Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,351.
Potomac Heights’ best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a C for schools. 47% of the land in Potomac Heights is conserved, against 9.5% in Maryland’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Mattawoman Natural Environment Area, at 379 acres. Potomac Heights has 1 place on the National Register. Potomac Heights has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Potomac Heights beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Potomac Heights is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Potomac Heights. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw20 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw20 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw20 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw21 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw21 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 Heights is unincorporated, so Charles 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 Heights.
In Potomac Heights, the concentration of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile, where Maryland’s towns sit at 0.6 and U.S. towns at 0.4. 0.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in the town: 2, covering 450 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mattawoman Natural Environment Area | — | 379 |
| 2. Chapman State Park | 0.2 mi | 71 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Charles County Public Schools runs its public schools. Its one school is below. 500 students attend Potomac Heights’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Smallwood Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 500 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Just over two fifths of Potomac Heights’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by heat waves at 15%. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 97% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Employers in Potomac Heights shed 45 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 116. In Potomac Heights, 0.9% of working residents work locally. The income of the median household for Potomac Heights comes to $72,000. For half of commuters, work is under 21 miles away.
| Potomac Heights | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $72,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.9% | 3.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The peak summer temperature is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Just over a fifth of Potomac Heights adults have been diagnosed with depression. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Potomac Heights is ahead of Maryland on 1 and behind on 9. Among adults in the town, 39% have obesity and 15% smoke cigarettes.
| Potomac Heights | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Potomac Heights | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.8% | 13.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The share of households in Potomac Heights who own their home: 77%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3 within 15 miles of the center of Potomac Heights
About 3 of every 100 Potomac Heights residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Where Potomac Heights’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Potomac Heights is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,117 at the 2010 census. It has a volunteer fire department and numerous older rambler homes built for workers at the nearby U.S. Navy munitions plant in Indian Head (now known as the Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center).
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. The typical home is worth about $116,000, 73% below 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 A+.
