Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,198. Public schools that outperform most of Maryland.
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Ocean City grades A− overall, 101st of 259 graded towns in Maryland. Its schools rank ahead of 96% of Maryland towns. It is healthier than 80% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $424K for a typical one and 5.2 times the Ocean Pines area’s $82K median household income. Only 4 of Maryland’s 329 towns score lower on hazard risk. West Ocean City has 1 place on the National Register. West Ocean City is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns.
Where West Ocean City beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean City Elementary | PK–4 | 566 |
| Seaside Christian Academy | PK–12 | 226 |
Coastal flooding makes up 37% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
20.5% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, so the town is fuller in summer than its census count suggests.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far West Ocean City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,311 in 2000, 4,952 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1901 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Ocean City. Close and well known come first.
2 mi National SeashoreAssateague Island National Seashore2.3M visitors a year2 mi Theme parkJolly Roger Amusement Park
2 mi Theme parkTrimper's Rides
35 mi MuseumUSCGC Tamaroa
30 mi LandmarkFort Miles
25 mi Theme parkFunland (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware)Assateague Island National Seashore: Fritz Geller-Grimm, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Trimper's Rides: Mttbme, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USCGC Tamaroa: Unknown USCG member, Public domain · Fort Miles: Unknown, Public domain · Funland (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware): Tsole, CC BY-SA 4.0
West Ocean City is unincorporated, so Worcester 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 Ocean City.
West Ocean City has schools in the top 5% of Maryland and has milder winter nights than almost anywhere else in Maryland, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Maryland (mostly coastal flooding).
That grade ranks #1 of the 261 Maryland towns we grade for schools.
Its two schools are below. Public schools: the Worcester County Public Schools. 566 students attend West Ocean City’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean City ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 566 | A− |
| Seaside Christian Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 226 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
West Ocean City: 14% of adults report frequent mental distress, where Maryland’s towns sit at 15% and U.S. towns at 17%. 18% of West Ocean City adults binge drink. Of 32 CDC measures, West Ocean City beats the Maryland average on 13 and trails it on 4.
| West Ocean City | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 38% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | West Ocean City | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.7% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.8% | 13.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 29.8°, the #2 highest of 536 Maryland places with climate records; July afternoons average 85.9°.
About 10 inches of snow falls in a winter. Expect mild winters and warm summers in West Ocean City. The town’s midsummer high is 86°F, below Maryland’s towns (88°F) and close to U.S. towns (85°F).
| West Ocean City | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 30°F | 26°F | 22°F |
| July high | 86°F | 88°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In West Ocean City, nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or older. Among 261 Maryland towns, just 10 have a higher median age than West Ocean City. 38% of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 44% across Maryland.
| West Ocean City | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.5 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 42% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.4 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women.
| West Ocean City | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.8% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.7% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.4% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.1% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.2% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.5% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.5% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.3% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.6% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.6% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.9% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.9% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.4% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.3% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.9% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The average commute for its 2,080 working residents takes 19.6 minutes, against 31.1 across Maryland.
For West Ocean City, the average commute is 20 minutes. Employers in West Ocean City added 574 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 2,621. Among working residents locally, 15% work locally. Half of commuters travel less than 7 miles.
| West Ocean City | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 3.1% | 8% |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Maryland towns, with expected losses of about $323 per resident a year; that rating is what its C+ for hazard risk is built on.
The national flood insurance program has paid 208 claims locally since 1984. West Ocean City’s risk rating from FEMA comes in at 61 of 100. Expected losses in West Ocean City break down as 37% from coastal flooding and 27% from hurricanes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Trails total 0.8 miles in 3 parks and preserves. West Ocean City’s density of trails stands at 0.1 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Herring Creek Nature Park, at 25 acres.
| West Ocean City | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Herring Creek Nature Park | 0.8 mi | 25 |
| 2. Sinepuxent Bay Wildlife Management Area | — | 3 |
| 3. Homer Gudelsky Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of West Ocean City; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 West Ocean City residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
4,375 counted in 2010 and 4,952 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
CDP in Maryland, United States
West Ocean City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,375 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with West Ocean City.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ocean City | #101 | A− | C− | — | A+ | A− |
| Ocean Pines | #65 | A | C− | A+ | A+ | A− |
West Ocean City reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare West Ocean City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Ocean City grades A− overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #101 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A− for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. 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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