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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in Maryland.
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 130 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:
These are the worst small towns in Maryland for 2022:
So what is the worst small town to call home in Maryland for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Crisfield is the worst small town to live in Maryland.
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.
Population: 2,572 Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1) Median Home Value: $107,500 (5th worst) Unemployment Rate: 18.0% (3rd worst) More on Crisfield:Data | Photos
Population: 2,668 Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2) Median Home Value: $118,400 (7th worst) Unemployment Rate: 7.6% (28th worst) More on Federalsburg:Data | Photos
Population: 2,014 Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 6) Median Home Value: $132,500 (10th worst) Unemployment Rate: 2.9% (90th worst) More on Wilson-Conococheague:Data
Population: 2,390 Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 4) Median Home Value: $137,600 (13th worst) Unemployment Rate: 10.8% (10th worst) More on Hurlock:Data | Photos
Population: 1,691 Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 3) Median Home Value: $131,900 (9th worst) Unemployment Rate: 6.5% (4worst) More on Hancock:Data
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 determined the worst small towns to live in Maryland for 2022
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 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 130 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.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.
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:
Chevy Chase (Pop. 2,979)
Cabin John (Pop. 2,276)
Chevy Chase Village (Pop. 1,871)
For more Maryland reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Maryland