Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 25,563.
Because it does well by almost any measure. North Laurel earns an A, ranked 28th of 259 in Maryland. The median household earns $123K, CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country, and its schools outperform 88% of the state's. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $450K for a typical one and 4.5 times the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income. Only 16 of Maryland’s 329 towns score higher on hazard risk. 15% of the land in North Laurel is conserved, above both Maryland’s towns (9.5%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Savage Park, at 94 acres with 1.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where North Laurel beats most towns.
4,474 counted in 2010 and 25,379 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far North Laurel is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 20,468 in 2000, 25,379 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Laurel. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw19 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw21 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw20 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw19 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaNorthwest StadiumWhite 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 · Northwest Stadium: Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0
North Laurel is unincorporated, so Howard 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 North Laurel.
North Laurel has schools in the top 5% of Maryland and has less COPD than most of Maryland.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 99% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in North Laurel.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its A ranks #12 of the 261 Maryland towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $450K.
Its public schools are run by the Howard County Public Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gorman Crossing ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 750 | B+ |
| Phillips School - Laurel PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 3–12 | Grades 3–12 | 67 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Maryland is COPD: 3.6% of its 18,361 adults have COPD, against 5.9% statewide.
9.6% of North Laurel adults report frequent physical distress, where Maryland’s towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 14%. 18% of North Laurel adults get no exercise outside work. North Laurel beats the Maryland average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| North Laurel | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 12% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 23% | 25% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | North Laurel | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.6% | 5.9% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.1% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 71.4% | 76.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave North Laurel for work: only 3% work in town. 23% of workers work from home in North Laurel. Jobs based in North Laurel grew to 7,072 in 2023, 1,301 more than in 2013.
| North Laurel | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $123,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Savage Park | 1.9 mi | 94 |
| 2. High Ridge Park | 0.3 mi | 78 |
| 3. North Laurel Park | 0.2 mi | 43 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
North Laurel has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
North Laurel’s median rent is $2,031 a month.
| North Laurel | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,031 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
9 within 15 miles of the center of North Laurel
About 7 of every 100 North Laurel residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Where North Laurel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Maryland
North Laurel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Howard County, Maryland, United States. The published population was 25,379 at the 2020 census. North Laurel is adjacent to the City of Laurel, which is located across the Patuxent River in Prince George's County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with North Laurel.
It grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Columbia (A) comes closest.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Laurel | #28 | A | C− | — | A | A |
| Savage | #61 | A | C− | — | A | A |
| Laurel | #226 | C− | C | D | D | B+ |
| Scaggsville | #43 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| Columbia | #36 | A | D | — | A | A |
| Maryland City | #155 | B− | D | — | B− | B+ |
North Laurel, Savage, Scaggsville, Columbia and Maryland City report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare North Laurel with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. North Laurel grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #28 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $450,000, 6% above the Maryland typical home. 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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