Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Towson's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades B−, ranked 165th of 259 in Maryland. It is healthier than 82% of U.S. towns and it is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $471K, 4.7 years of the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 18 places on the National Register. 69% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Towson, above both Maryland’s towns (42%) and U.S. towns (29%). Its National Register listings include Auburn House and Towson Academy.
Where Towson beats most towns.
Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital and Gatehouse
Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital and Gatehouse is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its 18 National Register listings are more than in 97% of Maryland towns with a listing.
Census counts: 19,090 in 1960, 59,553 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1885 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Towson is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 12%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Towson. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaM&T Bank Stadium
8 mi Stadium & arenaOriole Park at Camden Yards
10 mi MuseumNS Savannah
9 mi National MonumentFort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine283K visitors a year
Big draw36 mi Stadium & arenaNorthwest Stadium
7 mi MuseumWalters Art MuseumM&T Bank Stadium: United States Department of Defense Cherie Cullen, Public domain · Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0 · NS Savannah: Elton Lord/Atomic Energy Commission, Public domain · Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine: ScottyBoy900Q at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Northwest Stadium: Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0 · Walters Art Museum: Dylan k, CC BY-SA 3.0
Towson is unincorporated, so Baltimore 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 Towson.
Towson is shaped by its college students and draws workers from Baltimore and beyond.
30 miles of trail in 19 parks and preserves. Towson’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Lake Roland, 452 acres with 12.9 miles of trail.
| Towson | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.1 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.6% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Roland | 12.9 mi | 452 |
| 2. Essex Farms Park | 0.9 mi | 16 |
| 3. Glen Arboretum | 0.6 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Baltimore County Public Schools. Three of its 20 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbarton MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,064 | A− |
| Towson HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,558 | A |
| George W. Carver Center for Arts & TechnologyTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,017 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
52,493 jobs are based in Towson, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 25.1 minutes, against 31.1 across Maryland.
Most working residents leave Towson for work: only 14% work in town. 23% of workers work from home in Towson. Jobs based in Towson fell to 52,493 in 2023, 2,918 fewer than in 2013.
| Towson | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 3.1% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 65 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Towson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
10% of Towson adults report frequent physical distress. Towson beats the Maryland average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 30% of Towson adults have high blood pressure.
| Towson | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 36% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Towson | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.4% | 12.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.6% | 3.4% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 9.8% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Towson has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 24° and about 19 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median rent in Towson is $1,764 a month. The typical Towson home is worth about $471,000, up 2.6% in a year, 11% above the Maryland typical home.
| Towson | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 74% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 58% | 51% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,764 a month | $1,810 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
17 within 15 miles of the center of Towson
College town 21 of every 100 Towson residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
2 colleges in town.
18 places in Towson on the National Register of Historic Places.
23 notable people were born in Towson.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 59,533 in the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorporated county seat in the United States (after Ellicott City, the seat of nearby Howard County, southwest of Baltimore).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Towson.
Baltimore next door grades lower for schools (D− to Towson’s C−) and higher for cost of living (B− to D).
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Towson | #165 | B− | D | — | C− | A− |
| Baltimore | #251 | D | B− | D− | D− | C |
| Pikesville | #156 | B− | C− | — | C− | A− |
| Parkville | #144 | B | B− | — | C− | B |
| Hampton | #117 | B+ | C | — | C− | A |
| Mays Chapel | #136 | B | C− | — | C− | A+ |
| Lutherville | #110 | B+ | C | — | C− | A |
Towson, Pikesville, Parkville, Hampton, Mays Chapel and Lutherville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Towson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Towson grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #165 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A− for health and C− 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.
23 notable people were born here, including Kimmie Meissner and William Purington Cole.
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