State rental market analysis · MD
Maryland rental markets
100 tracked cities over 5,000 population, 44 ranked and summarized by their median Overall; 0 of 43 evaluable cities pass the modeled Buy & Hold screen. Every number traces to Census, Zillow and BLS. Compare state coverage and results →
Browse every Maryland ZIP Code area → · the full server-rendered index for this state.
Part of the South Atlantic Census division (South region).
The honest read
Maryland ranks #33 of 37 coverage-eligible states for rental investing, with a median Overall of 39.4/100 across its ranked cities, below the national median. 44 ranked cities roll up into this grade. Its strongest factor is gross rental yield: 8.0%, 3rd of 51.
The biggest drag is job growth: -0.4%, 51st of 51. A state grade is the median of its ranked cities, a screen for where to look, not underwriting. Open any city below for its full shown-math breakdown, or run a specific deal through the cap rate and cash-flow calculators.
Where it ranks, factor by factor
Every value is the median across the 44 ranked cities in this state. The national rank compares all 51 states on that one factor; the engine already flips inverted factors (affordability, low unemployment) so a better rank always means a better market. Each factor sits in one of the model’s three categories (Cash Flow, Growth, or Stability); this is a representative summary, and the full thirteen-factor breakdown is on each city’s page. Full methodology.
| Factor | Category | State value | National rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross rent yield | Cash Flow | 8.0% | #3 of 51 |
| Rent growth | Growth | 3.4% | #43 of 51 |
| Home value growth | Growth | 2.9% | #43 of 51 |
| Population growth | Growth | 0.2% | #40 of 51 |
| Job growth | Growth | -0.4% | #51 of 51 |
| Price-to-income | Cash Flow | 4.0× | #17 of 51 |
| Unemployment | Stability | 4.5% | #37 of 51 |
| Rental demand | Stability | 47% renters · 4.7% vacancy | two-part measure |
| Income growth | Growth | 4.5% | #42 of 51 |
Every city in Maryland, ranked
Led by Brunswick at 64/100. Click any column to re-sort; every city links to its full shown-math breakdown.
| MD rank | City | Grade | Cash Flow | Growth | Stability | Typical home value | Gross yield | National rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brunswick | 64 | B | A | C | $407,630 | 6.2% | #404 |
| 2 | Aberdeen | 62 | B | C | B | $345,386 | 6.7% | #573 |
| 3 | Havre de Grace | 60 | C | C | B | $408,306 | 5.0% | #689 |
| 4 | Chesapeake Beach | 57 | B | C | C | $460,538 | 6.9% | #993 |
| 5 | Frederick | 56 | C | B | C | $459,795 | 5.7% | #1151 |
| 6 med | Fruitland | 54 | B | C | D | $253,538 | 8.4% | #1332 |
| 7 | Thurmont | 54 | B | C | C | $397,659 | 6.8% | #1357 |
| 8 | Salisbury | 52 | B | B | D | $265,589 | 7.2% | #1600 |
| 9 | Walkersville | 49 | C | B | D | $463,971 | 5.2% | #2178 |
| 10 | Middletown | 48 | C | B | D | $564,302 | 4.0% | #2242 |
| 11 | La Plata | 48 | C | B | D | $479,163 | 6.4% | #2328 |
| 12 | Berlin | 46 | C | B | D | $440,192 | 6.1% | #2538 |
| 13 | Elkton | 45 | C | D | C | $372,329 | 6.2% | #2724 |
| 14 | Bel Air | 44 | D | D | B | $462,255 | 5.4% | #2856 |
| 15 med | Manchester | 44 | D | C | C | $461,480 | 4.3% | #2911 |
| 16 | Gaithersburg | 43 | C | D | C | $517,488 | 5.0% | #2938 |
| 17 | Cambridge | 43 | B | D | D | $261,624 | 8.0% | #2948 |
| 18 | Bowie | 43 | B | D | C | $520,578 | 5.8% | #2970 |
| 19 | Westminster | 43 | D | C | C | $463,315 | 4.5% | #2989 |
| 20 | Greenbelt | 42 | A | D | D | $278,763 | 9.1% | #3093 |
| 21 | Laurel | 40 | C | D | C | $473,181 | 5.0% | #3369 |
| 22 med | Mount Airy | 40 | D | C | C | $634,544 | 4.6% | #3411 |
| 23 | Easton | 39 | C | D | C | $445,857 | 5.6% | #3497 |
| 24 | Rockville | 38 | D | D | B | $608,002 | 4.7% | #3673 |
| 25 med | Hampstead | 37 | D | D | C | $439,927 | 4.7% | #3753 |
| 26 | New Carrollton | 37 | D | D | C | $395,112 | 5.2% | #3782 |
| 27 | College Park | 36 | D | D | C | $433,425 | 5.5% | #3816 |
| 28 | Hagerstown | 36 | D | C | D | $300,805 | 5.6% | #3842 |
| 29 med | Glenarden | 34 | D | D | D | $409,641 | 4.7% | #4016 |
| 30 med | Taneytown | 34 | D | C | D | $396,857 | 3.8% | #4023 |
| 31 med | Riverdale Park | 33 | D | D | C | $475,800 | 4.2% | #4085 |
| 32 | Hyattsville | 33 | C | D | D | $400,291 | 5.9% | #4098 |
| 33 | Annapolis | 33 | D | C | D | $624,635 | 4.6% | #4108 |
| 34 med | Poolesville | 32 | D | D | D | $722,219 | 2.9% | #4151 |
| 35 | Baltimore | 31 | A | F | D | $186,741 | 11.6% | #4229 |
| 36 | Cumberland | 31 | B | D | F | $158,708 | 7.6% | #4249 |
| 37 | Cheverly | 31 | D | F | C | $458,443 | 4.8% | #4255 |
| 38 | Bladensburg | 30 | D | D | D | $322,643 | 5.7% | #4279 |
| 39 | District Heights | 28 | C | F | D | $339,583 | 6.0% | #4428 |
| 40 med | Chestertown | 25 | F | D | D | $391,257 | 4.2% | #4559 |
| 41 | Ocean City | 24 | F | C | D | $443,759 | 4.8% | #4570 |
| 42 | Frostburg | 22 | C | F | D | $182,225 | 5.3% | #4640 |
| 43 | Mount Rainier | 22 | F | D | C | $450,473 | 3.8% | #4646 |
| 44 | Takoma Park | 19 | F | F | C | $674,379 | 2.9% | #4703 |
Data as of: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI through the latest monthly release · Census ACS 5-yr 2020–2024 · Census PEP July 2025 · BLS LAUS county 2025 annual (11-month average). Generated 2026-10-06. Methodology & limitations · underwrite any specific deal with the free calculators.
