CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.10° N · 77.24° W · GEOID 2456875

North Potomac

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

MarylandNorth Potomac, MDNorth PotomacNorth Potomac

The short answer

North Potomac is home to 23,922 people. Median household income is $186,514 a year and median rent is $2,413 a month, 15.5% 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 $826,200, about 4.4x annual median household income.

What sets North Potomac apart is how far household money goes. After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $157,200 a year, more than in 95% of places its size. Also notable: 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.

85OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Strong

North Potomac scores better than 85% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 26th of 199 in Maryland.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%61
Economy 20%82
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%54
Education 10%98
Commute 10%17
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
$2,413
77% above the median place
Median household income
$186,514
132% above the median place
Median home value
$826,200
159% above the median place
Unemployment
4.2%
15% below 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 North Potomac

  • AffordabilityThe median household earns $186,514 a year, more than in 96% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
01

Moving to North Potomac

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
3.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.9% from another state.
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
$96,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,413 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,520 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $826,200.
Getting to work
32 minutes each way on average; 39.3% work from home; 2.5% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Wyndham, VA matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
3.8%
34% below the median place
Moved from another state1
1.9%
4% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-10.3
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureNorth PotomacAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year13.8%34% below
Moved from another state11.9%4% below
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

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.

North Potomac15.5%
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
$96,520
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.5%
24% below the median place
Home price to income
4.4x
17% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
15%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$157,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in North Potomac, $2,413 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 North Potomac, but easier on the budget

Places that match North Potomac 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
Wyndham, VA7511.5% vs 15.5%$56,100Compare
Brambleton, VA6712.5% vs 15.5%$50,600Compare
Mantua, VA5811.6% vs 15.5%$30,700Compare
Hinsdale, IL559.2% vs 15.5%$65,600Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to North Potomac? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
3.1%
57% below the median place
Median home value1
$826,200
159% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$3,520
88% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureNorth PotomacAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,41377% above
Rent to income115.5%24% below
Property tax rate10.9%5% below
Home price to income14.4x17% 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$7,143119% above
Median home value1$826,200159% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.3%59% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure35.1%32% below
Homeownership182.9%25% above
Renters paying 30%+152.7%4% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,52088% above
Vacant homes13.1%57% below
Median year built119881% above
03

Work and pay

39% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 98% of the 2,241 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the 3rd-highest of 198 Maryland places we track.

Works from home1
39.3%
215% above the median place
Median household income1
$186,514
132% above the median place
Income per person1
$74,358
86% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Poverty rate5.3% −51%
Mean commute32 min +27%
Commutes by transit2.5% 2.9×
Unemployment4.2% −15%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureNorth PotomacAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$186,514132% above
Income per person1$74,35886% above
Unemployment14.2%15% below
Average annual pay6County figure$96,36846% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.0%46% below
Jobs6County figure456,358203% above
Poverty rate15.3%51% below
Mean commute132 min27% above
Works from home139.3%215% above
Commutes by transit12.5%191% above
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 1.7%, 73% below the median place.

No health insurance1
1.7%
73% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
77.2%
141% above the median place
Born abroad1
41.2%
367% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband97.2% +5%
Median age46.5 +19%
Household size2.9 +18%
High school or higher96.2% +4%
All 8 people measures
MeasureNorth PotomacAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population123,9221957th largest
Median age146.519% above
Bachelor's or higher177.2%141% above
High school or higher196.2%4% above
Household size12.918% above
Born abroad141.2%367% above
No health insurance11.7%73% below
Homes with broadband197.2%5% above
05

Life in North Potomac

The nearest National Park Service site is Great Falls Park, about 7 miles away.

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 residents5.0 −51%
Playgrounds per 10k12.5 +33%
Grocery stores per 10k1.7 −21%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k5.4 −51%
Libraries per 10k1.3 +44%
Named paths and bike trails15 km 7.5×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi11.5 54.8×

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

  • Great Falls Park 7 miles
  • Clara Barton National Historic Site 10 miles
  • Glen Echo Park 10 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.

Public schools12
2
78% below the median place
Public school students12
888
82% below the median place
Nearest National Park Service site10
7.0
77% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureNorth PotomacAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12278% below
Public school students1288882% below
Students per teacher1214.84% 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 10k95.051% below
Playgrounds per 10k912.533% above
Grocery stores per 10k91.721% below
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k95.451% below
Libraries per 10k91.344% above
Named paths and bike trails915.0above (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi911.5above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site107.077% 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 North Potomac. 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
MeasureNorth PotomacAmong 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

North Potomac in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 16% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 16% 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, North Potomac does better than 61% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 7%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$2,413/mo (2024)$3,060/mo$2,510 to $3,730/mo+4.0%
Median household income$186,514 (2024)$233,500$197,000 to $276,000+3.8%
Median home value$826,200 (2024)$1,141,000$829,000 to $1,572,000+5.5%

The median home would be worth 4.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.4 now.

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

09

Places like North Potomac

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

PlaceRentIncome
Croton-on-Hudson, NY$2,274$191,678Compare
Greenville, NY$2,542$171,540Compare
Irvington, NY$2,592$173,248Compare
Castle Pines, CO$2,211$191,229Compare
Castle Pines, COIrvington, NYGreenville, NYCroton-on-Hudson, NYNorth Potomac, MDNorth PotomacCroton-on-HudsonGreenvilleCastle PinesNorth PotomacCroton-on-HudsonIrvingtonCastle Pines

Places built like North Potomac

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 North Potomac performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
North Potomac, MD15.5%1.7%/yrn/a
Potomac, MD14.6%3.9%/yrn/aCompare
Johns Creek, GA16.9%5.5%/yr-2.5%Compare
Floris, VA15.9%4.5%/yrn/aCompare
Travilah, MD16.8%0.7%/yrn/aCompare
McLean, VA16.4%3.8%/yrn/aCompare
Union Hill-Novelty Hill, WA16.5%4.3%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is North Potomac a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 85 out of 100, better than 85% of the places we rate and 26th of 199 in Maryland. The median household earns $186,514 a year, more than in 96% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 90 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is North Potomac expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.5% 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 $826,200.

What salary do you need to live in North Potomac?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $96,520 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to North Potomac?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Croton-on-Hudson, NY, Greenville, NY, Irvington, NY and Castle Pines, CO.

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

Citytistics. “North Potomac, Maryland.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/north-potomac-maryland/

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