Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 17,229.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Parole grades A− overall, 99th of 259 graded towns in Maryland. Natural-hazard risk is low. The median household earns $120K and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 91% of the country. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $534K, 5.4 years of the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income. 36% of residents are 65 or older in Parole, above both Maryland’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (18%). Parole is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. Among 261 Maryland towns, just 3 have a higher median age than Parole.
Where Parole beats most towns.
15,922 counted in 2010 and 17,877 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Parole is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 14,031 in 2000, 17,877 in 2020. The archive holds 6 maps from 1892 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Parole. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw27 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw29 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw26 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw28 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw18 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 · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0 · Northwest Stadium: Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0
Parole is unincorporated, so Anne Arundel 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 Parole.
32,555 jobs are based in Parole, 5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Parole for work: only 14% work in town. Since 2013, Parole has added 4,271 jobs, to 32,555 in 2023. The average trip to work in Parole is 30 minutes.
| Parole | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 3.1% | 8% |
| Median household income | $120,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Annapolis High, with 2,075 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Knolls ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 402 | B− |
| Annapolis HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,075 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 100% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Parole.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Parole. Parole beats the Maryland average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 7.7% of adults smoke cigarettes in Parole.
| Parole | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.7% | 11% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Parole | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.1% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.3% | 13.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
9.8 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Parole’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile. Waterworks Park, at 137 acres with 3.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Parole | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waterworks Park | 3.5 mi | 137 |
| 2. Broad Creek Park | 3.3 mi | 86 |
| 3. Saltworks Creek Natural Area | — | 46 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Parole has mild winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 28° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
64% of Parole households own their home.
| Parole | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,306 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4 within 15 miles of the center of Parole
About 6 of every 100 Parole residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Where Parole’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Parole, a suburb of Annapolis, is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,922 at the 2010 census. It has several major roads intersect at the western edge of the state capital, Annapolis, and it contains the Annapolis Mall, a number of other large shopping centers, and the Anne Arundel Medical Center.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Parole.
It grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Arnold (A−) comes closest.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parole | #99 | A− | D | — | B− | A |
| Annapolis | #176 | C+ | D | D | B− | A− |
| Riva | #126 | B+ | C− | — | B− | A |
| Annapolis Neck | #112 | B+ | D | — | B− | A |
| Arnold | #100 | A− | C− | — | B− | A |
| Edgewater | #105 | B+ | D | — | B− | A |
Parole, Riva, Annapolis Neck, Arnold and Edgewater report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Parole with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Parole grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #99 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $534,000, 26% 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 D.
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