Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 14,260, settled in 1833.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Urbana grades A overall, 42nd among Maryland's 259 graded towns. Natural-hazard risk is low. It is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $182K. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $640K for a typical one and 5.1 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Urbana’s median rent is $2,649 a month, above both the Maryland town median ($1,809 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Urbana has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Stancioff House and Fat Oxen. Only 1 of the 261 Maryland towns we compare have a higher share of children under 18 than Urbana.
Where Urbana beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Urbana | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.7% | 9.9% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Sugarloaf Elementary | K–5 | 845 |
| Urbana Elementary | PK–5 | 736 |
| Centerville Elementary | PK–5 | 471 |
9,175 counted in 2010 and 13,304 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Urbana is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 5 maps from 1908 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Urbana. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw34 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw34 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw34 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw35 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw29 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain ComplexWhite 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 · Raven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain
Urbana is unincorporated, so Frederick 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 Urbana.
Urbana has less tooth loss than most of Maryland and has household incomes well above the Maryland norm, but it has property taxes 1.7 times the Maryland norm.
Its widest gap with Maryland is tooth loss: 4.7% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.9% statewide. Against the 1,290 U.S. towns with household incomes like Urbana’s, it is healthier than 66%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
8.3% of Urbana adults report frequent physical distress. Among 261 Maryland towns, just 9 have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Urbana. 13% of Urbana adults report frequent mental distress.
| Urbana | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7% | 11% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Urbana | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.7% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.2% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults screened for colon cancer | 61.7% | 68.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Frederick County Public Schools. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Urbana High, with 1,989 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urbana MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,090 | A |
| Urbana HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,989 | A+ |
| Urbana ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 736 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 98% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Urbana since 2025.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Urbana 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
Jobs based here grew from 2,716 in 2013 to 5,282. 30.6% of workers work from home, against 19.3% across Maryland.
1.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Urbana. Since 2013, Urbana has added 2,566 jobs, to 5,282 in 2023. 31% of workers work from home in Urbana.
| Urbana | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $183,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 31% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 1.2% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2.0 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Urbana District Park, at 94 acres.
| Urbana | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.6% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Urbana District Park | 0.6 mi | 94 |
| 2. Urbana Community Park | — | 19 |
| 3. Stone Barn Community Center | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median property tax bill is $6,942, against $4,093 across Maryland, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Urbana
About 4 of every 100 Urbana residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
3 places in Urbana on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
Urbana ( ər-BAN-ə) is a suburban census-designated place located in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. It lies at the I-270/MD 80 interchange, approximately 7.5 miles (12.1 km) south-east of Frederick and about 37 miles (60 km) north-west of Washington, D.C. Urbana started to develop circa 1999 and, as of the 2010 census, had a population of 9,175. It is part of the Washington metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Urbana.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urbana | #42 | A | C− | — | A− | A+ |
| Green Valley | #60 | A | C | — | A− | A |
Urbana and Green Valley report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Urbana with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Urbana grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #42 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A+ for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $640,000, 51% above 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 C−.
