CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.19° N · 76.63° W · GEOID 2428075

Ferndale

Anne Arundel County, Maryland · part of the Baltimore, MD metro

MarylandFerndale, MDFerndaleFerndale

The short answer

Ferndale is home to 17,529 people. Median household income is $94,948 a year and median rent is $2,022 a month, 25.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $327,600, about 3.5x annual median household income.

Ferndale stands out for what is close at hand. 40 National Park Service sites lie within 60 miles, more than in 97% of places its size. It is the highest of 199 Maryland places we track. Also notable: Owning with a mortgage costs about $104 a month less than the median rent, a rarer pattern than in 96% of places its size.

30OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Below average

Ferndale scores better than 30% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 142nd of 199 in Maryland.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%39
Economy 20%55
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%37
Education 10%29
Commute 10%46
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
$2,022
48% above the median place
Median household income
$94,948
18% above the median place
Median home value
$327,600
3% above the median place
Unemployment
5.1%
4% 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 Ferndale

  • Value for moneyRent is about 30% higher than we would expect for a place with these incomes, education levels, housing age and household types in the same metro area. The premium usually reflects location, amenities or schools that these figures do not capture. Experimental
  • How it is changingRent took 22.9% of the median income in the 2019 survey and 25.6% in 2024. In the 25 places most like it the share fell 0.3 points on average, so affordability slipped more here.
01

Moving to Ferndale

Anne Arundel County loses about 2.3 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in31,706
Moved out32,878
Net−1,172

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$84K
Leavers$87K

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

Who moves here
4.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.9% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Anne Arundel County report $84,100 a year in income on average; those leaving, $87,500.
Income you would need
$80,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,022 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,918 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $327,600.
Getting to work
26 minutes each way on average; 9.7% work from home; 1.6% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Fort Payne, AL matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
4.7%
19% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$87,472
24% above the median place
Moved from another state1
2.9%
47% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureFerndaleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year14.7%19% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.9%47% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-2.3283% below
Income of households moving in7County figure$84,11519% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$87,47224% above
02

What it costs to live here

Compared with the 23 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Edgewood, MD, Bartow, FL and Berea, SC), money left after rent here is higher: $69,500 against a typical $51,800.

Ferndale25.6%
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
$80,880
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
25.6%
25% above the median place
Home price to income
3.5x
9% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
26%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$69,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Ferndale, $2,022 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.7 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Ferndale, but easier on the budget

Places that match Ferndale 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
Fort Payne, AL9717.2% vs 25.6%n/aCompare
Lexington, TN9417.6% vs 25.6%n/aCompare
Huntingburg, IN9419.6% vs 25.6%n/aCompare
Stratford, NJ9314.5% vs 25.6%$14,300Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Ferndale.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Ferndale? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
42.3%
16% below the median place
Median year built1
1971
0% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$2,691
18% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureFerndaleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,02248% above
Rent to income125.6%25% above
Property tax rate10.8%10% below
Home price to income13.5x9% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure104.54% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,00624% above
HUD area median income4County figure$134,00025% above
Property tax paid (median)1$2,69118% below
Median home value1$327,6003% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.4%6% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure39.4%23% below
Homeownership167.5%2% above
Renters paying 30%+142.3%16% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,9182% above
Vacant homes1County figure4.9%31% below
Median year built119710% below
03

Work and pay

Works from home is 9.7%, 22% below the median place.

Works from home1
9.7%
22% below the median place
Poverty rate1
8.2%
24% below the median place
Median household income1
$94,948
18% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Unemployment5.1% +4%
Mean commute26 min +3%
Income per person$39,524 −1%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureFerndaleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$94,94818% above
Income per person1$39,5241% below
Unemployment15.1%4% above
Average annual pay6County figure$81,94424% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.0%19% below
Jobs6County figure293,05995% above
Poverty rate18.2%24% below
Mean commute126 min3% above
Works from home19.7%22% below
Commutes by transit1County figure1.6%82% above
04

Who lives here

Median age is 35.7, 8% below the median place.

