Scores by category

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

Safety18#12,813/15,637
Economy58#6,542/15,631
Housing11#13,271/14,977
Health69#4,806/15,609
Healthcare86#2,145/15,650
Environment52#7,341/15,453
Education72#4,319/15,649
Infrastructure75#3,894/15,650
Community60#6,293/15,651
Leisure & amenities56#6,861/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Towson, Maryland ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Baltimore 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 · low1.2
99/100Maryland 4.72025Federal Emergency Management AgencyBaltimore County value
High school diploma or higher · high96.3%
98/100Maryland 91.2%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Bachelor's degree or higher · high69.3%
97/100Maryland 43.5%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Child poverty rate · low7.3%
89/100Maryland 11.2%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Access to exercise opportunities · high97.0%
87/100Maryland 92.1%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBaltimore County value
Adult smoking · low9.5%
87/100Maryland 12.3%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.512
3/100Maryland 0.456United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Property crime rate · high2,412 /100k
6/100Maryland 1,820 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationBaltimore County value
Time spent in the emergency room · high230 min
8/100Maryland 246 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBaltimore County value
Rent-burdened households · high57.5%
14/100Maryland 51.5%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
High ozone days · high5 days
15/100Maryland 2 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyBaltimore County value
Violent crime rate · high408 /100k
16/100Maryland 358 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationBaltimore County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
52.5% (2015-2019) → 57.5% (2020-2024)
+5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
65.1% (2015-2019) → 69.3% (2020-2024)
+4.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateWorsening
4.2% (2015-2019) → 7.3% (2020-2024)
+3.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$88,786 (2015-2019) → $101,320 (2020-2024)
+14%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.1× (2015-2019) → 4.6× (2020-2024)
+13%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
89.9% (2015-2019) → 92.4% (2020-2024)
+2.4 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, Towson, Maryland improved on 2 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 9 moved within the margin of error and 1 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++4.2 points65.1% → 69.3%
Household income+14%$88,786 → $101,320

Declined3

Child poverty+3.1 points4.2% → 7.3%
Transit use−2.2 points4.2% → 2.0%
Price / income+0.5×4.1× → 4.6×

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Towson, Maryland between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	26.1 min2015-2019	25.1 min2020-2024	−1.0 min	Within the margin of error	59%
Bachelor's degree or higher	65.1%2015-2019	69.3%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Improved	62%
Broadband subscriptions	89.9%2015-2019	92.4%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Child poverty rate	4.2%2015-2019	7.3%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Declined	26%
Effective property tax rate	1.03%2015-2019	0.91%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	39%
High school diploma or higher	96.1%2015-2019	96.3%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Home price to income ratio	4.1×2015-2019	4.6×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	46%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5022015-2019	0.5122020-2024	+0.010	Within the margin of error	41%
Median household income	$88,7862015-2019	$101,3202020-2024	+14%	Improved	22%
Poverty rate	11.5%2015-2019	12.1%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Public transit commuters	4.2%2015-2019	2.0%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Declined	13%
Rent as share of income	31.4%2015-2019	32.8%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Rent-burdened households	52.5%2015-2019	57.5%2020-2024	+5 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Unemployment rate	4.3%2015-2019	4.8%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	3.1%2015-2019	3.1%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	46%

“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 Towson, Maryland five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Towson, 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, Towson, Maryland itself moved −3.7 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

58,679 residents (±1,741)

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: Under 10 women (+1.5 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

58,679 residents (±1,741)

Towson, Maryland
Maryland share

White67%39,087
Black17%9,697
Hispanic or Latino6.0%3,548

Education

36,086 residents (±1,286)

Towson, Maryland
Maryland share

No high school diploma3.7%1,321
High school or GED9.4%3,403
Some college12%4,298

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

23,262 households (±810)

Towson, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $25k15%3,415
$25k–50k10%2,439
$50k–75k12%2,780
$75k–100k12%2,818
$100k–150k16%3,629
$150k–200k11%2,670
$200k or more24%5,511

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+7.8 points).

