Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Woodlawn’s grades pull in different directions. The town’s overall C+ puts it 181st of 259 in Maryland. That leaves it better than two fifths of U.S. towns. Where it falls short is schools: its public schools trail just over three quarters of Maryland towns on state tests and graduation. It does especially well on walkability: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. At about $294K, a typical home costs 3 years of the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income. Its trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile, where Maryland’s towns sit at 0.6 and U.S. towns at 0.4. This Maryland town has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them St. Mary's Episcopal Church/Woodlawn and Lorraine Park Cemetery Gate Lodge.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap · National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Woodlawn is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where Woodlawn beats most towns.
St. Mary's Episcopal Church/Woodlawn
Census counts: 19,254 in 1960, 39,986 in 2020. The archive holds 32 old photos and papers going back to 1915 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
2 places in Woodlawn on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ordered by what stands out in Woodlawn.
Woodlawn has homes that are cheap against local pay and has added half again as many jobs in ten years.
The biggest place to walk is Patapsco Valley State Park Pickall Area, 433 acres with 10.1 miles of trail. In 10 parks and preserves, walkers have 16 miles of trail.
| Woodlawn | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.7 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Patapsco Valley State Park Pickall Area | 10.1 mi | 433 |
| 2. Dead Run Stream Valley Park | — | 39 |
| 3. Western Hills Community Park | 0.1 mi | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Two of the 11 schools are below, and why each made the list. The public schools here belong to the Baltimore County Public Schools. The 5 public schools in Woodlawn teach 2,695 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest AcademyLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 842 | B− |
| Woodlawn HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,922 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
FEMA puts 38% of Woodlawn’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 34% to heat waves. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 94% of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 33 claims in the town since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 25° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 15,392 in 2013 to 23,583.
Only 6% of working residents stay in Woodlawn for work; the rest commute out. Since 2013, Woodlawn has added 8,191 jobs, to 23,583 in 2023. The town’s average trip to work comes in at 26 minutes. Half commute less than 9 miles.
| Woodlawn | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $82,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 16% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A bachelor’s degree or higher: 36% of adults 25 and older, vs 44% across Maryland. The age mix tracks Maryland closely: no broad group is more than 4 points off. The midpoint age in Woodlawn is 37 years.
| Woodlawn | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 42% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
55% women, 45% men
About 81 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1 point). Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.7, men 35.8.
| Woodlawn | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.9% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.7% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.8% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.8% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.9% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.9% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.5% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.8% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.7% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.3% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.7% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.8% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.6% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.9% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The share of adults in Woodlawn who binge drink: 11%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Woodlawn is ahead of Maryland on 2 and behind on 15. 16% of adults in the town have diabetes; 38% feel lonely.
| Woodlawn | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Woodlawn | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.6% | 7.6% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.1% | 14.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 22.9% | 15.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 3 years of the Baltimore metro’s $99K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 81% of Maryland towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living.
Among households in Woodlawn, 63% live in a home they own. For Woodlawn, the median rent is $1,494 a month. Bidding over the asking price: 47% of homes sold in the town.
| Woodlawn | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,494 a month | $1,810 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Woodlawn. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw32 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaM&T Bank Stadium
Big draw34 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw34 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw32 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a yearWhite 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 · M&T Bank Stadium: United States Department of Defense Cherie Cullen, Public domain · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0 · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain
Woodlawn 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.
19 within 15 miles of the center of Woodlawn
About 9 of every 100 Woodlawn residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Place in Maryland, United States
Woodlawn is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,986. It is home to the headquarters of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It is bordered by Catonsville on the south, by the Patapsco River and Howard County on the west, by Randallstown and Lochearn to the north, and by the City of Baltimore to the east. Parts of Woodlawn are sometimes informally referred to as Security, Maryland, due to the importance of the SSA's headquarters as well as nearby Security Boulevard (Maryland Route 122) and Security Square Mall. The Lorraine…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Woodlawn.
Ellicott City next door grades higher for schools (A to Woodlawn’s C−) and lower for cost of living (D− to C+).
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodlawn | #181 | C+ | C+ | — | C− | C+ |
| Ellicott City | #50 | A | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Lochearn | #190 | C+ | C+ | — | C− | C+ |
| Milford Mill | #202 | C | C | — | C− | C+ |
| Baltimore | #251 | D | B− | D− | D− | C |
| Catonsville | #131 | B | C− | — | C− | A− |
Woodlawn, Ellicott City, Lochearn, Milford Mill and Catonsville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Woodlawn with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Woodlawn grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #181 of 259 in Maryland. It grades C+ for health and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
The typical home is worth about $294,000, 31% below 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+.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.
