CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.15° N · 77.00° W · GEOID 2402762

Ashton-Sandy Spring

Montgomery County, Maryland · part of the Washington, DC metro

MarylandAshton-Sandy Spring, MDAshton-Sandy SpringAshton-Sandy Spring

The short answer

Ashton-Sandy Spring is home to 5,630 people. Median household income is $174,063 a year and median rent is $1,369 a month, 9.4% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $809,200, about 4.7x annual median household income.

Ashton-Sandy Spring stands out on value for money. Rent run 44% below what its fundamentals predict in the same metro area. Also notable: Owning with a mortgage costs about $2,146 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 198 Maryland places we track.

64OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Above average

Ashton-Sandy Spring scores better than 64% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 81st of 199 in Maryland.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%65
Economy 20%73
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%27
Education 10%93
Commute 10%5
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,369
0% above the median place
Median household income
$174,063
117% above the median place
Median home value
$809,200
153% above the median place
Unemployment
4.9%
1% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Ashton-Sandy Spring

  • AffordabilityThe median rent takes 9.4% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 199 Maryland places we track.
  • Value for moneyRent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 92 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.
01

Moving to Ashton-Sandy Spring

Montgomery County loses about 10.3 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in42,404
Moved out51,792
Net−9,388

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Maryland, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MarylandOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$99K
Leavers$103K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Montgomery County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.1% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.2% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Montgomery County report $98,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $103,300.
Income you would need
$54,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,369 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,515 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $809,200.
Getting to work
36 minutes each way on average; 39.2% work from home; 7.5% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Medina, MN matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-10.3
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$103,255
47% above the median place
Income of households moving in7
$98,813
40% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureAshton-Sandy SpringAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.1%6% above
Moved from another state1County figure3.2%60% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-10.3below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$98,81340% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$103,25547% above
02

What it costs to live here

After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $157,300 a year, more than in 95% of the 1,875 places under 10,000 people we track.

Ashton-Sandy Spring9.4%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$54,760
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
9.4%
54% below the median place
Home price to income
4.7x
22% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
9%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$157,200
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Ashton-Sandy Spring, $1,369 a month, and local prices for everything else (100.2 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Ashton-Sandy Spring, but easier on the budget

Places that match Ashton-Sandy Spring on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Medina, MN787.4% vs 9.4%$49,400Compare
Basking Ridge, NJ693.5% vs 9.4%$15,500Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Ashton-Sandy Spring.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Ashton-Sandy Spring? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
94.0%
42% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$3,515
88% above the median place
Median home value1
$809,200
153% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureAshton-Sandy SpringAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,3690% above
Rent to income19.4%54% below
Property tax rate10.8%8% below
Home price to income14.7x22% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure108.98% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,43851% above
HUD area median income4County figure$166,10055% above
Property tax paid (median)1$6,759107% above
Median home value1$809,200153% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.3%59% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure35.1%32% below
Homeownership194.0%42% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure51.6%2% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,51588% above
Vacant homes1County figure4.3%40% below
Median year built119860% above
03

Work and pay

Works from home is 39.2%, 215% above the median place.

Works from home1
39.2%
215% above the median place
Median household income1
$174,063
117% above the median place
Mean commute1
36 min
45% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureAshton-Sandy SpringAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$174,063117% above
Income per person1$78,52696% above
Unemployment1County figure4.9%1% above
Average annual pay6County figure$96,36846% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.0%46% below
Jobs6County figure456,358203% above
Poverty rate1County figure7.5%31% below
Mean commute136 min45% above
Works from home139.2%215% above
Commutes by transit1County figure7.5%above (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 48.6, 25% above the median place.

Median age1
48.6
25% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
66.1%
106% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
95.7%
4% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.8 +11%
Born abroad13.8% +56%
High school or higher89.7% −3%
All 8 people measures
MeasureAshton-Sandy SpringAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15,6306194th largest
Median age148.625% above
Bachelor's or higher166.1%106% above
High school or higher189.7%3% below
Household size12.811% above
Born abroad113.8%56% above
No health insurance1County figure7.0%9% above
Homes with broadband195.7%4% above
05

Life in Ashton-Sandy Spring

40 National Park Service sites lie within 60 miles, more than in 98% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 199 Maryland places we track.

82 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 5 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents8.9 −13%
Playgrounds per 10k7.1 −25%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k10.7 −4%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails2 km +0%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Fort Stevens 13 miles
  • Greenbelt Park 13 miles
  • Fort Slocum Park 13 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars18.1 −13%
Shops22.1 −27%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.1 +0%
Doctors' offices and clinics27.7 +37%
Child care centers3.2 +39%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
13.0
58% below the median place
Public school students12
159,181
above the median place (median 4,897)
Shops per 10k8
22.1
27% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureAshton-Sandy SpringAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure211above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure159,181above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure14.28% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure18.113% below
Shops per 10k8County figure22.127% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.10% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure27.737% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure3.239% above
Parks per 10k98.913% below
Playgrounds per 10k97.125% below
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k910.74% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails92.00% above
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1013.058% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1040above (median 2)
National Register listings11County figure82above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 25.1, 59% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Ashton-Sandy Spring. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk14
25.1
59% below the median place
Good air days15
83.1%
21% above the median place
Median air quality index15
39
9% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureAshton-Sandy SpringAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure87°F0% below
January average low13County figure25°F0% above
Average temperature13County figure55°F0% above
Annual precipitation13County figure44.6 in2% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure91.71% below
Hurricane risk14County figure91.830% above
Tornado risk14County figure78.73% below
Wildfire risk14County figure25.159% below
Heat wave risk14County figure97.08% above
Median air quality index15County figure399% below
Good air days15County figure83.1%21% above
08

Ashton-Sandy Spring in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 9% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 9% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Ashton-Sandy Spring does better than 66% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 24%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,369/mo (2024)$1,740/mo$1,430 to $2,120/mo+4.1%
Median household income$174,063 (2024)$224,000$189,000 to $265,000+4.3%
Median home value$809,200 (2024)$1,140,000$828,000 to $1,571,000+5.9%

The median home would be worth 5.1 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.6 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Ashton-Sandy Spring

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Lake Norman of Iredell, NC$1,327$173,542Compare
Shorewood, MN$1,607$171,063Compare
Mount Vernon, VA$1,620$163,750Compare
Highland Lakes, AL$1,201$169,361Compare
Highland Lakes, ALMount Vernon, VAShorewood, MNLake Norman of Iredell, NCAshton-Sandy Spring, MDAshton-Sandy SpringLake Norman of IredellShorewoodMount VernonHighland LakesAshton-Sandy SpringLake Norman of IredellShorewoodMount VernonHighland Lakes

Places built like Ashton-Sandy Spring

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Ashton-Sandy Spring performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Ashton-Sandy Spring, MD9.4%6.4%/yrn/a
Poolesville, MD10.7%2.7%/yr2.7%Compare
Darnestown, MD18.1%1.4%/yrn/aCompare
Shady Hollow, TX15.4%5.5%/yrn/aCompare
Long Grove, IL16.8%3.2%/yr-0.6%Compare
Fairfax Station, VA15.8%3.6%/yrn/aCompare
Blackhawk, CA17.1%2.7%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Ashton-Sandy Spring a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 64 out of 100, better than 64% of the places we rate and 81st of 199 in Maryland. The median rent takes 9.4% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 99% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 199 Maryland places we track. Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 92 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Ashton-Sandy Spring expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 9.4% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $809,200.

What salary do you need to live in Ashton-Sandy Spring?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $54,760 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Ashton-Sandy Spring?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Lake Norman of Iredell, NC, Shorewood, MN, Mount Vernon, VA and Highland Lakes, AL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Ashton-Sandy Spring with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Ashton-Sandy Spring itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/ashton-sandy-spring-maryland

Citytistics. “Ashton-Sandy Spring, Maryland.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/ashton-sandy-spring-maryland/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.