Median age1
35.7
8% below the median place
High school or higher1
87.9%
5% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
23.2%
28% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.6 +6%
Born abroad12.2% +38%
No health insurance7.5% +17%
Homes with broadband93.0% +1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureFerndaleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population117,5292626th largest
Median age135.78% below
Bachelor's or higher123.2%28% below
High school or higher187.9%5% below
Household size12.66% above
Born abroad112.2%38% above
No health insurance17.5%17% above
Homes with broadband193.0%1% above
05

Life in Ferndale

The nearest National Park Service site is Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail, about 6 miles away.

110 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 12 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents4.0 −61%
Playgrounds per 10k4.6 −52%
Grocery stores per 10k1.1 −46%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k10.8 −3%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails2 km −20%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi7.1 33.7×

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

  • Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail 6 miles
  • Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine 6 miles
  • Hampton National Historic Site 16 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.7 −0%
Shops30.4 +0%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.3 +29%
Doctors' offices and clinics19.2 −5%
Child care centers1.8 −22%

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

Nearest National Park Service site10
6.0
81% below the median place
Public school students12
85,074
above the median place (median 4,897)
Public schools12
129
above the median place (median 9)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureFerndaleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure129above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure85,074above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure14.28% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure20.70% below
Shops per 10k8County figure30.40% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.329% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure19.25% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.822% below
Parks per 10k94.061% below
Playgrounds per 10k94.652% below
Grocery stores per 10k91.146% below
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k910.83% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails91.620% below
Transit stops per sq mi97.1above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site106.081% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1040above (median 2)
National Register listings11County figure110above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Good air days is 87.6%, 28% above 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 Ferndale. Larger places are fetched first.

Good air days15
87.6%
28% above the median place
Wildfire risk14
35.9
41% below the median place
Median air quality index15
40
7% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureFerndaleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure88°F1% above
January average low13County figure27°F8% above
Average temperature13County figure57°F4% above
Annual precipitation13County figure45.6 in4% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure81.911% below
Hurricane risk14County figure87.223% above
Tornado risk14County figure82.01% above
Wildfire risk14County figure35.941% below
Heat wave risk14County figure93.23% above
Median air quality index15County figure407% below
Good air days15County figure87.6%28% above
08

Ferndale in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 26% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 26% 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, Ferndale does better than 40% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 21%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$2,022/mo (2024)$2,610/mo$2,140 to $3,180/mo+4.4%
Median household income$94,948 (2024)$121,000$102,000 to $143,000+4.1%
Median home value$327,600 (2024)$461,000$334,000 to $634,000+5.8%

The median home would be worth 3.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.5 now.

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

09

Places like Ferndale

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

PlaceRentIncome
Maricopa, AZ$1,998$96,391Compare
Watauga, TX$1,982$91,171Compare
San Tan Valley, AZ$2,085$96,713Compare
Fresno, TX$2,028$91,264Compare
Fresno, TXSan Tan Valley, AZWatauga, TXMaricopa, AZFerndale, MDFerndaleMaricopaWataugaSan Tan ValleyFresnoFerndaleMaricopaWataugaSan Tan ValleyFresno

Places built like Ferndale

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 Ferndale performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Ferndale, MD25.6%5.6%/yrn/a
Edgewood, MD20.4%3.2%/yrn/aCompare
Bartow, FL20.1%7.4%/yr20.0%Compare
Berea, SC25.9%6.1%/yrn/aCompare
Colonial Heights, VA19.4%7.0%/yr3.3%Compare
Front Royal, VA21.0%4.6%/yr4.8%Compare
Newton, NC21.1%6.1%/yr5.3%Compare

Common questions

Is Ferndale a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 30 out of 100, better than 30% of the places we rate and 142nd of 199 in Maryland. Rent is about 30% higher than we would expect for a place with these incomes, education levels, housing age and household types in the same metro area. The premium usually reflects location, amenities or schools that these figures do not capture. Rent took 22.9% of the median income in the 2019 survey and 25.6% in 2024. In the 25 places most like it the share fell 0.3 points on average, so affordability slipped more here. On cost, space and class size it scores 55 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Ferndale expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 25.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $327,600.

What salary do you need to live in Ferndale?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $80,880 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Ferndale?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Maricopa, AZ, Watauga, TX, San Tan Valley, AZ and Fresno, TX.

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 Ferndale with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Ferndale itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/ferndale-maryland

Citytistics. “Ferndale, Maryland.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/ferndale-maryland/

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