Creek Lake: Gohens84, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Necessity National Battlefield: Wilson44691, CC0

Getting set up

Moving to Mount Savage: who provides what

Mount Savage is unincorporated, so Allegany County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPotomac Edison15.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWestern Region Allegany Distrib. SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesAllegany CountyAllegany County provides services here
SchoolsAllegany County Public SchoolsWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Maryland you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereAllegany County Board of ElectionsAllegany County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2025
ZIP code2154521545 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Mount Savage.

Housing

Compared with most of Maryland and the rest of the country, the median rent in Mount Savage is lower

In Mount Savage, just over four in five households own their home, where Maryland’s towns sit at 74% and U.S. towns at 73%. Homes here are typically worth about $124,000, down 0.7% in a year, 71% below the Maryland typical home.

$124KZillow home value
Mount SavageMaryland townsU.S. towns
Median rent$649 a month$1,809 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home81%74%73%

Typical home value

Mount Savage$124K
Maryland$425K
−0.7%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in April

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Schools

The schools Mount Savage’s kids attend

One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The public schools here belong to the Allegany County Public Schools. 2 public schools serve Mount Savage, with 626 students in all.

SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Mount Savage MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8Grades 6–8408B

NCES · EDFacts

Work & commute

With only 0.2 jobs per working resident, most people in Mount Savage work out of town

Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Mount Savage dropped by 48, to 65. In Mount Savage, 16% of residents live below the poverty line, above both the Maryland town median (7%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Among working residents locally, 1.7% work locally. The top destinations are Cumberland (22%), Frostburg (8%) and La Vale (8%).

2%work in town
Mount SavageMaryland townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line16%7%9.6%
Average trip to work27 minutes32 minutes25 minutes
Working residents who work in town1.7%3.1%8%

Where working residents work

In Mount Savage2%
Cumberland22%
Frostburg8%
La Vale8%
Annapolis2%
8 mi
median commute distance
65
jobs based in Mount Savage
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Mount Savage stands out in Maryland and nationally: a typical July afternoon there is cooler

Mount Savage has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 20° and about 57 inches of snow falls in a winter.

57″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter22–39°
Spring38–61°
Summer58–81°
Fall42–63°
Oct 18
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazards

Mount Savage faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Among 262 Maryland towns, just 3 have a higher FEMA hazard score than Mount Savage. FEMA puts 86% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 65% of U.S. communities.

65risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
65High riskLowerHigher
Inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Health

How healthy Mount Savage is

No town among the 262 in Maryland we compare has a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Mount Savage. Mount Savage: 34% of adults get no exercise outside work. Also worth knowing: among 262 Maryland towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Mount Savage.

Mount SavageMaryland townsU.S. towns
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)21%11%14%
Depression (CDC PLACES)28%20%23%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)20%15%17%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)17%12%14%
32 measures vs. Maryland
0 better15 too close to call17 worse
What stands outMount SavageMD
More smokers20.6%10.9%
More adults with COPD10.7%5.9%
More older adults who have lost all their teeth17.6%9.9%
Western Maryland Regional Medical Center
8.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Mount Savage

17pages on Mount Savage
After high school

Colleges nearby

2 within 15 miles of the center of Mount Savage

A commuter town

98% of working residents leave Mount Savage for work

Where Mount Savage’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

22% → Cumberland Cumberland 22% 8% → Frostburg Frostburg 8% 8% → La Vale La Vale 8% 2% → Annapolis Annapolis 2% 2% → Baltimore Baltimore 2% 2% → Cresaptown Cresaptown 2% Mount Savage · 2% stay
65jobs based in Mount Savage
2%of working residents work in town
8 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

Landmarks

2 places in Mount Savage on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

Famous people from Mount Savage

5 notable people were born in Mount Savage.

See all 5 →

About Mount Savage

Census-designated place in Maryland, United States

Mount Savage is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Allegany County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 873. A small blue-collar community, Mount Savage lies at the base of Big Savage Mountain in the Allegheny Mountains, between the cities of Frostburg and Cumberland. It began as a small farming settlement in the mid-19th century, but it was not until 1844 that the region was put on the nation's map with the pressing of the first iron rail in the United States. After this claim to fame, Mount Savage became the fifth largest city in Maryland. Named as the headquarters for the Mount Savage Railroad and later the Cumberland and Pe…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
0.9 sq mi
Elevation
1,234 ft
ZIP code
21545

Questions about Mount Savage

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Mount Savage, MD a good place to live?

Mount Savage has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real. Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

What is Mount Savage, MD known for?

5 notable people were born here, including Edward Mooney and Kenneth Preston.