U.S. News & World Report has named Rockville the 3rd Best Place to Live in Maryland for 2025–2026, reinforcing the city’s reputation as a thriving, family-friendly community with access to top amenities.

Rockville stands out for its balance of suburban charm and urban convenience, with a vibrant mix of local businesses, green spaces, and cultural offerings. The report also highlights the city’s strong job market, high-quality public schools, and accessible transportation.

Key stats:

• Median Home Value: $636,683

• Median Monthly Rent: $1,849

• Median Household Income: $127,516

• Average Commute Time: 28 minutes

Maryland’s Top 5 Best Places to Live (2025–2026):

1. Ellicott City

2. Bethesda

3. Rockville

4. Columbia

5. Towson

This recognition reflects Rockville’s commitment to being a welcoming, opportunity-rich community for residents, workers, and business owners alike.

View U.S. News full article at https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live/best-places-to-live-in-maryland

Rockville continues to earn recognition as one of Maryland’s most desirable places to live, this time for its safety. According to SafeWise’s 2025 Safest Cities Report, Rockville is ranked the 6th safest city in Maryland.

SafeWise evaluates cities across the country based on the latest FBI crime statistics and population data. The rankings are determined by analyzing violent crime and property crime rates per 1,000 residents, offering a comparison of safe communities across the nation. This year, 28 Maryland cities met the criteria for evaluation.

Rockville’s inclusion on SafeWise’s list is a result of its strong public safety efforts, well-maintained neighborhoods, and community-oriented policing. While Maryland remains one of the most concerned states when it comes to gun violence, SafeWise found that overall crime rates—including violent crime and property crime—are on the decline, with Rockville leading in that positive trend.

In its 11th year of rankings, SafeWise named the top five safest cities in Maryland as Ocean Pines, Frostburg, Thurmont, Brunswick, and Hampstead—with Rockville close behind at number six.

As a thriving hub for families, businesses, and professionals, Rockville continues to balance its growth with a strong commitment to safety and quality of life.

View SafeWise’s full report at https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-maryland/ 

In order to determine the most ethnically diverse places in America, WalletHub compared 501 of the most populated U.S. cities across three key metrics: ethnoracial diversity, linguistic diversity, and birthplace diversity.

Since 2018, Rockville has consistently placed in the top 20 most ethnically diverse cities in the U.S., ranking in 5th place in the small cities category, 9th in linguistic diversity, and 9th overall for 2025. Out of over 500 cities, Rockville is one of four in Montgomery County to place in the top 10 overall this year.

Most Culturally Diverse Cities in the U.S.

1. Germantown, MD
2. Jersey City, NJ
3. Gaithersburg, MD
4. Silver Spring, MD
5. Kent, WA
6. New York, NY
7. Spring Valley, NV
8. Federal Way, WA
9. Rockville, MD
10. Oakland, CA

“Living in an ethnically diverse city can be an economic benefit, as people bring a wide range of skillsets and approaches to solving problems from their own cultures and national origins. Residents can also establish unique types of businesses, such as restaurants serving cultural dishes. People who live in ethnically diverse cities have the opportunity to learn a lot about people different from themselves, which is not only an enriching experience but also a good way to break down walls of prejudice.” -Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

View WalletHub’s full 2025 report: https://wallethub.com/edu/cities-with-the-most-and-least-ethno-racial-and-linguistic-diversity/10264

According to a study of ethnically diverse places in America conducted by WalletHub, Rockville ranks eight overall and fourth among small cities for its ethnic diversity. More than one-third of Rockville’s 67,117 residents were born outside of the U.S.

Four of the top 10 most diverse cities in the country are in Montgomery County, Maryland. The personal finance website placed Germantown, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring and Rockville among its top ten “2023 Most & Least Ethnically Diverse Cities in the U.S.” Rockville has ranked within the top 10 spots of WalletHub’s ethnic diversity study from 2017-2022.

WalletHub compared the most populated U.S. cities across three key metrics:

1. Ethnoracial Diversity
2. Linguistic Diversity
3. Birthplace Diversity

Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the most ethnic diversity. The weighted average across all metrics were determined to calculate the “Ethnic Diversity Score” for cities and the resulting scores to rank-order the sample.

The top 10 most diverse cities in America, in order, were:

1. Germantown, MD
2. Jersey City, NJ
3. Gaithersburg, MD
4. Silver Spring, MD
5. New York, NY
6. Kent, WA
7. Spring Valley, NV
8. Rockville, MD
9. San Jose, CA
10. Oakland, CA

Learn more about Rockville’s economy, workforce and amenities here

To view the full list of cities in WalletHub’s 2023 report, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/cities-with-the-most-and-least-ethno-racial-and-linguistic-diversity/10264