Town · Worcester County, Maryland

Berlin, Maryland

Berlin is a town in Worcester County, Maryland, part of the Ocean Pines, MD metro area. It has 5,232 residents. Berlin, Maryland has a quality-of-life score of 79 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,354 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Maryland it ranks #127 of 334 cities and towns. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), math scores (high) and reading scores (high). It ranks worst on average weekly wage (low), distance to an airport (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

79High

Quality-of-life score: #3,354 of 15,651 cities and towns
Maryland: #127 of 334 in MD
Population: 5,232 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 1,545.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 2406800

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety56#6,895/15,637
Economy48#8,125/15,631
Housing24#11,320/14,977
Health57#6,677/15,609
Healthcare61#6,072/15,650
Environment83#2,664/15,453
Education96#558/15,649
Infrastructure69#4,822/15,650
Community79#3,237/15,651
Leisure & amenities100#43/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Berlin, Maryland ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Worcester County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Restaurants and bars · high38.6 /10k
100/100Maryland 7.2 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWorcester County value
Math scores · high3.65
99/100Maryland 2.96United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWorcester County value
Reading scores · high3.55
99/100Maryland 3.00United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWorcester County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.6 /10k
98/100Maryland 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWorcester County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high14.0 /10k
98/100Maryland 5.0 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWorcester County value
Grocery stores · high3.3 /10k
96/100Maryland 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWorcester County value

Weaknesses

Average weekly wage · low$908
6/100Maryland $1,568United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWorcester County value
Distance to an airport · high97 mi
10/100Maryland 21 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWorcester County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high81 mi
15/100Maryland 13 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWorcester County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.486
16/100Maryland 0.456United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Traffic deaths · high21.6 /100k
18/100Maryland 9.4 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataWorcester County value
Home price to income ratio · high5.2×
19/100Maryland 4.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
4,657 (2015-2019) → 5,232 (2020-2024)
+12%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
15.8 /1k (2021) → 0.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−96%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
30.2% (2015-2019) → 41.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Poverty rateWorsening
7.4% (2015-2019) → 18.9% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
6.9% (2015-2019) → 18.3% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
85.7% (2015-2019) → 94.7% (2020-2024)
+8.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Berlin, Maryland improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Bachelor's++12 points30.2% → 41.9%
Broadband+8.9 points85.7% → 94.7%

Declined2

Poverty+11 points7.4% → 18.9%
Inequality+0.0700.416 → 0.486

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Berlin, Maryland between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.7 min2015-2019	21.3 min2020-2024	−0.4 min	Within the margin of error	52%
Bachelor's degree or higher	30.2%2015-2019	41.9%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	93%
Broadband subscriptions	85.7%2015-2019	94.7%2020-2024	+8.9 points	Improved	54%
Effective property tax rate	1.13%2015-2019	1.03%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	36%
High school diploma or higher	91.4%2015-2019	91.7%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Home price to income ratio	4.1×2015-2019	5.2×2020-2024	+1.1×	Within the margin of error	19%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4162015-2019	0.4862020-2024	+0.070	Declined	10%
Median household income	$61,5912015-2019	$81,4382020-2024	+32%	Within the margin of error	60%
Poverty rate	7.4%2015-2019	18.9%2020-2024	+11 points	Declined	3%
Rent as share of income	30.2%2015-2019	37.0%2020-2024	+6.8 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Rent-burdened households	50.3%2015-2019	56.3%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.3%2015-2019	7.0%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	20%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Berlin, Maryland five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Berlin, Maryland in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Berlin, Maryland itself moved −6.4 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

5,232 residents (±21)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,780 households (±162)

Berlin, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $25k19%†337
$25k–50k12%†215
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,780 households (±162)

Berlin, Maryland
Maryland share

Own56%989
Rent44%791

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,359 workers (±252)

Berlin, Maryland
Maryland share

Drive alone80%1,884
Carpool5.8%†136
Public transit1.3%†30

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Ocean Pines, MD

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Worcester County, the county holding most of Berlin's residents.

Worcester County has 2,256 employer establishments, 416 for every 10,000 residents (1.68× the US rate of 248; 1.81× Maryland's), with 20,249 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,503. The Census Bureau also counts 6,215 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,256; 6,215 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 416; US 248 · Maryland 230
Paid employees: 20,249
Average annual pay: $45,503; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Worcester County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	366	67.5	3.67×More than typical	4,981	$37,685	34
Full-service restaurants	202	37.2	4.85×More than typical	3,611	$40,447	20
Lessors of real estate	137	25.3	2.05×More than typical	413	$42,005	1,150
Specialty trade contractors	126	23.2	1.50×More than typical	817	$54,377	459
Ambulatory health care services	116	21.4	1.03×About typical	900	$67,357	213
Limited-service restaurants	111	20.5	2.55×More than typical	1,016	$27,811	9
Traveler accommodation	93	17.1	9.50×More than typical	1,617	$43,389	34
Clothing and accessories stores	82	15.1	4.17×More than typical	626	$30,669	76
Construction of buildings	71	13.1	1.73×More than typical	227	$53,163	221
Real estate agents and brokers	64	11.8	2.42×More than typical	134	$56,440	305
Building equipment contractors	59	10.9	1.81×More than typical	454	$59,524	89
Services to buildings and dwellings	55	10.1	1.50×More than typical	217	$60,770	398

Rank places for an industry Open Worcester County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 54,237 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $89.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Berlin, Maryland: $17.03 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $89.1K; −51% vs FY2025
Per resident: $17.03; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.1%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

National Park Service$88.2K99%
Department of State$8661.0%

Top recipients

BLUE WORLD CONSTRUCTION INC$77.4K87%
ADVANCED LOGISTIC PARTNERS INC$8,4529.5%
MILLER ENVIRONMENTAL INC$2,6363.0%
COLLINGTON DISTRIBUTORS$8661.0%
EARLE KINLAW & ASSOCIATES, INC.$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

110.7KFY2017
66.6KFY2018
47.1KFY2019
22.1KFY2020
63.8KFY2021
116.6KFY2022
62.3KFY2023
51K

Top industries (NAICS)

Utility system construction · 2371$85.8K96%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$2,6363.0%
Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353$5230.6%
Other chemical product and preparation manufacturing · 3259$3440.4%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Berlin, Maryland, so they do not add up across cities.

Berlin, Maryland's figures are part of those of Worcester County, MD ($51.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Berlin is mostly in Worcester County.

See federal money in Worcester County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Berlin, Maryland is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Andy HarrisR-MD-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 96%Missed 2.7%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Worcester County86100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Ocean Pines, MD89

Other cities and towns in Worcester County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2406800

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends