Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety34#608/924
Economy25#697/925
Housing9#839/925
Health33#617/925
Healthcare53#434/923
Environment75#227/917
Education15#782/925
Infrastructure10#835/925
Community45#513/925
Leisure & amenities29#658/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cambridge, MD micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Suicide rate · low11.4 /100k
93/100Maryland 10.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Public EV charging ports · high13.7 /10k
91/100Maryland 8.9 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · low1,726 /100k
90/100Maryland 2,655 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · low10.0 /100k
85/100Maryland 9.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
81/100Maryland 0.4%2025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Depression · low21.6%
79/100Maryland 19.9%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Rent as share of income · high34.6%
4/100Maryland 30.8%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Job growth · low-3.3%
6/100Maryland -1.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Primary care physicians · low31 /100k
6/100Maryland 86 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Child poverty rate · high29.4%
7/100Maryland 11.2%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Public transit commuters · low0.0%
8/100Maryland 4.2%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty
Distance to an emergency room · high15.4 mi
8/100Maryland 4.6 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 63% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+63 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
64.4 /100k (2021) → 17.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−73%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Homicide rateImproving
10.9 /100k (2021) → 3.5 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−68%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Gyms and fitness centersWorsening
1.2 /10k (2020) → 0.6 /10k (2025)
−52%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Firearm deathsImproving
18.3 /100k (2021) → 10.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−45%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.1% (2015-2019) → 85.8% (2020-2024)
+8.7 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, Cambridge, MD micropolitan area improved on 10 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 8. 9 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved10

Overdose deaths−65%49.2 /100k → 17.1 /100k
Traffic deaths−6%15.6 /100k → 14.6 /100k
Homicides−29%4.9 /100k → 3.5 /100k
Broadband+8.7 points77.1% → 85.8%
Weekly wage+22%$870 → $1,060

Declined8

Gyms−52%1.2 /10k → 0.6 /10k
Grocery stores−23%1.5 /10k → 1.2 /10k
Arts & recreation−9.7%4.6 /10k → 4.2 /10k
Price / income+0.8×3.5× → 4.2×
Restaurants−7.2%7.7 /10k → 7.1 /10k

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Cambridge, MD micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.6 /10k2020	4.2 /10k2025	−9.7%	Declined	15%
Average commute time	27.6 min2015-2019	26.9 min2020-2024	−0.7 min	Within the margin of error	83%
Average weekly wage	$8702020	$1,0602025	+22%	Improved	36%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.2%2015-2019	19.4%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	2%
Broadband subscriptions	77.1%2015-2019	85.8%2020-2024	+8.7 points	Improved	48%
Child poverty rate	24.3%2015-2019	29.4%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Distance to an airport	55 mi2020	55 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	49.2 /100k2020	17.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−65%	Improved	94%
Effective property tax rate	0.99%2015-2019	0.84%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	60%
Firearm deaths	9.0 /100k2020	10.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+11%	Declined	33%
Grocery stores	1.5 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	−23%	Declined	8%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.2 /10k2020	0.6 /10k2025	−52%	Declined	3%
High school diploma or higher	87.9%2015-2019	86.3%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Home price to income ratio	3.5×2015-2019	4.2×2020-2024	+0.8×	Declined	21%
Homicide rate	4.9 /100k2020	3.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−29%	Improved	54%
Income adjusted for local prices	$50,2042019	$64,6242024	+29%	Improved	26%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4712015-2019	0.4702020-2024	−0.001	Within the margin of error	59%
Median household income	$52,9172015-2019	$61,8392020-2024	+17%	Improved	7%
New business applications	10.5 /1k2020	13.4 /1k2025	+27%	Improved	23%
Pharmacies	1.8 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	−19%	Declined	22%
Poverty rate	15.8%2015-2019	17.1%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Property crime rate	2,432 /100k2020	1,931 /100k2025	−21%	Improved	24%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−4%	Little change	29%
Rent as share of income	32.0%2015-2019	34.6%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Rent-burdened households	55.3%2015-2019	56.0%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Restaurants and bars	7.7 /10k2020	7.1 /10k2025	−7.2%	Declined	19%
Suicide rate	10.7 /100k2020	11.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+6.5%	Declined	44%
Traffic deaths	15.6 /100k2015-2019	14.6 /100k2020-2024	−6%	Improved	73%
Unemployment rate	6.5%2020	4.4%2025	−2.1 points	Improved	24%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.5%2015-2019	7.0%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	27%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 675 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Cambridge, MD micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cambridge, MD micropolitan area 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, Cambridge, MD micropolitan area itself moved −8.4 points in standing on average over the same 29 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

32,754 residents

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

13,546 households (±385)

Cambridge, MD micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k20%2,737
$25k–50k21%2,824
$50k–75k17%2,362

Homes

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

Owners and renters

13,546 households (±385)

Cambridge, MD micropolitan area
United States share

Own66%8,882
Rent34%4,664

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

14,562 workers (±615)

Cambridge, MD micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone79%11,463
Carpool10%1,507
Public transit0.0%†3

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 no occupation wages for Cambridge, MD micropolitan area.

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.

Cambridge, MD has 687 employer establishments, 208 for every 10,000 residents (0.84× the US rate of 248), with 9,537 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,203. The Census Bureau also counts 3,033 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 687; 3,033 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 208; US 248
Paid employees: 9,537
Average annual pay: $51,203; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	49	14.9	0.81×About typical	848	$21,004	10
Specialty trade contractors	49	14.9	0.96×About typical	287	$56,899	236
Ambulatory health care services	41	12.4	0.60×Fewer than typical	534	$63,893	140
Lessors of real estate	33	10	0.81×About typical	110	$36,427	216
Religious organizations	25	7.6	1.37×More than typical	71	$20,493	—
Building equipment contractors	24	7.3	1.21×About typical	182	$60,681	50
Truck transportation	24	7.3	1.44×More than typical	142	$59,063	101
Limited-service restaurants	23	7	0.87×About typical	370	$18,238	4
Construction of buildings	22	6.7	0.88×About typical	230	$113,439	97
Full-service restaurants	21	6.4	0.83×About typical	378	$22,701	5
Automotive repair and maintenance	19	5.8	1.14×About typical	116	$56,250	63
Services to buildings and dwellings	18	5.5	0.81×About typical	58	$24,052	289

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 32,981 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $131.1M on contracts performed in Cambridge, MD micropolitan area: $3,898 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $131.1M; +12,158% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3,898; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Department of the Army$114.7M88%
Department of Veterans Affairs$15.3M12%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$512.4K0.4%
National Institutes of Health$362.3K0.3%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$107.7K0.1%
Agricultural Research Service$107.5K0.1%
Department of Energy$40.4K0.0%
Offices, Boards and Divisions$34.6K0.0%

Top recipients

C AND C JOINT VENTURES LLC$111.4M85%
RWH CAPITAL LLC$15M11%
SEACOAST CONSTRUCTION INC$3.1M2.4%
THE RESULTS LEADERSHIP GROUP, LLC$362.3K0.3%
COAST MACHINERY LLC$257.3K0.2%

Spending by fiscal year

1.1MFY2017
3.5MFY2018
7.2MFY2019
7.2MFY2020
1.5MFY2021
48MFY2022
9.6MFY2023
46.4MFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$114.5M87%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$15M11%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$410.2K0.3%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$257.3K0.2%
Facilities support services · 5612$242.9K0.2%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413

Largest awards

MID-BAY JAMES ISLAND ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION LOCATED IN DORCHESTER COUNTY, MARYLAND$111.4M
C AND C JOINT VENTURES LLC· Dorchester County, MD· Construction & real property· Mar 23, 2026 – May 28, 2026· W912DR26CA008
MID CHESAPEAKE BAY BARREN ISLAND RESTORATION PH 2$43M
SEACOAST CONSTRUCTION INC· Dorchester County, MD· Construction & real property· Aug 12, 2024 – May 6, 2026· W912DR24C0020
CONSTRUCT EHRM INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES - BALTIMORE, MD$15M
RWH CAPITAL LLC· Dorchester County, MD· Construction & real property· Aug 25, 2026 – Aug 25, 2026· 36C77626C0059
BALLISTIC RESEARCH LABORATORY - COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN (BRL-CAD)SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT SERVICES.

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $252.6M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Cambridge, MD micropolitan area: $7,512 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $252.6M; −2.2% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,512; US $12,955
Loan face value: $14.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 2.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$161.5M64%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$20.7M8.2%

Counties in Cambridge, MD

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Dorchester CountyCentral county2633,628

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

CambridgePrincipal city13,152

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Maryland

Areas based in Maryland, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M15700

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved10

Declined8

Metro and micro areas like Cambridge, MD micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Counties in Cambridge, MD

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Maryland

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved10

Declined8

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Top programs

What was bought

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

By type

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates