Town · Caroline County, Maryland

Denton, Maryland

Denton is a town in Caroline County, Maryland. It has 4,936 residents. Denton, Maryland has a quality-of-life score of 18 out of 100 (very low), ranking #12,845 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Maryland it ranks #326 of 334 cities and towns. It ranks best on uninsured residents (under 65) (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low) and high ozone days (low). It ranks worst on access to exercise opportunities (low), unemployment rate (high) and restaurants and bars (low).

18Very low

Quality-of-life score: #12,845 of 15,651 cities and towns
Maryland: #326 of 334 in MD
Population: 4,936 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 937.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 2422725

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety49#7,942/15,637
Economy23#11,978/15,631
Housing38#9,347/14,977
Health18#12,808/15,609
Healthcare29#11,153/15,650
Environment68#4,954/15,453
Education25#11,744/15,649
Infrastructure17#12,923/15,650
Community23#12,048/15,651
Leisure & amenities15#13,369/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Denton, Maryland ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Caroline 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

Uninsured residents (under 65) · low2.3%
90/100Maryland 7.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.7 µg/m³
79/100Maryland 7.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCaroline County value
High ozone days · low0 days
76/100Maryland 2 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCaroline County value
Public libraries · high0.9 /10k
72/100Maryland 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesCaroline County value
Preventable hospital stays · low2,385 /100k
70/100Maryland 2,655 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCaroline County value
Suicide rate · low12.9 /100k
69/100Maryland 10.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataCaroline County value

Weaknesses

Access to exercise opportunities · low22.4%
1/100Maryland 92.1%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCaroline County value
Unemployment rate · high12.7%
5/100Maryland 4.0%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Restaurants and bars · low4.7 /10k
7/100Maryland 7.2 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCaroline County value
Distance to an emergency room · high14.5 mi
8/100Maryland 4.6 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCaroline County value
Adult obesity · high43.5%
8/100Maryland 36.8%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Average commute time · high30.0 min
9/100Maryland 31.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Trends

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

PopulationRising
4,429 (2015-2019) → 4,936 (2020-2024)
+11%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
71.9% (2015-2019) → 52.4% (2020-2024)
−20 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
6.4 /1k (2021) → 1.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−81%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
20.7% (2015-2019) → 11.5% (2020-2024)
−9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$50,081 (2015-2019) → $66,510 (2020-2024)
+33%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherWorsening
85.6% (2015-2019) → 79.1% (2020-2024)
−6.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Denton, Maryland improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 9 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

Rent / income−5.1 points35.7% → 30.6%
Household income+33%$50,081 → $66,510

Declined2

Unemployment+6.2 points6.5% → 12.7%
Bachelor's+−9.2 points20.7% → 11.5%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Denton, Maryland between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	31.3 min2015-2019	30.0 min2020-2024	−1.2 min	Within the margin of error	63%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.7%2015-2019	11.5%2020-2024	−9.2 points	Declined	2%
Broadband subscriptions	88.7%2015-2019	90.9%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Child poverty rate	17.4%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Effective property tax rate	1.43%2015-2019	1.20%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	64%
High school diploma or higher	85.6%2015-2019	79.1%2020-2024	−6.5 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Home price to income ratio	3.9×2015-2019	3.5×2020-2024	−0.3×	Within the margin of error	90%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5042015-2019	0.4092020-2024	−0.096	Within the margin of error	95%
Median household income	$50,0812015-2019	$66,5102020-2024	+33%	Improved	61%
Poverty rate	12.6%2015-2019	12.8%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Rent as share of income	35.7%2015-2019	30.6%2020-2024	−5.1 points	Improved	83%
Rent-burdened households	71.9%2015-2019	52.4%2020-2024	−20 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Unemployment rate	6.5%2015-2019	12.7%2020-2024	+6.2 points	Declined	2%

“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 Denton, Maryland five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Denton, 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, Denton, Maryland itself moved +6.2 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

4,936 residents (±37)

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

1,798 households (±225)

Denton, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $25k21%†369
$25k–50k21%†376
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,798 households (±225)

Denton, Maryland
Maryland share

Own48%864
Rent52%934

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−15.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,169 workers (±214)

Denton, Maryland
Maryland share

Drive alone76%1,644
Carpool11%†243
Public transit0.2%†5

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 Caroline County, the county holding most of Denton's residents.

Caroline County has 634 employer establishments, 188 for every 10,000 residents (0.76× the US rate of 248; 0.81× Maryland's), with 6,996 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,088. The Census Bureau also counts 2,909 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 634; 2,909 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 188; US 248 · Maryland 230
Paid employees: 6,996
Average annual pay: $52,088; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	74	21.9	1.42×More than typical	547	$58,463	262
Building equipment contractors	33	9.8	1.62×More than typical	296	$62,926	50
Services to buildings and dwellings	32	9.5	1.41×More than typical	104	$40,712	291
Restaurants and other eating places	30	8.9	0.48×Fewer than typical	422	$25,358	9
Truck transportation	30	8.9	1.76×More than typical	341	$92,804	110
Construction of buildings	29	8.6	1.14×About typical	137	$50,978	150
Religious organizations	25	7.4	1.33×More than typical	54	$21,685	—
Lessors of real estate	21	6.2	0.50×Fewer than typical	33	$41,515	223
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	21	6.2	1.88×More than typical	128	$56,180	28
Automotive repair and maintenance	20	5.9	1.18×About typical	122	$61,664	72
Landscaping services	18	5.3	1.52×More than typical	55	$49,327	101
Other specialty trade contractors	18	5.3	2.12×More than typical	130	$61,946	79

Rank places for an industry Open Caroline County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 33,768 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Denton, Maryland: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

4.6KFY2017
2KFY2018
40.2FY2019
690.2FY2020
-33.3FY2021
3.5KFY2024

What was bought

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 Denton, Maryland, so they do not add up across cities.

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

See federal money in Caroline 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.

Denton, 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.

Caroline County30100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Caroline 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/2422725

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends