A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Middletown$3,460/mo

Typical home $564K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.07% · or rent about $1,813/mo · Housing →

Poolesville$4,270/mo

Typical home $722K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.80% · or rent about $1,831/mo · Housing →

The difference: $810 a month, about $9,700 a year, between Poolesville and Middletown.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Middletown places higher on 10 of 19 MD lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Maryland ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools

A−MiddletownBetter than 80% of districts in the state B+PoolesvilleBetter than 72% of districts in the state

Health

AMiddletownHealthier than 95% of U.S. towns A+PoolesvilleHealthier than 97% of U.S. towns

10Middletown

8Poolesville

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 262 towns #250#53 Most walkableOutdoors · 261 towns #141#222 Shortest commuteGetting around · 262 towns #160#232 Most trailsOutdoors · 190 towns #74#122 Lowest obesityHealth · 262 towns #63#16 Highest graduation rateSchools · 258 towns #42#88 Most affordableCost of living · 259 towns #208#248 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 262 towns #10#35

Left end = #1 in Maryland. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Middletown’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

MiddletownPoolesville

Snow a year31″33″

January low25°F —

July high84°F —

Growing season (days)196d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)3rd 10th

Outdoors & history

MiddletownPoolesville

Trails2 mi 2 mi

Conserved land19%18.2%

Settled1833 1760

National Register places4 5

Archive photos—12

Famous people born here5 —

Community

MiddletownPoolesville

Library hours a week51 hrs 46 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

22 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MiddletownPoolesville

Middletown ↔ Poolesville22 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Maryland average

MiddletownPoolesville

People

Population 5,014Lowest 5,764Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +19.5%Highest MD: +7% +17.6%Lowest MD: +7%

Median age 40.8±2.9Lowest 4% above MD 41.9±11.5Highest 6% above MD

Poolesville and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 27.2%±4.7Highest MD: 22.2% 22.6%±5.6Lowest MD: 22.2%

Middletown and Poolesville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 14.6%±3.6Lowest MD: 16.7% 16.2%±5.6Highest MD: 16.7%

Poolesville and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 58.2%Lowest MD: 43.4% 63.7%Highest MD: 43.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.4%±1.9Highest MD: 6.9% 2.5%±1.5Lowest MD: 6.9%

Middletown and Poolesville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $173,333±$35kLowest 67% above MD $205,919±$41kHighest 99% above MD

Poolesville and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $554,800±$39kLowest 32% above MD $752,300±$71kHighest 79% above MD

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,813±$235Lowest 6% above MD $1,831±$689Highest 7% above MD

Poolesville and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $5,963Lowest 46% above MD $6,056Highest 48% above MD

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 34.9%±18.7Lowest MD: 51.5% 75.6%±46.5Highest MD: 51.5%

Poolesville and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 1.1%Lowest MD: 9.4% 2.8%Highest MD: 9.4%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 81.7%Lowest MD: 67.6% 95%Highest MD: 67.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1997Highest 18 yrs newer than MD 1986Lowest 7 yrs newer than MD

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 33 minLowest 6% above MD 38 minHighest 23% above MD

Work from home 29.3%±6.5Lowest MD: 19.3% 36.2%±10.4Highest MD: 19.3%

Poolesville and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 4.7%Lowest 5.6%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.3 miHighest 17.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.53Highest 0.27Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Frederick (18%)Rockville (10%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PoolesvilleFew work in Middletown

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 19%Highest 18.2%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 2.1 mi 2.1 mi

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miHighest 0.6 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Lowest 13Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 63.8Highest 35.7Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #16 of 235 in MD #2 of 235 in MD

School district Frederick County Public SchoolsMontgomery County Public Schools

High school in town Middletown HighPoolesville High

Students per teacherat that high school 19.8Lowest 20.3Highest

Maryland average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Middletown neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Middletown’s Town Square.

Poolesville neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Poolesville’s Town Square.

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Towns like Middletown

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Walkersville6,414 people · $488K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Middletown vs Poolesville

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $810 more a month in Poolesville

Middletown places higher on 10 of 19 MD lists

What daily life feels like in each

22 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Middletown and Poolesville

Towns like Middletown

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