Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 45,902, settled in 1830.
Yes, by almost any measure. Potomac earns an A, 40th among Maryland's 259 graded towns. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates, the median household earns $237K, and natural-hazard risk is low. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $1.3 million for a typical one and 10.6 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. 85% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Potomac, above both Maryland’s towns (42%) and U.S. towns (29%). Potomac is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. Of the 154 Maryland towns we compare, none has a higher typical home value than Potomac.
Where Potomac beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Potomac | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3% | 9.9% |
20.2% of the town is conserved land, across 28 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Potomac is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 40,401 in 1980, 47,018 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 7 maps from 1908 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Potomac. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw12 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw12 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw11 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw13 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw11 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
Potomac is unincorporated, so Montgomery 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 Potomac.
Potomac has more 90° days than almost anywhere else in Maryland, draws workers from Germantown and beyond and has less tooth loss than most of Maryland.
At 10.6 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income, the typical home (about $1.35M) costs more against local pay than in any other Maryland town; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Potomac’s median rent is $2,887 a month. The typical Potomac home is worth about $1,349,000, up 0.8% in a year, 3 times the Maryland typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Montgomery County Public Schools. Three of its 26 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabin John MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 983 | A |
| Winston Churchill HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,185 | A+ |
| Cold Spring ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 362 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
53 miles of trail in 28 parks and preserves. The trail density in Potomac is 2.0 miles per square mile. Cabin John Regional Park, at 510 acres with 12.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cabin John Regional Park | 12.2 mi | 510 |
| 2. Cabin John Stream Valley Park | 4.1 mi | 368 |
| 3. William F. Bolger Center | 1 mi | 78 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Maryland is tooth loss: 3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.9% statewide. Against the 520 U.S. towns with household incomes like Potomac’s, it is healthier than 69%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
21% of Potomac adults have obesity. Potomac beats the Maryland average on 26 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 16% of Potomac adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Potomac | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 15% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 38% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 4.7% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Potomac | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3% | 8.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
27,398 jobs are based in Potomac, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 22% of working residents cross a state line to work, Tysons among the top destinations.
3.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Potomac. Among 261 Maryland towns, just 3 have a higher median household income than Potomac. 38% of workers work from home in Potomac.
| Potomac | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 38% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $237,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.9% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 30 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Potomac.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Dalecarlia Rsvr weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 44 days a year reach 90°, the #2 highest of 536 Maryland places with climate records.
Potomac has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 26° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
34 within 15 miles of the center of Potomac
About 5 of every 100 Potomac residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Where Potomac’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Potomac on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Potomac.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Potomac ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 47,018. It is named after the nearby Potomac River. A part of the Washington metropolitan area, many Potomac residents work in nearby Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Potomac.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potomac | #40 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Travilah | #80 | A− | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Rockville | #86 | A− | D | B− | B+ | A+ |
| North Bethesda | #34 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Cabin John | — | — | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Bethesda | #37 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
Cabin John has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Potomac, Travilah, North Bethesda, Cabin John and Bethesda report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Potomac with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Potomac grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #40 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
11 notable people were born here, including Darren Star and Lori Alan.
