The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Maryland For 2024


The fastest-growing cities in Maryland are Brunswick and Frederick for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Is being in an area of Maryland that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?

Depends on who you ask.

Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Baltimore and Frederick, while others want peace and quiet like in Berlin and Manchester, thank you very much.

But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Maryland have grown the fastest.

After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Old Line State that have people climbing over each other to get in.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Fastest Growing Cities In Maryland Map

What’s the fastest growing city in Maryland for 2024? Based on the most recent ACS data, Brunswick ranks as the fastest-growing city in Maryland. If you happen to be a resident of Brunswick, you’re probably not surprised to find it on our list.

If you’re surprised — and you’re wondering why these places are a big deal — keep reading. We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in Maryland grow like weeds.

For more Maryland state reading:

The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Maryland For 2024

1. Brunswick

Brunswick, MD

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,781
Population 2010: 5,770
Percent Growth 34.9%
Absolute Growth: 2,011
More on Brunswick: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

2. Frederick

Frederick, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Rollbama4 | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 78,390
Population 2010: 63,731
Percent Growth 23.0%
Absolute Growth: 14,659
More on Frederick: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

3. Laurel

Laurel, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Adavidb at English Wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 29,581
Population 2010: 24,433
Percent Growth 21.1%
Absolute Growth: 5,148
More on Laurel: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

4. La Plata

La Plata, MD

Source: Wikipedia User FlickreviewR | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,283
Population 2010: 8,496
Percent Growth 21.0%
Absolute Growth: 1,787
More on La Plata: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

5. Hyattsville

Hyattsville, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Famartin | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 20,851
Population 2010: 17,254
Percent Growth 20.8%
Absolute Growth: 3,597
More on Hyattsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

6. Fruitland

Fruitland, MD

Source: Wikipedia User User:Fbot | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 5,603
Population 2010: 4,704
Percent Growth 19.1%
Absolute Growth: 899
More on Fruitland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

7. Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg, MD

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 69,016
Population 2010: 58,169
Percent Growth 18.6%
Absolute Growth: 10,847
More on Gaithersburg: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

8. Chesapeake Beach

Chesapeake Beach, MD

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

6
/10

Population: 6,358
Population 2010: 5,396
Percent Growth 17.8%
Absolute Growth: 962
More on Chesapeake Beach: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

9. Manchester

Manchester, MD

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,403
Population 2010: 4,597
Percent Growth 17.5%
Absolute Growth: 806
More on Manchester: Data | Crime | Real Estate

10. Poolesville

Poolesville, MD

Source: Wikipedia User Famartin | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,686
Population 2010: 4,889
Percent Growth 16.3%
Absolute Growth: 797
More on Poolesville: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Old Line State for 2024

To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:

  • Current Population
  • Population in 2010
  • Growth rate from 2010 to Current (The latest available data which came out in Dec 2022)

We ranked all 43 Maryland cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.

The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Old Line State.

And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula:

[Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010]

The data has been updated for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the fastest growing cities in Maryland.

Here’s a graph of the cities in Maryland with the most significant percent increase in population:
Fastest Growing Cities in Maryland Graph For 2024

Click to enlarge

Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Maryland, You Know?

So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Maryland are led by Brunswick which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.

The fastest-growing cities in Maryland are Brunswick, Frederick, Laurel, La Plata, Hyattsville, Fruitland, Gaithersburg, Chesapeake Beach, Manchester, and Poolesville.

It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!

These places have been growing (or shrinking) the slowest (fastest):

  1. Frostburg
  2. Cumberland
  3. Baltimore

For more Maryland reading, check out:

Fastest Growing Places In Maryland For 2024

Rank City Population Population 2010 Growth Absolute Growth
1 Brunswick 7,781 5,770 34.9% 2,011
2 Frederick 78,390 63,731 23.0% 14,659
3 Laurel 29,581 24,433 21.1% 5,148
4 La Plata 10,283 8,496 21.0% 1,787
5 Hyattsville 20,851 17,254 20.8% 3,597
6 Fruitland 5,603 4,704 19.1% 899
7 Gaithersburg 69,016 58,169 18.6% 10,847
8 Chesapeake Beach 6,358 5,396 17.8% 962
9 Manchester 5,403 4,597 17.5% 806
10 Poolesville 5,686 4,889 16.3% 797
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.