La Vale makes Maryland’s top 10 on 4 lists
La Vale is ranked on 33 lists against the 262 Maryland towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 4 and the top quarter on 8.
Colder winters than 99% of Maryland
Not better or worse, just La Vale’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists La Vale does best on
Each list ranks every MD town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with La Vale marked.
La Vale lands in the top half on 10 of 20 lists
Each dot is La Vale’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MD, the right end is last. Areas where La Vale does best come first.
1 spot from the top 3 for affordability
Lists where La Vale sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Every MD list, and where La Vale lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Cumberland · 1.2 yrs
#4
Cheapest rent#1 Emmitsburg · $635/mo
#8
C
Lowest property tax#1 Cresaptown · $1,360/yr
#4
Rent easiest to afford#1 Mays Chapel · 27.2%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Naval Academy · 7.2 min
#9 Health
Healthiest#1 Bethesda · 100 / 100
#154
Lowest obesity#1 Travilah · 19%
#79
Fewest smokers#1 Chevy Chase · 5%
#195
Most active#1 Chevy Chase · 12%
#175
Fewest uninsured#1 Chevy Chase · 4%
#35
K
Lowest depression#1 Konterra · 13%
#241
Closest to a top hospital#1 Towson · 0.5 mi
#45 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Forest Heights · 49.9%
#102
Most trails#1 Hampton · 7.0 mi / sq mi
#123
Most walkable#1 Mount Rainier · 228 / sq mi
#243 People
Most educated#1 Chevy Chase · 95.2%
#165
Youngest#1 Naval Academy · 21.0
#227
Oldest#1 Leisure World · 76.0
#36
Most residents 65+#1 Leisure World · 77.4%
#12
A
Most kids#1 Andrews AFB · 36.5%
#237 Climate
Snowiest#1 Frostburg · 72 in
#37
Least snow#1 Bethesda · 5.8 in
#223
Mildest winters#1 Ocean City · 29.8°
#213
Hottest summers#1 Brooklyn Park · 89.1°
#189
Coolest summers#1 Frostburg · 81.6°
#29
W
Longest growing season#1 Wildewood · 248 days
#248
Wettest#1 Rising Sun · 48 in
#211 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Ocean City · 83.1%
#111
Most new homes#1 Delmar · 19.9 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Snow Hill · +74.8%
#30
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Laurel · 21.9 per home
Safety
Safest#1 Frostburg · 3.3
The number on the right is La Vale’s spot. All of Maryland’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every MD list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.