Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Maryland?
According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in Maryland – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Maryland cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.
After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Old Line State:
- Glassmanor
- White Oak
- Langley Park (Photos)
- Temple Hills
- Riverdale Park (Photos)
- Chillum
- Mount Rainier
- Landover (Photos)
- Coral Hills
- Brentwood
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Chevy Chase is the happiest place in Maryland.
Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.
If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Maryland
In order to rank the unhappiest places in Maryland, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of home owners
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in Maryland with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 206 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In Maryland’.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
1. Glassmanor
Population: 18,389
People Who Own Their Home: 27.93%
Married Adults: 21.43%
2. White Oak
Population: 18,101
People Who Own Their Home: 32.82%
Married Adults: 37.23%
3. Langley Park
Population: 21,318
People Who Own Their Home: 24.27%
Married Adults: 31.55%
4. Temple Hills
Population: 8,069
People Who Own Their Home: 29.88%
Married Adults: 26.55%
5. Riverdale Park
Population: 7,119
People Who Own Their Home: 46.97%
Married Adults: 34.65%
6. Chillum
Population: 36,684
People Who Own Their Home: 36.31%
Married Adults: 31.4%
7. Mount Rainier
Population: 8,277
People Who Own Their Home: 25.16%
Married Adults: 32.72%
8. Landover
Population: 23,112
People Who Own Their Home: 41.4%
Married Adults: 28.14%
9. Coral Hills
Population: 10,196
People Who Own Their Home: 49.92%
Married Adults: 26.44%
10. Brentwood
Population: 3,107
People Who Own Their Home: 43.03%
Married Adults: 35.14%
There You Have It
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more Maryland reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Safest Places In Maryland
- These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Maryland
- These Are The 10 Dumbest Cities In Maryland
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Maryland
City | Rank |
---|---|
Glassmanor | 1 |
White Oak | 2 |
Langley Park | 3 |
Temple Hills | 4 |
Riverdale Park | 5 |
Chillum | 6 |
Mount Rainier | 7 |
Landover | 8 |
Coral Hills | 9 |
Brentwood | 10 |
Bladensburg | 11 |
Walker Mill | 12 |
Baltimore | 13 |
Suitland | 14 |
Marlow Heights | 15 |
Adelphi | 16 |
East Riverdale | 17 |
Fairland | 18 |
New Carrollton | 19 |
Oxon Hill | 20 |
Salisbury | 21 |
Lansdowne | 22 |
Hyattsville | 23 |
Hagerstown | 24 |
Denton | 25 |
Hillcrest Heights | 26 |
Cambridge | 27 |
Milford Mill | 28 |
Silver Spring | 29 |
Delmar | 30 |
Glenmont | 31 |
Baltimore Highlands | 32 |
Greensboro | 33 |
Forestville | 34 |
College Park | 35 |
Jessup | 36 |
Summerfield | 37 |
Laurel | 38 |
Seabrook | 39 |
Largo | 40 |
Silver Hill | 41 |
Greenbelt | 42 |
Essex | 43 |
Cumberland | 44 |
Wheaton | 45 |
Takoma Park | 46 |
Glenarden | 47 |
Frostburg | 48 |
District Heights | 49 |
Williamsport | 50 |
Reisterstown | 51 |
South Laurel | 52 |
Middle River | 53 |
Aspen Hill | 54 |
Friendly | 55 |
Edgewood | 56 |
Dundalk | 57 |
Beltsville | 58 |
Elkton | 59 |
Frederick | 60 |
Lake Arbor | 61 |
Perryville | 62 |
Lochearn | 63 |
Oakland | 64 |
Camp Springs | 65 |
Waldorf | 66 |
Parkville | 67 |
Montgomery Village | 68 |
Brunswick | 69 |
Brooklyn Park | 70 |
Aberdeen | 71 |
Gaithersburg | 72 |
Rosedale | 73 |
Chester | 74 |
Thurmont | 75 |
Ocean City | 76 |
Westminster | 77 |
Rossville | 78 |
Owings Mills | 79 |
Glen Burnie | 80 |
Fruitland | 81 |
Robinwood | 82 |
Randallstown | 83 |
Annapolis | 84 |
Bowleys Quarters | 85 |
Ferndale | 86 |
Chesapeake Ranch Estates | 87 |
Calverton | 88 |
Lexington Park | 89 |
Edgemere | 90 |
Chesapeake Beach | 91 |
Springdale | 92 |
Lanham | 93 |
Cockeysville | 94 |
Cheverly | 95 |
Forest Glen | 96 |
Ballenger Creek | 97 |
Germantown | 98 |
Westphalia | 99 |
Marlton | 100 |
Glenn Dale | 101 |
Bryans Road | 102 |
North Kensington | 103 |
Easton | 104 |
Towson | 105 |
Friendship Heights Village | 106 |
Maryland City | 107 |
Havre De Grace | 108 |
Clinton | 109 |
Fort Washington | 110 |
Four Corners | 111 |
Kettering | 112 |
North Laurel | 113 |
Carney | 114 |
Garrison | 115 |
Hillandale | 116 |
Redland | 117 |
Mitchellville | 118 |
Arbutus | 119 |
Taneytown | 120 |
Leisure World | 121 |
Berlin | 122 |
Rosaryville | 123 |
North Bethesda | 124 |
Brock Hall | 125 |
Overlea | 126 |
Savage | 127 |
Severn | 128 |
Ashton-Sandy Spring | 129 |
Shady Side | 130 |
Bowie | 131 |
Rockville | 132 |
Dunkirk | 133 |
Joppatowne | 134 |
Catonsville | 135 |
Cloverly | 136 |
Marlboro Village | 137 |
Fort Meade | 138 |
La Plata | 139 |
Ocean Pines | 140 |
Brandywine | 141 |
Bel Air | 142 |
Layhill | 143 |
Pikesville | 144 |
Accokeek | 145 |
Columbia | 146 |
Edgewater | 147 |
Fountainhead-Orchard Hills | 148 |
Burtonsville | 149 |
Long Beach | 150 |
Pasadena | 151 |
Halfway | 152 |
Riverside | 153 |
Mayo | 154 |
California | 155 |
Damascus | 156 |
University Park | 157 |
Elkridge | 158 |
Linganore | 159 |
Centreville | 160 |
Riviera Beach | 161 |
Kemp Mill | 162 |
Odenton | 163 |
Perry Hall | 164 |
Linthicum | 165 |
Parole | 166 |
Ilchester | 167 |
Timonium | 168 |
Clarksburg | 169 |
Colesville | 170 |
Bel Air South | 171 |
Bensville | 172 |
Manchester | 173 |
Crofton | 174 |
Mount Airy | 175 |
Stevensville | 176 |
Lake Shore | 177 |
North Potomac | 178 |
White Marsh | 179 |
Ellicott City | 180 |
Walkersville | 181 |
Olney | 182 |
Bethesda | 183 |
Jefferson | 184 |
Annapolis Neck | 185 |
Urbana | 186 |
Arnold | 187 |
Lutherville | 188 |
Fulton | 189 |
Hampstead | 190 |
Spring Ridge | 191 |
Travilah | 192 |
Bel Air North | 193 |
Darnestown | 194 |
Potomac | 195 |
Scaggsville | 196 |
Eldersburg | 197 |
Fallston | 198 |
Pleasant Hills | 199 |
Severna Park | 200 |
Chevy Chase | 201 |
Kingsville | 202 |
Hampton | 203 |
South Kensington | 204 |
Mays Chapel | 205 |
Chevy Chase | 206 |