Lake Shore vs Pasadena

Which is the better fit for you?

Lake Shore, MD
74
Area Score
Top 6% nationally
Pasadena, MD
73
Area Score
Top 6% nationally

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Lake Shore 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 Lake Shore to Pasadena

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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 Pasadena against $1,857 in Lake Shore.
The median home
11% less
$423,400 in Pasadena against $473,600 in Lake Shore.
The weather you would swap
Winters 5°F colder
Normal January lows are 25°F in Pasadena against 30°F in Lake Shore; July highs are 89°F against 86°F (summers 3°F hotter).

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

Lake Shore
Pasadena
Opportunity
70 · Top 25%
vs
70 · Top 24%
Growth
53 · Top 43%
vs
53 · Top 43%
Climate: Lake Shore is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
78 · Top 22%
vs
73 · Top 36%
Physical resilience
94 · Top 5%
vs
94 · Top 7%
Housing affordability: Lake Shore is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
73 · Top 32%
vs
69 · Top 44%
Schools: Pasadena is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
63 · Top 32%
vs
66 · Top 30%
Access: Pasadena is the more favorable of the two.
Access
98 · Top 21%
vs
99 · Top 16%
Economic stability: Pasadena is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
65 · Top 36%
vs
78 · Top 7%

Measured values

MetricLake ShorePasadenaSource period
Population18,24934,3092024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$130,689 ±$11,332$129,727 ±$9,3242024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$62,711 ±$6,547$56,178 ±$3,6972024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,359/sq mi2,298/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$473,600$423,4002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,806 — more favorable$2,3932024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,857$1,857FY2026
Cost of living index103.2103.22023
Homeownership rate90.9%83.7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.6%3.6%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−0.4%−0.4%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate36.4% ±3%38.2% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate6.5% ±3%5.6% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)1,3961,39612 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents2.32.312 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+20.8%+20.8%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high86°F89°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low30°F25°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation44.0"45.0"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport11 mi6 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate33.5 min ±1.5 min33.3 min ±1.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age42.135.92024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher15.314.2 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency39.9%42.6% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency54.8% — more favorable52.9%2018-19 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.

5 rows above show 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.

Lake Shore
—
Lake Shore: Your Score
74
Area Score
Pasadena
—
Pasadena: Your Score
73
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Lake Shore, MD · Pasadena, MD · How this is calculated: methodology