Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Taneytown grades A overall, 70th among Maryland's 259 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 92% of the state's and it reports less crime per resident than 77% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $395K, 4 years of the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 9 places on the National Register. Only 24 of Maryland’s 329 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is Taneytown Memorial Park, at 38 acres. Among 55 Maryland towns, just 3 have a lower property crime rate than Taneytown.
Where Taneytown beats most towns.
Antrim| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Taneytown Elementary | PK–5 | 450 |
| Northwest Middle | 6–8 | 655 |
Census counts: 285 in 1850, 7,234 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1844 and 4 maps from 1911 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Taneytown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Taneytown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaM&T Bank Stadium
39 mi Stadium & arenaOriole Park at Camden Yards
38 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
11 mi Ancient siteGettysburg Battlefield
12 mi LandmarkGettysburg National CemeteryRaven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · M&T Bank Stadium: United States Department of Defense Cherie Cullen, Public domain · Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain · Gettysburg National Cemetery: Photo: Henryhartley at en.wikipedia Statue: Randolph Rogers (1825-1892), Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Taneytown, 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 Taneytown.
Taneytown pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the Maryland norm, has schools in the top 5% of Maryland and fares better on crime within Maryland than nationally.
Its A ranks #6 of the 261 Maryland towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Carroll County Public Schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 655 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Taneytown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 9.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 90% of Maryland’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 54 to 36 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 0.9 per 1,000 residents, Taneytown’s violent crime rate is where Maryland’s towns sit at 2.4 and U.S. towns at 1.6.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Taneytown for work: only 9% work in town. At 37 minutes, Taneytown’s average trip to work is above both Maryland’s towns (32 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Taneytown grew to 2,208 in 2023, 254 more than in 2013.
| Taneytown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 16% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Taneytown has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 22° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.1 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Taneytown Memorial Park | 0.2 mi | 38 |
| 2. Roberts Mill Park | — | 14 |
| 3. Taneytown High School Recreation Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Taneytown beats the Maryland average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 41% of Taneytown adults have obesity. Only 8 of the 261 Maryland towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Taneytown.
| Taneytown | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 36% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 20% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Taneytown | MD |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.8% | 9.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8% | 5.9% |
| More smokers | 14.3% | 10.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Taneytown grades A overall with a typical home of about $395K, below the Maryland typical value; only 13 of the 54 Maryland towns graded A− or better can say that. 69.4% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.5% across Maryland.
The median rent in Taneytown is $1,059 a month. The typical Taneytown home is worth about $395,000, up 0.7% in a year, 7% below the Maryland typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5 within 15 miles of the center of Taneytown
About 4 of every 100 Taneytown residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Where Taneytown’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Taneytown on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Taneytown.
Place in Maryland, United States
Taneytown ( TAW-nee-town, locally also ) is a city in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The population was 7,234 at the 2020 census. Taneytown was founded in 1754. Of the city, George Washington once wrote, "Tan-nee town is but a small place with only the Street through wch.(sic) the road passes, built on. The buildings are principally of wood." Taneytown has a history museum that displays the history of the city for visitors and citizens to see. The Bullfrog Road Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Taneytown grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #70 of 259 in Maryland. It grades C+ for health, A− for safety and A for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
3 notable people were born here, including Jacob Gartner Lauman and Sterling A. Galt.
