Living in Mount Rainier, Maryland: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 8.9% above the U.S. average in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 7.7 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood24 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.9 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 22.2 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town2 public schools. No public high school in town: the nearest is International High School @ Langley Park, about 2 miles away.
A hospital close byMedstar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, about 3 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityWashington is about 4 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 Mount Rainier 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.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Mount Rainier runs into the built-up area around Washington (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $529,600U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 12%Prince George's County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,457 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $68,505U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 23%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $6,173 a yearMaryland: $4,093
Homes built before 1940: 30%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 3%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 108.9U.S. average = 100 (the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area)

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 12% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, not Mount Rainier 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: 8,3072020: 8,305
Median age: 40.1 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 23%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 38%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 2%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 (24%); retail (13%); government (12%)
Unemployment rate: 5%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 32 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 19%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 6%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Medstar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, about 3 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 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

2 public schools in Mount Rainier, run by Prince George's County Public Schools. The nearest public high school is International High School @ Langley Park, about 2 miles away.

Colleges in or next to town: The Catholic University of America (5,000 to 9,999 students); Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family (under 1,000 students).

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: 76%U.S.: 76%

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: 28°F
July average high: 90°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 48 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 84 a year
Rain and melted snow: 45.6 inches a year
Snow: 10 inches a year
Elevation: 79 feet

Weather station: Natl Arboretum Dc (2 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

Medstar Washington Hospital CenterEmergency room3

Alexandria, VACity of 161,00011

Washington, DCMetro of 6.5 million4

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: Medstar Washington Hospital Center, Alexandria, Washington.

Prince George's County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Mount Rainier Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

National Capital Parksright here
Greenbelt Park3 miles
Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument4 miles
Rock Creek Park4 miles
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site4 miles

Campus life. Check The Catholic University of America's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Mount Rainier's history on Wikipedia.

Know Mount Rainier?

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

Brentwood, MD3,800 people, 0 miles
Cottage City, MD1,300 people, 1 miles
Colmar Manor, MD1,600 people, 2 miles
Edmonston, MD1,600 people, 2 miles
Bladensburg, MD9,700 people, 2 miles
University Park, MD2,400 people, 2 miles

Smaller places

North Brentwood, MD589 people, 1 mile
Cedar Heights, MD (unincorporated)2,213 people, 4 miles
Maryland Park, MD (unincorporated)839 people, 5 miles
Martin's Additions, MD879 people, 6 miles
Chevy Chase Section Three, MD773 people, 6 miles
Chevy Chase Section Five, MD657 people, 7 miles
North Chevy Chase, MD664 people, 7 miles
Chevy Chase View, MD952 people, 8 miles

Sources

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.