Parole vs Pasadena

Which is the better fit for you?

Parole, MD
73
Area Score
Top 7% nationally
Pasadena, MD
73
Area Score
Top 6% nationally

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

Parole and Pasadena receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.

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 Parole 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 Parole.
The median home
21% less
$423,400 in Pasadena against $533,500 in Parole.
The weather you would swap
Winters 5°F colder
Normal January lows are 25°F in Pasadena against 30°F in Parole; 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

Parole
Pasadena
Opportunity: Parole is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
71 · Top 21%
vs
70 · Top 24%
Growth
53 · Top 43%
vs
53 · Top 43%
Climate: Parole 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: Pasadena is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
68 · Top 45%
vs
69 · Top 44%
Schools: Pasadena is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
59 · Top 37%
vs
66 · Top 30%
Access: Pasadena is the more favorable of the two.
Access
96 · Top 34%
vs
99 · Top 16%
Economic stability: Pasadena is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
68 · Top 30%
vs
78 · Top 7%

Measured values

MetricParolePasadenaSource period
Population17,22934,3092024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$120,361 ±$9,250$129,727 ±$9,3242024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$91,891 — more favorable$56,1782024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,678/sq mi2,298/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$533,500$423,4002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$2,306 ±$86$2,393 ±$1122024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,857$1,857FY2026
Cost of living index103.2103.22023
Homeownership rate64.2%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 higher61.7% — more favorable38.2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate5.7% ±2%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 airport14 mi6 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate32.3 min ±3.3 min33.3 min ±1.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age53.835.92024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher12.1 — more favorable14.22024-25 school year
Math proficiency35.2%42.6% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency42.8%52.9% — more favorable2018-19 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.

4 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.

Parole
—
Parole: Your Score
73
Area Score
Pasadena
—
Pasadena: Your Score
73
Area Score

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

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