Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 25,563 residents and lies in Maryland.
Plenty to like here, at a price. With an A overall, North Laurel is better than 94% of U.S. towns. The ranking puts it 28th of 259 in Maryland. Hazard risk is its strong suit (A+). It is strong on incomes as well (A+): the median household earns $123K. What counts against it is cost of living (C−) — the typical home is worth about $450K, 4.5 years of the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income. 15% of the land here is conserved, above both Maryland’s towns (9.5%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · health, CDC PLACES · USGS PAD-US.
Where North Laurel beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Gorman Crossing Elementary | PK–5 | 750 |
| Forest Ridge Elementary | PK–5 | 659 |
| Laurel Woods Elementary | PK–5 | 625 |
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.
North Laurel’s FEMA risk score is 1 of 100. Since 2003, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out here. FEMA puts 49% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 15% to heat waves.
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. Below: Two of its 6 schools, each with why it was picked. 4 public schools serve North Laurel, with 2,650 students in all.
| 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.
The share of adults in North Laurel who have obesity: 33%. CDC measures, 32 in all: North Laurel beats Maryland on 13 and trails on 1. In North Laurel, 18% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 18% have been diagnosed with depression.
| 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
Among residents in North Laurel, 4.7% live below the poverty line. Commuting out is the norm here: 3% of working residents work locally. This Maryland town had 7,072 jobs in 2023, up 1,301 from 2013. Its average commute is 28 minutes.
| 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
There are 3.3 miles of trail across 5 parks and preserves. Savage Park, at 94 acres with 1.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| 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
The range runs from 25° on a January night to 87° on a July afternoon, with about 16 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For households in North Laurel, the share who own their home is 62%. The going rate for rent here is $2,031 a month. 49% of the homes sold in North Laurel went for more than their asking price.
| 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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