Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Yes, by almost any measure. Poolesville earns an A+, 15th among Maryland's 259 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 97% of the country, the median household earns $206K, and natural-hazard risk is low. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. Poolesville’s median household income is $206,000, against $113,000 in Maryland’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. Poolesville has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Friends Advice and Chiswell's Inheritance. Among 154 Maryland towns, just 9 have a higher typical home value than Poolesville.
Where Poolesville beats most towns.
Census counts: 236 in 1900, a low of 161 in 1950, 5,742 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1841 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Poolesville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Poolesville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw26 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw27 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw26 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw26 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw27 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw26 mi National MemorialLincoln Memorial7.7M visitors a yearWhite 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 · Lincoln Memorial: Aerial_view_of_Lincoln_Memorial_-_east_side.jpg: Carol M. Highsmith derivative w, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Poolesville, and how to reach them.
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 Poolesville.
Poolesville has less food insecurity than most of Maryland, sends most of its workers to Rockville and beyond and has household incomes well above the Maryland norm.
The typical Poolesville home is worth about $718,000, about the same as a year ago, 69% above the Maryland typical home. 95% of households own their home in Poolesville.
| Poolesville | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 95% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,831 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Montgomery County Public Schools. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Poolesville High, with 1,351 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poolesville ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 576 | A |
| Poolesville HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,351 | A+ |
| John Poole MiddleTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 467 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Maryland is food insecurity: 8.6% of its 4,177 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide. Against the 952 U.S. towns with household incomes like Poolesville’s, it is healthier than 52%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
26% of Poolesville adults have obesity. Poolesville beats the Maryland average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 16% of Poolesville adults get no exercise outside work.
| Poolesville | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 36% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 23% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Poolesville | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.6% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.7% | 8.4% |
| More adults with high cholesterol | 41.3% | 38.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Poolesville has 779 jobs for its 2,857 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 38.2 minutes, against 31.1 across Maryland.
Most working residents leave Poolesville for work: only 6% work in town. The average trip to work in Poolesville is 38 minutes. Since 2013, Poolesville has added 144 jobs, to 779 in 2023.
| Poolesville | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 38 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 2.8% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.6% | 3.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2.1 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is L. M. Stevens Park, at 26 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. E. E. Halmos Park | 0.5 mi | 17 |
| 2. Campbell Park | 0.3 mi | 2 |
| 3. L. M. Stevens Park | — | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Poolesville has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3 within 15 miles of the center of Poolesville
About 3 of every 100 Poolesville residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
4,883 counted in 2010 and 5,742 in 2020; an estimated 5,942 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in Poolesville on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Maryland, United States
Poolesville is a U.S. town in the western portion of Montgomery County, Maryland. The population was 5,742 at the 2020 United States census. It is surrounded by (but is technically not part of) the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve, and is considered a distant bedroom community for commuters to Washington, D.C. The name of the town comes from the brothers John Poole Sr. and Joseph Poole Sr. who owned land in what is now Poolesville. Due to an historical anomaly, until 2010 the legal name of the town was "The Commissioners of Poolesville". Residents overwhelmingly voted to formally change the name to "The Town of Poolesville" in the November 2010 general election.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Poolesville grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #15 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools.
That is 5.7 years of the area's median household income ($126,684 across the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
