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Cost of living, pay and housing

38.69° N · 76.34° W · GEOID 2477912

Tilghman Island

Talbot County, Maryland · part of the Easton, MD metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

MarylandTilghman Island, MDTilghman IslandTilghman Island

The short answer

Tilghman Island is home to 741 people. Median household income is $45,625 a year and median rent is $1,256 a month, 33.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). That is above the usual 30% line for cost burden. The median home is valued at $299,400, about 6.6x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,256
8% below the median place
Median household income
$45,625
43% below the median place
Median home value
$299,400
6% below the median place
Unemployment
13.4%
175% 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 Tilghman Island

  • 100% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 99% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 183 Maryland places.
  • Household income has grown -5.7% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 199 Maryland places.
  • The median rent takes 33.0% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 97% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 199 Maryland places.
  • The median resident is 57.1 years old, older than in 97% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 199 Maryland places.
  • Unemployment averaged 13.4% over the survey period, higher than in 95% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 163 Maryland places.
01

Moving to Tilghman Island

Talbot County gains about 3.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,767
Moved out1,667
Net+100

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Maryland, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MarylandOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$128K
Leavers$79K

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

Who moves here
5.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.6% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Talbot County report $128,200 a year in income on average; those leaving, $79,000, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$50,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,256 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,942 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $299,400.
Getting to work
25 minutes each way on average; 15.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Cottonwood, AZ matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in6
$128,233
82% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people6
3.2
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out6
$79,014
12% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureTilghman IslandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.5%4% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.6%33% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure3.2above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$128,23382% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$79,01412% above
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 100.0%, 98% above the median place.

Tilghman Island33.0%
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
$50,240
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
33.0%
62% above the median place
Home price to income
6.6x
73% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
33%
over the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$30,900
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Tilghman Island, $1,256 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Tilghman Island? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
100.0%
98% above the median place
Vacant homes1
31.0%
339% above the median place
Homeownership1
90.6%
36% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureTilghman IslandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$1,2568% below
Rent to income133.0%62% above
Property tax rate10.5%48% below
Home price to income16.6x73% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,42112% below
HUD area median income3County figure$117,50010% above
Property tax paid (median)1$1,40757% below
Median home value1$299,4006% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure3.1%3% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure46.0%11% below
Homeownership190.6%36% above
Renters paying 30%+1100.0%98% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,9424% above
Vacant homes131.0%339% above
Median year built119641% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Unemployment1
13.4%
175% above the median place
Median household income1
$45,625
43% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureTilghman IslandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$45,62543% below
Income per person1$58,00145% above
Unemployment113.4%175% above
Average annual pay5County figure$59,23010% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure4.5%22% above
Jobs5County figure18,47088% below
Poverty rate1County figure9.3%13% below
Mean commute125 min2% below
Works from home1County figure15.1%21% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 57.1, 46% above the median place.

Median age1
57.1
46% above the median place
Household size1
2.0
20% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
86.8%
6% below the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureTilghman IslandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population17416646th largest
Median age157.146% above
Bachelor's or higher126.1%19% below
High school or higher193.5%1% above
Household size12.020% below
Born abroad1County figure8.0%10% below
No health insurance1County figure3.9%39% below
Homes with broadband186.8%6% below
05

Life in Tilghman Island

2 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

  • KATHRYN (Chesapeake Skipjack) listed 1994Landmark
  • Sharps Island Light listed 1982

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars27.4 +32%
Shops53.8 +78%
Arts, recreation and fitness9.5 2.3×
Doctors' offices and clinics37.2 +84%
Child care centers4.2 +83%

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

Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7
37.2
84% above the median place
Shops per 10k7
53.8
78% above the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
9.5
132% above the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureTilghman IslandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure811% below
Public school students9County figure4,4858% below
Students per teacher9County figure13.314% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure27.432% above
Shops per 10k7County figure53.878% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure9.5132% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure37.284% above
Child care centers per 10k7County figure4.283% above
National Register listings8285% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Natural hazard risk is 42.4, 54% 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 Tilghman Island. Larger places are fetched first.

Natural hazard risk11
42.4
54% below the median place
Tornado risk11
31.6
61% below the median place
Heat wave risk11
81.7
9% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureTilghman IslandAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high10County figure88°F2% above
January average low10County figure28°F9% above
Average temperature10County figure57°F4% above
Annual precipitation10County figure45.3 in3% above
Natural hazard risk11County figure42.454% below
Hurricane risk11County figure83.218% above
Tornado risk11County figure31.661% below
Wildfire risk11County figure71.216% above
Heat wave risk11County figure81.79% below
08

Tilghman Island in 2030: where the trends point

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.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$45,625 (2024)$55,500$47,000 to $66,000+3.4%
Median home value$299,400 (2024)$392,000$284,000 to $540,000+4.6%

The median home would be worth 7.0 years of the median income in 2030, against 6.6 now.

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

09

Places like Tilghman Island

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

PlaceRentIncome
Cottonwood, AZ$1,120$48,448Compare
Laughlin, NV$1,112$45,685Compare
West Lealman, FL$1,302$51,589Compare
Florence, OR$1,259$53,333Compare
Florence, ORWest Lealman, FLLaughlin, NVCottonwood, AZTilghman Island, MDTilghman IslandCottonwoodLaughlinWest LealmanFlorenceTilghman IslandCottonwoodLaughlinWest LealmanFlorence

Common questions

Is Tilghman Island a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 100% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 99% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 183 Maryland places. Household income has grown -5.7% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 199 Maryland places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Tilghman Island expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 33.0% 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 $299,400.

What salary do you need to live in Tilghman Island?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $50,240 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Tilghman Island?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Cottonwood, AZ, Laughlin, NV, West Lealman, FL and Florence, OR.

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. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. 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.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. 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
  11. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

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

Citytistics. “Tilghman Island, Maryland.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/tilghman-island-maryland/

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