Most Americans have never been to Maryland. However, as the people who live there know, Maryland is an awesome state.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Maryland has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Old Line State. Don’t shoot the messenger, this is all using data.
After analyzing more than 132 of Maryland’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Maryland where you’d never want to live:
- Smith Island
- Eden
- Powellville
- West Pocomoke
- Bowmans Addition
- Deer Park
- Crellin
- Goldsboro
- Fairmount
- Ringgold
Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Maryland has its stuff figured out.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Maryland or the worst places to live in Maryland.
How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?
In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Maryland, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn’t a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.
So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
How we crunched the numbers
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data, the Census’s 2010-2014 American Community Survey, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 100 and 1,000 people, of which, there were a lot – 132 to be exact.
Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
1. Smith Island
Population: 195 Median Income: $22,143
Median Home Value: $96,700
2. Eden
Population: 758 Median Income: $26,932
Median Home Value: $84,400
3. Powellville
Population: 109 Median Income: $32,024
Median Home Value: $87,600
4. West Pocomoke
Population: 417 Median Income: $35,221
Median Home Value: $157,600
5. Bowmans Addition
Population: 593 Median Income: $39,038
Median Home Value: $91,500
6. Deer Park
Population: 424 Median Income: $40,455
Median Home Value: $115,600
7. Crellin
Population: 138 Median Income: $33,807
Median Home Value: $171,600
8. Goldsboro
Population: 234 Median Income: $43,438
Median Home Value: $118,800
9. Fairmount
Population: 292 Median Income: $13,289
Median Home Value: $112,900
10. Ringgold
Population: 146 Median Income: $58,750
Median Home Value: $198,900
There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Maryland
If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Old Line State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Maryland, according to science.
- Best: Chevy Chase Section Three
- 2nd Best: Martin’s Additions
- 3rd Best: Chevy Chase View
For more reading, check out:
You have an inaccuracy regarding Crellin. I’m not from Crellin, but rather a larger town nearby that didn’t make your list. I realize you qualified that 45 minutes to the nearest town would be during a snow storm, but you’d have to be walking for it to take that long even with bad weather. I get the impression you didn’t interview many people when compiling your list. A lot of people in the areas with which I am familiar are quite happy living there, which is why they haven’t moved. I understand the spirit of your article, but highly recommend more thorough fact checking.
Not only that. But I’d say your unemployment numbers are way off. You don’t think a hard working farmer is,employed?
I’ve been sitting here trying to think of a polite way to respond to your article, but alas the only thing I can come up with is that you are a complete bonehead! Maryland has long considered the real Western Maryland, west of Frederick for you flatlanders, and the Eastern Shore red headed step children, but where do you all go in Maryland for your winter and summer fun close to home? I live in Garrett County and am darn proud of it, having been born and raised in the Baltimore metro area, I’ll take these small towns and the people here any day of the week. I challenge you to spend more than a few days out here and just maybe you’ll change your tune and if not go back to the city life cause we don’t need you anyway! By the way, your crime rate figures are a joke, nobody out here trashed their city or town because someone got killed, yes we have our crime and drug problems but at least I don’t have to carry a gun with me everywhere I go.
Grew up in kitzmiller don’t know where you got your info but No One goes to that shop in elk garden. The town does rather quickly after the county stopped funding the elementary school and took our children 30 minutes away. Rather a shithole town with the worst mayor and council in many years.
There on thing that bugs me about this, I’ve lived in pocomoke the majority of my life and this post said, “This Somerset county has a Walmart” first off most of this town especially the part where the Walmart is is in Worcester County, there is a very small portion was Pocomoke that is in Somerset and that is across the bridge more on the Northern eastern side, not West Pocomoke. This isn’t a big deal I just can stand the inaccuracy. If you did described the real West Pocomoke you would be right in this town it is the undesirable part of town, but you completely missed the area you were talking about when you were describing it. In fact the one area that is in Somerset is the country and is somewhat a desirable place to live, well at least more desirable than West Pocomoke.
This “article” is insulting. Who apporved this trash? The only reason anyone has read it is because the title immediately comes off as snobby and directed at people who live in small towns. You cannot write something, and publish it based solely on statistics crunching and Google Street View. It’s rediculous and the author and whoever appoved it should see just how hard it is to live as an Unemployment Statistic.
Where do you get off posting such crap?? I don’t know where you got your numbers but they are WRONG!! Finzel has the worst crime rate – are you kidding me??? I guess you haven’t counted Baltimore and all the surrounding areas?? Who are you to call any town a douchebag town? And GHETTO??? Again, have you over looked Baltimore and surrounding areas??? DID you even bother to drive through any of these towns – spend any time there – talk with any of the people?? You are completely wrong in this so called assessment and have absolutely no clue what you are talking about! Get the facts by spending time in these areas – go to the courthouses and get the public records and employment before you go running your mouth. Clearly the pictures came from Google maps and you showed the worst possible pictures out there! You are a complete moron of the worst kind. You think you are so smart but all you have done is piss off a bunch of people who love their towns and their people.
It’s funny, people from the rest of the state like to look down on us in Western Maryland but you don’t seem to have a problem coming to vacation here or taking our tax dollars. It’s okay though, articles like this keep snobbish city people out of our lovely rural communities where there is incredibly little crime (your numbers aren’t particularly detailed and are, of course, skewed by the population). In fact, crime only seems to start to go up when people from downstate move here. Isn’t that an odd coincidence?
I live in eden. I like the small town values, it beats city life any day. Don’t agree with the most high school drop outs either just your personal opinion which I don’t give a rat’s ass about.