Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 34,309.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Pasadena grades B+ overall, 123rd of 259 graded towns in Maryland. Natural-hazard risk is low. The median household earns $130K and it is healthier than 77% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $451K, 4.5 years of the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income. Pasadena’s median rent is $2,393 a month, above both the Maryland town median ($1,809 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Pasadena has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them U.S. Coast Guard Yard Curtis Bay and Marley Neck Rosenwald School. Among 261 Maryland towns, just 9 have a higher January low than Pasadena.
Where Pasadena beats most towns.
24,287 counted in 2010 and 32,979 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Pasadena is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 6 maps from 1894 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pasadena. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw31 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw33 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw33 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw31 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaM&T Bank 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 · M&T Bank Stadium: United States Department of Defense Cherie Cullen, Public domain
Pasadena 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 Pasadena.
FEMA puts two fifths of Pasadena’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 13% to hurricanes. On expected storm and flood damage, Pasadena sits below 98% of U.S. communities. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2003.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Public schools: the Anne Arundel County Public Schools. The largest public high school is Northeast High, with 1,387 students. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 901 | B− |
| Northeast HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,387 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,570 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pasadena’s, it is less healthy than 62%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
13% of adults smoke cigarettes in Pasadena. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Pasadena is ahead of Maryland on 12 and behind on 3. Among adults here, 9.2% have diabetes and 40% sleep under 7 hours.
| Pasadena | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 12% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Pasadena | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.2% | 12.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.6% | 3.4% |
| More binge drinkers | 18.1% | 14.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Pasadena: 5.7% of residents live below the poverty line. Just 3% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The mean commuting time here is 32 minutes. The top destinations are Baltimore (14%), Glen Burnie (7%) and Parole (5%).
| Pasadena | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $130,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 21% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Summer afternoons peak near 89° in July, and January nights bottom out around 28°; snowfall runs to about 19 inches a winter. Winters in Pasadena are mild and summers warm.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 27% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 12% of residents (17% statewide). Pasadena’s median age stands at 35.9 years. College graduates make up 38% of adults 25 and older, against 44% across Maryland.
| Pasadena | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 35.9 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 42% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 23% | 22% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.2 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.6, men 34.9.
| Pasadena | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.9% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.9% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.2% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.1% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.1% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.2% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.1% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.2% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.9% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.1% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
In Pasadena, the density of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile. Walkers can cover 3.0 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Stoney Creek Park, at 136 acres.
| Pasadena | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.7% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stoney Creek Park | — | 136 |
| 2. Solleys Cove Park | — | 78 |
| 3. Lake Waterford Park | 0.2 mi | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes sold in Pasadena spent a median 30 days on the market. The typical Pasadena home is worth about $451,000, about the same as a year ago, 6% above the Maryland typical home. The share of households in Pasadena who are owner-occupiers: 84%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
15 within 15 miles of the center of Pasadena
About 7 of every 100 Pasadena residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Where Pasadena’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Pasadena on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Pasadena.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Pasadena is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 24,287 at the 2010 census. The areas of Lake Shore, Riviera Beach and Pasadena are collectively referred to as Pasadena by residents. As all areas are governed by Anne Arundel County, there is no distinction in services such as fire, police, or public schools. All three areas are encompassed by the 21122 zip code. The collective area population was at 56,441 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Pasadena.
Baltimore next door grades lower for schools (D− to Pasadena’s B−) and higher for cost of living (B− to C−).
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pasadena | #123 | B+ | C− | — | B− | A− |
| Severna Park | #79 | A− | C− | — | B− | A |
| Riviera Beach | #89 | A− | C+ | — | B− | A− |
| Glen Burnie | #138 | B | C | — | B− | B− |
| Lake Shore | #129 | B | C | — | B− | A− |
| Baltimore | #251 | D | B− | D− | D− | C |
Pasadena, Severna Park, Riviera Beach, Glen Burnie and Lake Shore report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Pasadena with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Pasadena grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #123 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A− for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
Pasadena has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 6 notable people were born here, including Nilah Magruder and Katie Von Schleicher.
