Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Piney Point’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for health. On cost of living, just 3 of Maryland’s 328 towns do better. Piney Point's schools outperform 68% of the state's. Only 9 of Maryland’s 329 towns score lower on hazard risk. Only 21 of Maryland’s 329 towns score lower on the outdoors. Piney Point has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Piney Point Coast Guard Light Station and Porto Bello. Piney Point has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Piney Point beats most towns.
Piney Point Coast Guard Light StationCoastal flooding makes up 32% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Piney Point is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2016 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Piney Point is unincorporated, so St. Mary's 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 Piney Point.
Piney Point beats the Maryland average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 9.3% of Piney Point adults worry about having enough food, against 14% in Maryland’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 17% of adults binge drink in Piney Point.
| Piney Point | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 38% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Piney Point | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.3% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.3% | 8.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Piney Point for work: only 2% work in town. Piney Point’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, above both the Maryland town median (32 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Piney Point’s median household income is $129,000.
| Piney Point | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $129,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 3.1% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Piney Point has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 28° and about 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (40% statewide); people 65 and older are 23% of residents (17% statewide). 36% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 44% across Maryland. 20% never finished high school.
| Piney Point | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 42% | 29% |
| Median age | 38.4 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
Somewhere between 28% and 68% women
The Census survey reached too few of Piney Point’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±20 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Piney Point | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.2% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.3% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.4% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.5% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.8% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 19.8% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 15.6% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.2% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.4% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Piney Point home is worth about $488,000, up 4.3% in a year, 15% above the Maryland typical home. The median rent in Piney Point is $1,442 a month.
| Piney Point | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,442 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Only 8 of the 249 Maryland towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Piney Point.
| Piney Point | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Piney Point Aquaculture Center | — | 12 |
| 2. Piney Point Landing Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Piney Point. Close and well known come first.
21 mi National MonumentGeorge Washington Birthplace National Monument72K visitors a year
38 mi Ancient siteUSS Texas
2 mi Ancient siteU-1105
12 mi State parkPoint Lookout State Park
9 mi MuseumPatuxent River Naval Air Museum
13 mi MuseumCalvert Marine MuseumGeorge Washington Birthplace National Monument: National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Public domain · USS Texas: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · U-1105: U.S. Navy, Public domain · Point Lookout State Park: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Patuxent River Naval Air Museum: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Calvert Marine Museum: Sampsonsimpson20, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Piney Point
About 2 of every 100 Piney Point residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
2 places in Piney Point on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Piney Point (also known simply as "The Point"), is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. It is known for the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education, houses along the beach, a lighthouse, and a museum. The Piney Point post office also serves St. George Island, which is connected to Piney Point by a short bridge.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