Limited-data cities in Maryland
These 56 cities lack enough measured factors to rank, so they are excluded from the state grade; their pages show exactly what could be measured.
ZIP markets in Maryland
477 Census ZIP Codes (ZCTAs) in Maryland · 276 data-eligible for subscores. These are sub-city government areas ranked separately from the Maryland city table. The overall Rental Investor ZIP Score leaderboard leads; the two component subscores (affordability, rental-market context) follow as independent percentiles. ZIP ranks are shown within the ZIP universe only, never mixed with, and not directly comparable to, city ranks. Vintage: the Key metric column is Census ACS 2020–2024 (5-year), the same release the city table above uses; the geographies differ, so the same measure can still disagree between the two.
Best overall ZIP Codes in Maryland
Ranked by the overall Rental Investor ZIP Score. The # is each ZIP Code's canonical MD state rank; the smaller figure is its national rank. Separate from the Maryland city table and not directly comparable to it.
| MD rank | ZIP Code | Overallgrade · national | Key metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 21703Ballenger Creek | A 75#82 nat | 6.2%Survey yield |
| #2 | 21704Urbana | A 72#236 nat | 5.0%Survey yield |
| #3 | 21701Frederick | A 72#261 nat | 4.6%Survey yield |
| #4 | 21702Frederick | A 72#274 nat | 5.0%Survey yield |
| #5 | 20619California | A 70#481 nat | 6.8%Survey yield |
| #6 | 20602Waldorf | A 70#535 nat | 5.8%Survey yield |
| #7 | 20601Waldorf | A 69#746 nat | 6.6%Survey yield |
| #8 | 20603Bensville | A 68#914 nat | 5.3%Survey yield |
| #9 | 21075Elkridge | A 67#1,077 nat | 5.8%Survey yield |
| #9 | 21076Severn | A 67#1,077 nat | 5.7%Survey yield |
| #11 | 21113Odenton | A 66#1,217 nat | 6.2%Survey yield |
| #12 | 20874Darnestown | A 66#1,300 nat | 6.0%Survey yield |
Top affordability ZIP Codes in Maryland
State-scoped leaders on the affordability subscore only (national rank shown is within that subscore’s data-eligible universe). Substantially an inverse housing-cost signal: a component of the overall score, not a predicted return.
| # | ZIP Code | Affordability | Key metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21524Corriganville | 82#1,132 nat | 8.3%Survey yield |
| 2 | 21861Sharptown | 74#2,176 nat | 7.4%Survey yield |
| 3 | 21869Vienna | 73#2,382 nat | 8.2%Survey yield |
| 4 | 21017Riverside | 72#2,675 nat | 8.3%Survey yield |
| 5 | 21875Delmar | 72#2,675 nat | 8.0%Survey yield |
| 6 | 21545Mount Savage | 70#2,987 nat | 8.3%Survey yield |
| 7 | 21719Highfield-Cascade | 70#3,054 nat | 8.2%Survey yield |
| 8 | 21804Salisbury | 70#3,075 nat | 7.0%Survey yield |
| 9 | 21874Willards | 68#3,441 nat | 7.4%Survey yield |
| 10 | 21217Baltimore | 68#3,548 nat | 7.5%Survey yield |
| 11 | 20724Maryland City | 67#3,633 nat | 6.8%Survey yield |
| 12 | 21539Lonaconing | 67#3,757 nat | 8.1%Survey yield |
Deepest rental-market ZIP Codes in Maryland
State-scoped leaders on the rental-market-context subscore only (national rank shown is within that subscore’s data-eligible universe). Rental depth/tightness: a separate component, never combined here with affordability.
| # | ZIP Code | Rental market | Key metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20712Mount Rainier | 83#47 nat | 3.3%Survey yield |
| 2 | 20763Savage | 83#47 nat | 5.7%Survey yield |
| 3 | 20783Adelphi | 81#180 nat | 5.1%Survey yield |
| 4 | 20737Riverdale Park | 79#339 nat | 5.1%Survey yield |
| 5 | 20903Hillandale | 78#479 nat | 4.5%Survey yield |
| 6 | 21767Maugansville | 78#491 nat | 3.8%Survey yield |
| 7 | 21734Funkstown | 77#599 nat | 3.5%Survey yield |
| 8 | 20877Gaithersburg | 76#746 nat | 4.8%Survey yield |
| 9 | 20851Rockville | 76#803 nat | 4.3%Survey yield |
| 10 | 21201Baltimore | 75#855 nat | 5.9%Survey yield |
| 11 | 20794Jessup | 75#880 nat | 5.7%Survey yield |
| 12 | 20784New Carrollton | 74#1,042 nat | 5.8%Survey yield |