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

23,262 households (±810)

Towson, Maryland
Maryland share

Own56%12,943
Rent44%10,319

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

10,085 households (±687)

Towson, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $7508.2%†824
$750–1,0001.8%†180
$1,000–1,50019%1,900

Home values

12,943 homes (±610)

Towson, Maryland
Maryland share

Under $150k2.8%†360
$150k–250k7.1%919
$250k–400k27%3,475

Age of homes

24,871 homes (±747)

Towson, Maryland
Maryland share

2010 or later10%2,574
2000–20096.8%1,699
1980–199914%3,561

Size of homes

24,871 homes (±747)

Towson, Maryland
Maryland share

Studio3.8%†943
1 bedroom18%4,377
2 bedrooms25%6,244

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

28,923 workers (±1,203)

Towson, Maryland
Maryland share

Drive alone62%17,841
Carpool6.3%1,824
Public transit2.0%†581
Walk5.2%1,495
Bike0.2%†69
Work from home23%6,731
Other1.3%†382

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+16.4 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

22,192 workers (±1,102)

Towson, Maryland
Maryland share

Under 15 min28%6,125
15–29 min37%8,312
30–44 min22%4,919

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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, 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 Baltimore County, the county holding most of Towson's residents.

Baltimore County has 20,340 employer establishments, 240 for every 10,000 residents (0.97× the US rate of 248; 1.04× Maryland's), with 340,854 paid employees at an average annual pay of $65,263. The Census Bureau also counts 87,453 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 20,340; 87,453 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 240; US 248 · Maryland 230
Paid employees: 340,854
Average annual pay: $65,263; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	2,109	24.9	1.20×About typical	28,896	$70,051	6,615
Restaurants and other eating places	1,449	17.1	0.93×About typical	26,491	$23,380	584
Specialty trade contractors	1,182	14	0.90×About typical	18,164	$71,851	3,705
Lessors of real estate	970	11.5	0.93×About typical	6,150	$76,401	8,058
Limited-service restaurants	822	9.7	1.21×About typical	13,157	$21,466	332
Construction of buildings	646	7.6	1.01×About typical	4,849	$90,137	1,983
Legal services	622	7.3	1.37×More than typical	3,203	$91,314	805
Offices of physicians	600	7.1	1.09×About typical	7,415	$92,159	860
Services to buildings and dwellings	580	6.9	1.02×About typical	5,890	$39,481	3,599
Offices of other health practitioners	566	6.7	1.10×About typical	6,569	$70,663	2,348
Building equipment contractors	483	5.7	0.95×About typical	9,389	$78,139	773
Management, scientific and technical consulting	473	5.6	0.83×About typical	4,364	$103,458	3,122

Rank places for an industry Open Baltimore County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 846,378 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 $3.4M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Towson, Maryland: $57.99 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $3.4M; −13% vs FY2025
Per resident: $57.99; US $1,994
Sole-source: 39%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.0%; 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$1.2M34%
Departmental Offices$883.2K26%
Offices, Boards and Divisions$680K20%
Social Security Administration$255.5K7.5%
U.S. Coast Guard$243.5K7.2%
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation$201.9K5.9%
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$91.9K2.7%
Public Buildings Service$84.5K2.5%

Top recipients

RITZ CONSTRUCTION INC$1M31%
BOLTON PARTNERS, INC.$881.9K26%
PM CONSULTING GROUP LLC$588.5K17%
DNI EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, LLC$283.2K8.3%
JAMES H BIDDISON MD$124.4K3.7%

Spending by fiscal year

42MFY2017
48.3MFY2018
42.9MFY2019
68.2MFY2020
32.9MFY2021
67.8MFY2022
65.9MFY2023
15.8M

Top industries (NAICS)

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$1.8M53%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$1.1M32%
Offices of physicians · 6211$255.2K7.5%
Business schools and computer and management training · 6114$243.5K7.2%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$119.4K3.5%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Towson, Maryland

SERDP PROJECT ER19-1193$1.3M
TOWSON UNIVERSITY· Baltimore County, MD· Research & development· Jul 10, 2019 – Feb 5, 2026· W912HQ19C0029
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE'S BUREAU OF CYBERSPACE AND DIGITAL POLICY (CDP) REQUIRES A TASK ORDER FOR THE FOLLOWING TASKS. TASK 1 WILL DESIGN EVALUATION PROJECTS AND ISSUE MULTIPLE SUB-TASK ORDERS FOR THIRD PARTY EVALUATION (TPE) TEAMS TO SYSTEMATI$934K
PM CONSULTING GROUP LLC· Baltimore County, MD· Professional services· Sep 25, 2025 – Sep 25, 2026· 140D0425F0976
MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTOR SUPPORT SERVICES CONTRACT$932K
PM CONSULTING GROUP LLC· Baltimore County, MD· Education & social services· Apr 14, 2023 – Jun 1, 2026· 70Z04423CC2PL0001

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

Towson, Maryland's figures are part of those of Baltimore County, MD ($2.3B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Baltimore 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.

Towson, Maryland is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

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.

Baltimore County64100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD69

Other cities and towns in Baltimore 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
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/2478425

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends