Baltimore, Maryland
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Baltimore.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Baltimore compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 577,193City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $59,623Incorporated place (ACS)24% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 84ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)16% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $219,300City limits (ACS)28% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,290City limits (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($1,348)U.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 5.4%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 31 min24% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 6953% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 1858.7annualized per 100k · citywide208% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 4311.2annualized per 100k · citywide40% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 88°FNear U.S. avg (87°F)U.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 32°F2.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 43.7 in33% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 2468% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Baltimore with another city
Baltimore (pop. 577,193) sits in Maryland. Households here report a median income near $59,623; our housing-derived cost index is about 84 (among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs). Entry home prices around $219,300 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Chesapeake shoreline living sits between federal-job gravity and beach weekends. Pack for 88°F summer peaks; winter mornings often settle near 32°F. Commutes average near 31 minutes one-way, with walkability near 69/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 5.4% for the surrounding county. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~1858.7 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
Baltimore sits in that mid-to-large city band where urban and quieter residential pockets often share one municipal boundary. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Baltimore with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Baltimore city, 1600000US2404000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN245100000000003 (Baltimore city, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00093784 MD SCI CTR BALTIMORE)
Last updated 2026-07-28