Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a town of 4,428 residents in Maryland.
West Laurel’s weakest subject is schools (D) — its schools rank behind 92% of the state's. At B− overall, West Laurel is better than 48% of U.S. towns and ranks 167th of 259 in Maryland. It lags on cost of living as well — the typical home is worth about $541K, 4.3 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Where it does best is hazard risk (A+). Add incomes to its strengths: the median household earns $165K. On history, just 27 of Maryland’s 329 towns do worse. 19% of the land here is conserved, where Maryland’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Only 7 of the 261 Maryland towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than West Laurel.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places · USGS PAD-US · Census LEHD, 2023.
Where West Laurel beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where West Laurel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far West Laurel is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,083 in 2000, 4,428 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2019 and 8 maps from 1892 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Laurel. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw17 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw19 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw18 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw17 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaNorthwest StadiumWhite 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 · Northwest Stadium: Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0
West Laurel is unincorporated, so Prince George's 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 West Laurel.
West Laurel sends most of its workers to Washington and beyond, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has household incomes well above the Maryland norm.
The FEMA risk score in West Laurel is 1 of 100. 53% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 12%. Paid flood insurance claims here since 2011: one.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Prince George's County Public Schools. West Laurel’s only public school teaches 463 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bond Mill ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 463 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
Against the 1,903 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Laurel’s, it is less healthy than 77%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Of 32 CDC measures, West Laurel beats the Maryland average on 12 and trails it on 1. In West Laurel, 16% of adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| West Laurel | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 20% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 11% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 33% |
| What stands out | West Laurel | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.9% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6% | 8.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.2% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
West Laurel has 153 jobs for its 1,962 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Half the trips to work are shorter than 14 miles. West Laurel had 153 jobs in 2023, down 42 from 2013. For West Laurel, the typical journey to work is 37 minutes. The top destinations are Washington (13%), Columbia (7%) and Baltimore (4%).
| West Laurel | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $165,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 2.6% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.3% | 3.2% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1.3 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. T. Howard Duckett Watershed, at 325 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. T. Howard Duckett Watershed | 1.2 mi | 325 |
| 2. West Laurel #2 Neighborhood Park | — | 23 |
| 3. T. Howard Duckett Community Center | — | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expect July afternoons of 87° and January nights of 25°, with about 16 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median household earns $164,688, against $103,678 across Maryland, one input to its A for jobs and income.
Adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (40% statewide). For adults 25 and older in West Laurel, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 47%. The age of the median resident for West Laurel comes to 41.2 years.
| West Laurel | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 47% | 42% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 41.2 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 16% | 18% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.1 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women.
| West Laurel | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.7% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.4% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.4% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.3% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.9% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.1% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.8% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.6% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.8% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.1% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 22.6% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,400, single groups can be off by several points
The median property tax bill is $6,153, against $4,093 across Maryland, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
West Laurel’s midpoint rent is $2,071 a month. Among households locally, 96% live in a home they own. A home in West Laurel typically sold within 35 days of listing.
| West Laurel | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 96% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,071 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
16 within 15 miles of the center of West Laurel
About 2 of every 100 West Laurel residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Census-designated place in Maryland
West Laurel is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 4,428.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with West Laurel.
Scaggsville next door grades higher for schools (A to West Laurel’s D) and lower for cost of living (D to C).
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Laurel | #167 | B− | C | — | D | A− |
| Scaggsville | #43 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| Burtonsville | #38 | A | C | — | B+ | A |
| Konterra | #213 | C | C− | — | D | B+ |
| Laurel | #226 | C− | C | D | D | B+ |
West Laurel, Scaggsville, Burtonsville and Konterra report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare West Laurel with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
West Laurel grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #167 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A− for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
The typical home is worth about $541,000, 27% 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.
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