The 10 Worst Small Towns In Maryland For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in MD are the pits.

Sam Sparkes, RoadSnacks
April 7, 2022 - 33,286 views
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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:

  1. Crisfield
  2. Willards
  3. Greensboro
  4. Federalsburg
  5. Perryman
  6. Ridgely
  7. Wilson-Conococheague
  8. Hurlock
  9. Snow Hill
  10. Hancock

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.

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.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Maryland For 2022

1. Crisfield

Crisfield, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Acroterion | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

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

2. Willards

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,034
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $145,400 (15th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 14.9% (6th worst)
More on Willards:  Data

3. Greensboro

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,873
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 7)
Median Home Value: $146,500 (16th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.6% (29th worst)
More on Greensboro:  Data

4. Federalsburg

Federalsburg, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Don Woods | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

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

5. Perryman

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,397
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $218,400 (30th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 17.3% (4th worst)
More on Perryman:  Data

6. Ridgely

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,956
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 8)
Median Home Value: $186,300 (24th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.2% (25th worst)
More on Ridgely:  Data

7. Wilson-Conococheague

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

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

8. Hurlock

Hurlock, MD

Source: Wikipedia
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

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

9. Snow Hill

Snow Hill, MD

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,206
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $129,100 (8th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.0% (2worst)
More on Snow Hill:  Data | Photos

10. Hancock

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

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

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey, 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 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:

  1. Chevy Chase (Pop. 2,979)
  2. Cabin John (Pop. 2,276)
  3. Chevy Chase Village (Pop. 1,871)

For more Maryland reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Maryland

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Crisfield 2,572 18.0% $107,500
2 Willards 1,034 14.9% $145,400
3 Greensboro 2,873 7.6% $146,500
4 Federalsburg 2,668 7.6% $118,400
5 Perryman 2,397 17.3% $218,400
6 Ridgely 1,956 8.2% $186,300
7 Wilson-Conococheague 2,014 2.9% $132,500
8 Hurlock 2,390 10.8% $137,600
9 Snow Hill 2,206 9.0% $129,100
10 Hancock 1,691 6.5% $131,900
11 Delmar 3,321 15.7% $156,800
12 Hebron 1,019 7.0% $152,600
13 Denton 4,488 6.4% $197,300
14 Westernport 1,938 11.3% $79,700
15 Mountain Lake Park 1,975 9.0% $144,000
16 Pocomoke City 4,072 4.6% $135,400
17 Seat Pleasant 4,753 19.0% $222,500
18 Trappe 1,153 5.7% $221,300
19 Prince Frederick 2,709 9.3% $309,400
20 Fairmount Heights 1,381 12.6% $261,400
21 Lonaconing 1,282 8.5% $72,600
22 Pittsville 1,742 3.4% $160,000
23 Williamsport 2,012 4.3% $165,700
24 Rock Hall 1,563 7.0% $183,000
25 Mount Vernon 1,016 1.4% $114,300
26 Landover Hills 2,043 7.6% $248,200
27 Colmar Manor 1,395 7.8% $274,300
28 Algonquin 1,110 9.7% $227,700
29 North East 3,588 4.4% $206,400
30 Charlotte Hall 1,740 1.6% $251,700
31 Capitol Heights 4,505 6.6% $231,400
32 Cottage City 1,150 3.5% $238,700
33 Oakland 2,099 1.3% $214,300
34 Brentwood 3,443 6.6% $312,500
35 Princess Anne 3,525 4.9% $137,000
36 Potomac Heights 1,247 3.5% $59,000
37 Emmitsburg 3,156 4.8% $263,800
38 Edmonston 1,399 4.1% $281,500
39 Melwood 3,923 5.8% $345,200
40 Croom 2,353 10.5% $471,600
41 Morningside 1,132 7.4% $235,700
42 Jarrettsville 2,827 11.0% $435,700
43 Berlin 4,740 4.7% $248,600
44 West Ocean City 4,661 10.1% $330,100
45 Marlboro Meadows 3,705 6.2% $292,800
46 Peppermill Village 4,861 8.6% $249,800
47 Bowling Green 1,289 9.5% $99,400
48 St. Michaels 1,311 9.4% $471,200
49 Forest Heights 2,739 9.9% $221,600
50 North Beach 2,790 18.4% $278,500
51 Maugansville 2,148 6.9% $200,300
52 Mechanicsville 1,724 3.9% $357,300
53 Kingstown 1,853 0.7% $222,900
54 Smithsburg 2,977 4.9% $246,600
55 Crownsville 1,473 7.2% $514,900
56 Spencerville 1,653 4.8% $502,300
57 Rising Sun 2,790 4.7% $249,400
58 Andrews Afb 3,316 7.1% $1,000
59 Bel Air 1,504 1.9% $159,600
60 Piney Point 1,036 8.3% $332,100
61 Indian Head 3,803 4.2% $239,400
62 Perryville 4,424 3.2% $240,300
63 Boonsboro 3,594 7.5% $274,700
64 Berwyn Heights 3,256 4.5% $325,100
65 Springdale 4,762 6.8% $336,600
66 Cavetown 1,104 1.8% $244,400
67 Charle 1,530 3.6% $284,300
68 Grasonville 3,578 1.6% $363,900
69 Long Beach 1,979 3.5% $301,600
70 Lusby 2,180 2.5% $270,000
71 Chester 4,319 4.6% $355,200
72 Hillandale 4,737 6.3% $421,600
73 Woodmore 4,698 6.1% $447,400
74 La Vale 4,486 2.6% $160,800
75 Paramount-Long Meadow 2,834 7.4% $280,700
76 Buckeystown 1,289 9.1% $409,500
77 Leonar 3,795 3.2% $402,100
78 Braddock Heights 3,093 2.5% $398,600
79 Woodsboro 1,181 0.4% $334,900
80 Gambrills 2,929 3.4% $451,600
81 Arden On The Severn 1,457 5.7% $384,500
82 Queen Anne 1,183 9.1% $627,700
83 Jefferson 2,577 3.5% $362,200
84 Deale 4,592 6.0% $351,800
85 Cobb Island 1,119 3.6% $206,300
86 National Harbor 3,998 1.1% $328,000
87 Baden 1,574 4.3% $514,400
88 St. James 3,567 0.0% $274,300
89 Konterra 2,368 3.9% $360,900
90 Kingsville 4,649 2.6% $435,100
91 Aberdeen Proving Ground 2,724 3.1% $1,000
92 Dunkirk 2,175 4.9% $437,400
93 Golden Beach 3,620 2.8% $293,900
94 Bartonsville 1,786 3.7% $466,300
95 New Windsor 1,387 1.9% $287,000
96 Shady Side 4,885 3.5% $339,000
97 Manchester 4,752 2.4% $291,100
98 Pylesville 1,015 0.0% $466,900
99 Huntingtown 3,029 0.5% $450,700
100 Hughesville 2,525 0.5% $477,000
Download The Entire Maryland Ranking Data

How Is The Area In ?

 Worst