Baltimore vs Reisterstown

Which is the better fit for you?

Baltimore, MD
54
Area Score
Bottom 34% nationally
Reisterstown, MD
65
Area Score
Top 28% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Reisterstown receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Baltimore to Reisterstown

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 103.2 against 103.2 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
The same
HUD benchmarks it at $1,857 in Reisterstown against $1,857 in Baltimore.
The median home
56% more
$358,700 in Reisterstown against $229,600 in Baltimore.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 30°F in Reisterstown against 30°F in Baltimore; July highs are 90°F against 90°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Baltimore
Reisterstown
Opportunity: Reisterstown is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
39 · Bottom 16%
vs
60 · Top 41%
Growth: Reisterstown is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
23 · Bottom 7%
vs
53 · Top 45%
Climate
71 · Top 44%
vs
71 · Top 44%
Physical resilience: Reisterstown is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
91 · Top 10%
vs
94 · Top 6%
Housing affordability: Baltimore is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
69 · Top 44%
vs
55 · Bottom 28%
Schools: Reisterstown is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
20 · Bottom 12%
vs
44 · Bottom 43%
Access: Baltimore is the more favorable of the two.
Access
99 · Top 16%
vs
92 · Bottom 49%
Economic stability: Reisterstown is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
33 · Bottom 12%
vs
58 · Top 50%

Measured values

MetricBaltimoreReisterstownSource period
Population573,24325,5822024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$62,177$85,543 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$40,604$44,176 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density7,082/sq mi5,024/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$229,600$358,7002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,331 — more favorable$1,6002024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,857$1,857FY2026
Cost of living index103.2103.22023
Homeownership rate47.5%66.2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate5.7%4.2% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)−0.3%−0.3%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher36.1%46.2% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate19.3%11.0% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)8851,66212 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents1.52.0 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−29.8%+32.3% — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Average July high90°F90°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low30°F30°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation43.7"43.7"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport9 mi — more favorable21 miNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate31.0 min ±0.4 min31.9 min ±2.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age36.241.82024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools15172024-25 school year
Students per teacher14.9 — more favorable15.42024-25 school year
Math proficiency19.0%31.6% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency25.4%40.7% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility71.5%53.8%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

One row above shows both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Baltimore
—
Baltimore: Your Score
54
Area Score
Reisterstown
—
Reisterstown: Your Score
65
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Baltimore, MD · Reisterstown, MD · How this is calculated: methodology