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%

Silver Spring$3,220/mo

Typical home $542K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.83% · or rent about $1,913/mo · Housing →

Forest Glen$3,610/mo

Typical home $606K (Census) · tax rate 0.85% · or rent about $1,582/mo · Housing →

The difference: $390 a month, about $4,600 a year, between Forest Glen and Silver Spring.

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.

Where they are

Silver Spring and Forest Glen share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Silver SpringForest Glen

Silver Spring ↔ Forest Glen1.7 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

125 Forest Glen residents work in Silver Spring (4.4% of its workers)

Work & commute in Forest Glen →

Report cards

Forest Glen places higher on 16 of 20 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

B+Silver SpringBetter than 72% of districts in the state B+Forest GlenBetter than 72% of districts in the state

Health

ASilver SpringHealthier than 89% of U.S. towns AForest GlenHealthier than 95% of U.S. towns

3Silver Spring

16Forest Glen

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fastest growingGrowth · 250 towns #68#164 Cheapest rentCost of living · 252 towns #151#75 Highest incomeIncome · 262 towns #156#90 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 262 towns #207#149 Most trailsOutdoors · 190 towns #46#8 Most activeHealth · 262 towns #77#39 HealthiestHealth · 262 towns #59#26 Shortest commuteGetting around · 262 towns #174#143

Left end = #1 in Maryland. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Silver Spring’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

Silver SpringForest Glen

Snow a year16″16″

January low25°F 25°F

July high87°F 87°F

Growing season (days)202d 202d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)8th 8th

Outdoors & history

Silver SpringForest Glen

Trails11 mi 3 mi

Conserved land14.9%14.1%

Settled1887 —

National Register places4 —

Archive photos—12

Famous people born here—2

Community

Silver SpringForest Glen

Library hours a week61 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.

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

Silver SpringForest Glen

People

Population 81,462Highest 6,840Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +13.4%Highest MD: +7% +4.8%Lowest MD: +7%

Median age 35.6±0.8Lowest 10% below MD 37.8±3.3Highest 4% below MD

Forest Glen and Silver Spring are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 22.2%±1.3Lowest MD: 22.2% 27.8%±6.9Highest MD: 22.2%

Forest Glen and Silver Spring are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 12.1%±1Lowest MD: 16.7% 18.8%±3.2Highest MD: 16.7%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 60.6%Lowest MD: 43.4% 65.2%Highest MD: 43.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.4%±0.8Highest MD: 6.9% 6.2%±2.6Lowest MD: 6.9%

Silver Spring and Forest Glen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $99,860±$8kLowest 4% below MD $127,820±$30kHighest 23% above MD

Forest Glen and Silver Spring are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $643,300±$16kHighest 53% above MD $606,100±$26kLowest 44% above MD

Silver Spring and Forest Glen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,913±$42Highest 12% above MD $1,582±$465Lowest 7% below MD

Silver Spring and Forest Glen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $5,360Highest 31% above MD $5,144Lowest 26% above MD

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 52.6%±4.3Highest MD: 51.5% 43.2%±22.1Lowest MD: 51.5%

Silver Spring and Forest Glen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 10.6%Highest MD: 9.4% 7%Lowest MD: 9.4%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 38.3%Lowest MD: 67.6% 66.3%Highest MD: 67.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1964Highest 15 yrs older than MD 1958Lowest 21 yrs older than MD

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 34 minHighest 9% above MD 32 minLowest 4% above MD

Work from home 27.3%±2.1Lowest MD: 19.3% 37%±5.8Highest MD: 19.3%

Work in townworking residents 5.9%Highest 1.9%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.8 miLowest 8.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.86Lowest 1.40Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Washington (31%)Washington (30%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Forest Glen4% work in Silver Spring

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 14.9%Highest 14.1%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 10.7 miHighest 2.9 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.4 miLowest 2.9 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 32Highest 7Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 154Highest 134Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #85 of 235 in MD #78 of 235 in MD

School district Montgomery County Public SchoolsMontgomery County Public Schools

High school in town None in townNone in town

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.

Silver Spring neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Silver Spring’s Town Square.

Forest Glen neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Forest Glen’s Town Square.

Add a town

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One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Silver Spring

+ Compare

Chevy Chase9,445 people · $1.25M homes

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Takoma Park17,632 people · $749K homes

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Four Corners8,150 people · $620K homes

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Washington, DC681,294 people · $737K homes

Towns like Silver Spring

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Gaithersburg69,825 people · $497K homes

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Rockville67,671 people · $682K homes

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Frederick83,395 people · $402K homes

+ Compare

Annapolis40,720 people · $549K 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.

Silver Spring vs Forest Glen

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $390 more a month in Forest Glen

Silver Spring and Forest Glen share a border

Forest Glen places higher on 16 of 20 MD lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Silver Spring and Forest Glen

Bordering Silver Spring

Towns like Silver Spring

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