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Cambridge, Maryland

Cambridge is a small town of about 13,500 people in Dorchester County, Maryland. It's the county seat. It has grown about 3% since 2020. A typical home costs about 5.4 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Washington, is about 56 miles away as the crow flies.

County seat

Population
13,457
up 2.8% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$257,900
Dorchester County prices up 22% since 2022
Household income
$47,323
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, rural Maryland
93.2
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
15 miles
Easton, MD
To Washington
56 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 6.8% below the U.S. average in the parts of Maryland outside metro areas.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5.4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhood65 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 4.9 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 36.7 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
  • Schools in town5 public schools: 3 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
  • A hospital close byUniversity of Md Shore Medical Center at Easton in Easton, about 15 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityWashington is about 56 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Cambridge meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$257,900U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 22%Dorchester County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,058 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$47,323U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
41%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$2,617 a yearMaryland: $4,093
Homes built before 1940
21%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
5%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
2%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
93.2U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Maryland outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 22% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Maryland outside metro areas, not Cambridge alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
13,4572020: 13,095
Median age
39.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
21%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
22%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
20%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
4%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Schools, health care and social services (25%); retail (14%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (12%)
Unemployment rate
9%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
24 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
7%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
26%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: University of Md Shore Medical Center at Easton, Easton, MD, about 15 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

5 public schools in Cambridge, run by Dorchester County Public Schools.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Maryland's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
66%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
86%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
29°F
July average high
88°F
Days 90°F or hotter
32 a year
Nights at or below freezing
69 a year
Rain and melted snow
47.6 inches a year
Snow
14 inches a year
Elevation
13 feet

Weather station: Royal Oak 2 SSW (13 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: University of Md Shore Medical Center at Easton, Bowie, Washington.

Dorchester County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 6, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

15 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including Cambridge Historic District, Wards I and III and the Pine Street Neighborhood Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park10 miles
  • National Capital Parks46 miles
  • George Washington Birthplace National Monument51 miles
  • Piscataway Park51 miles
  • Fort Washington Park52 miles

Read about Cambridge's history on Wikipedia.

Know Cambridge?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Algonquin, MD (unincorporated)1,074 people, 3 miles
  • Church Creek, MD104 people, 5 miles
  • Madison, MD (unincorporated)133 people, 8 miles
  • Secretary, MD473 people, 8 miles
  • East New Market, MD416 people, 9 miles
  • Oxford, MD591 people, 10 miles
  • Choptank, MD (unincorporated)186 people, 11 miles
  • Taylors Island, MD (unincorporated)127 people, 14 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.