Scores by category

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

Safety28#11,331/15,637
Economy81#2,918/15,631
Housing72#4,152/14,977
Health70#4,738/15,609
Healthcare37#9,889/15,650
Environment93#1,107/15,453
Education55#7,096/15,649
Infrastructure63#5,794/15,650
Community30#10,892/15,651
Leisure & amenities22#12,127/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Natural hazard risk · low5.8
91/100Maryland 4.72025Federal Emergency Management AgencyCharles County value
New business applications · high19.5 /1k
88/100Maryland 16.2 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauCharles County value
Median household income · high$121,208
88/100Maryland $102,835United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Public transit commuters · high2.8%
87/100Maryland 4.2%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Food environment index · high9.0
87/100Maryland 8.8United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCharles County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low2.9%
85/100Maryland 7.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Average commute time · high39.6 min
2/100Maryland 31.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Time spent in the emergency room · high262 min
2/100Maryland 246 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCharles County value
Job growth · low-2.5%
9/100Maryland -1.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataCharles County value
Homicide rate · high9.3 /100k
10/100Maryland 6.0 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCharles County value
Social associations · low6.2 /10k
13/100Maryland 8.9 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCharles County value
Primary care shortage · high16.0
14/100Maryland 7.1United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationCharles County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
9,376 (2015-2019) → 10,683 (2020-2024)
+14%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
48.8% (2015-2019) → 33.2% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
80.7% (2015-2019) → 93.8% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$87,036 (2015-2019) → $121,208 (2020-2024)
+39%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
28.4% (2015-2019) → 35.4% (2020-2024)
+7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
New homes permittedWorsening
11.1 /1k (2021) → 7.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−34%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

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, La Plata, Maryland improved on 3 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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.

Improved3

Property tax−0.5 points1.43% → 0.97%
Broadband+13 points80.7% → 93.8%
Household income+39%$87,036 → $121,208

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of La Plata, Maryland between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	33.4 min2015-2019	39.6 min2020-2024	+6.2 min	Within the margin of error	7%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.4%2015-2019	35.4%2020-2024	+7 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Broadband subscriptions	80.7%2015-2019	93.8%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	73%
Effective property tax rate	1.43%2015-2019	0.97%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	88%
High school diploma or higher	89.3%2015-2019	95.2%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Home price to income ratio	3.8×2015-2019	3.5×2020-2024	−0.3×	Within the margin of error	88%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4392015-2019	0.4132020-2024	−0.026	Within the margin of error	71%
Median household income	$87,0362015-2019	$121,2082020-2024	+39%	Improved	73%
Rent as share of income	29.7%2015-2019	26.5%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Rent-burdened households	48.8%2015-2019	33.2%2020-2024	−16 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Unemployment rate	3.4%2015-2019	3.4%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	48%

“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 La Plata, Maryland five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of La Plata, 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, La Plata, Maryland itself moved +16.8 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

10,683 residents (±24)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59
40–49
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 50–59 men (+3.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

10,683 residents (±24)

La Plata, Maryland
Maryland share

White47%4,993
Black36%3,820
Hispanic or Latino6.2%†665

Education

7,282 residents (±396)

La Plata, Maryland
Maryland share

No high school diploma4.8%†346
High school or GED26%1,877
Some college24%1,754

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

3,941 households (±291)

La Plata, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $25k10%†408
$25k–50k5.5%†218
$50k–75k16%†650
$75k–100k10%†405
$100k–150k18%715
$150k–200k13%†515
$200k or more26%1,030

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−13.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,941 households (±291)

La Plata, Maryland
Maryland share

Own80%3,167
Rent20%774

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+14.0 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

774 households (±159)

La Plata, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $75025%†193
$750–1,0007.0%†54
$1,000–1,50015%†119

Home values

3,167 homes (±256)

La Plata, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $150k0.4%†14
$150k–250k6.3%†200
$250k–400k33%1,038

Age of homes

4,201 homes (±311)

La Plata, Maryland
Maryland share

2010 or later22%941
2000–200921%878
1980–199942%1,769

Size of homes

4,201 homes (±311)

La Plata, Maryland
Maryland share

Studio3.1%†132
1 bedroom7.4%†311
2 bedrooms20%842

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

5,506 workers (±420)

La Plata, Maryland
Maryland share

Drive alone68%3,766
Carpool9.4%†518
Public transit2.8%†153
Walk0.5%†29
Bike0.0%†1
Work from home17%†920
Other2.2%†119

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−11.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

4,586 workers (±486)

La Plata, Maryland
Maryland share

Under 15 min26%1,211
15–29 min19%882
30–44 min16%†717

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

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 Charles County, the county holding most of La Plata's residents.

Charles County has 2,793 employer establishments, 162 for every 10,000 residents (0.65× the US rate of 248; 0.70× Maryland's), with 33,675 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,027. The Census Bureau also counts 16,222 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,793; 16,222 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 162; US 248 · Maryland 230
Paid employees: 33,675
Average annual pay: $47,027; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	258	15	0.72×Fewer than typical	2,332	$65,941	708
Specialty trade contractors	252	14.6	0.95×About typical	2,711	$72,966	1,039
Restaurants and other eating places	238	13.8	0.75×Fewer than typical	5,373	$21,855	64
Limited-service restaurants	134	7.8	0.97×About typical	2,928	$21,087	28
Building equipment contractors	118	6.9	1.14×About typical	1,638	$77,989	297
Lessors of real estate	100	5.8	0.47×Fewer than typical	272	$43,776	1,276
Construction of buildings	92	5.3	0.71×Fewer than typical	477	$67,786	350
Offices of physicians	90	5.2	0.81×About typical	977	$78,157	60
Automotive repair and maintenance	83	4.8	0.96×About typical	608	$57,605	234
Full-service restaurants	82	4.8	0.62×Fewer than typical	2,159	$23,098	25
Management, scientific and technical consulting	79	4.6	0.68×Fewer than typical	333	$64,544	618
Services to buildings and dwellings	78	4.5	0.67×Fewer than typical	578	$42,092	789

Rank places for an industry Open Charles County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 172,174 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 $1.4M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in La Plata, Maryland: $130 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.4M; −51% vs FY2025
Per resident: $130; US $1,994
Sole-source: 77%; US 30%
Single offer: 4.1%; 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

Department of the Navy$1.3M95%
Offices, Boards and Divisions$37.7K2.7%
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Acquisition and Property Management Division$11.5K0.8%
Defense Logistics Agency$10.9K0.8%
Defense Information Systems Agency$9,5450.7%

Top recipients

FGS, LLC$934.4K67%
SOLUTIONS DEVELOPMENT CORP$256K18%
SUPERIOR STRUCTURES LLC$77.5K5.6%
MANUNOA, LLC$37.7K2.7%
MIDWEST MICROWAVE SOLUTIONS, INC.$25.6K1.8%

Spending by fiscal year

720KFY2017
677.7KFY2018
877.8KFY2019
700.1KFY2020
583.1KFY2021
2MFY2022
2MFY2023
3.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$934.4K67%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$268.9K19%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$113.6K8.2%
Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342$25.6K1.8%
Utility system construction · 2371$19K1.4%
Investigation and security services · 5616$11.5K

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 La Plata, Maryland, so they do not add up across cities.

La Plata, Maryland's figures are part of those of Charles County, MD ($206.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.7% of that total.

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

See federal money in Charles 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.

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

House

Steny H. HoyerD-MD-5 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 2.8%

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.

Charles County70100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV86

Other cities and towns in Charles 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/2445750

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends