The story of this market
The typical home in Howard County, Maryland sells for about $638,000, or $260 per square foot.
Prices are roughly flat from a year ago (-0.33%), a market in balance. Homes take about 32 days to sell. Over the long run, values in this county have grown 155% since 2000. Last year 37 of 58 neighborhoods saw prices rise, so the story isn't the same street to street. The biggest natural hazard here is winter weather, which FEMA rates relatively high. HUD's fair market rent for a two-bedroom is $2,006 a month.
HUD sets the fair market rent for a 2-bedroom at $2,006 a month. FEMA's National Risk Index rates overall hazard risk here as Very Low.
Price climate
Every year of price change, 2000–2025
0%
2025
Each stripe is one year's median price change across the area's census tracts (FHFA repeat-sales index). Deep blue is a strong gain year, red a falling year. Best: 2005 (+22.8%). Worst: 2009 (-8.3%). Hover to read a year.
Monthly price momentum
Home values since 2015
+1.1%
MD · past 12 months
Freddie Mac House Price Index, single-family homes, monthly through 2026-08. Each line starts at 100 in January 2015, so a reading of 180 means prices are up 80% since then.
Rent benchmark
Fair market rent by size
$2,509
3-bed / month
HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal 2027, for this county. A typical rent for a modest unit, used to set housing-voucher payments.
Neighborhood price trend
Long-run price trend, 2000–2025
0%
2025 change
FHFA repeat-sales index, median of 58 census tracts in this county (2000 = 100). Bars are each year's median change.
Natural hazard exposure
The area's risk shape
17
Very Low
FEMA National Risk Index. Each spoke is a hazard ranked nationally, where 100 is the most exposed. Expected annual loss: $51,964,887.
Mortgage activity
Home lending in this county
77.6%
2018 approval rate
| Year | Applications | Loans made | Approval | Investor share | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 15971 | 8350 | 77.6% | 2.9% | $445,000 |
CFPB Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records: every mortgage application reported by lenders for homes in this county. Approval rate is approved ÷ decided (withdrawn and incomplete files excluded). Investor share and home value are the median census tract.
Howard County, Maryland
The Howard County housing market is showing signs of stabilization with a slight year-over-year decline in median prices. Inventory levels remain constrained, which continues to influence the pace of sales despite broader economic shifts.
No ARED distress-ledger coverage for this county yet — the foreclosure ingest rotates the national county directory, and filings appear here once the county's posted notices are read. Key-figure check: median price corroborated by the published ten-year series (2025) (within 12.5%).
Select a city to expand its ZIP intel reports beneath · 14 cities · 22 ZIP reports
Median prices moved down 0.9% year over year.
Homes spend a median of 49 days on market with 1.6 months of supply — a fast-moving market.
0% of listings have cut prices · homes sell at 86.37% of asking — demand is holding steady.
no recorded foreclosure-ledger notices (0.0 per 10,000 residents) · unemployment 3.2% · poverty 4.5% — a stable, low-distress profile.
Deterministic aggregate of 21 researched ZIP reports of 22 — sales_count-weighted (population fallback); per point, children lacking the value or its weight are excluded. Tax rates, sentiment and context notes are tier-native and never roll.
Each property observation weighs one in its ZIP's deterministic roll-up — property-level records (taxes, scores, permits) never roll individually. Latest property research run Oct 16, 2026.
researched Sep 29
researched Sep 29
researched Sep 30
researched Oct 1
researched Oct 23
researched Oct 23
researched Sep 28
researched Oct 23
researched Sep 29
researched Sep 29
| 20723 | Laurel (Howard County portion) | $580,000 | $258 | +5.5% | 21 | 99.2% | 22% | 2.4 | 115 | $2,111 | researched Sep 29 |
| 20759 | Fulton | $954,700 | $277 | +0.9% | 37 | — | — | — | 13 | $3,501 | researched Sep 29 |
| 20763 | Savage | $406,300 | $177 | — | — | — | — | — | — | $1,989 | researched Sep 30 |
| 20777 | Highland | $1,150,000 | $315 | — | 66 | 100% | — | — | 1,259 | $2,875 | researched Oct 1 |
| 20794 | Jessup | $419,818 | $226 | -5% | 35 | 99.9% | — | — | 8 | $2,520 | researched Oct 23 |
| 21029 | Clarksville | $1,035,000 | $268 | +5.1% | 33 | 100% | 13.3% | 4.8 | 190 | $3,200 | researched Oct 23 |
| 21036 | Dayton | $843,200 | $285 | +2.4% | 32 | 98.5% | 15% | 4 | 12 | $2,800 | researched Sep 28 |
| 21042 | Ellicott City | $806,532 | $283 | +1.2% | 30 | 100% | — | — | 90 | $3,021 | researched Oct 23 |
| 21043 | Ellicott City | $729,000 | $208 | — | 45 | 100% | — | 3.8 | 164 | $2,094 | researched Sep 29 |
| 21044 | Columbia | $489,753 | $265 | +0.2% | 21 | 100% | 28% | 2.5 | 85 | $2,166 | researched Sep 29 |
Figures are each ZIP report's own latest research — the county roll-up aggregates them sales_count-weighted (population fallback); ZIPs cycle quarterly.
Howard County Public School System is consistently ranked among the top-performing districts in Maryland, known for high academic standards and strong student outcomes.
The county benefits from a strong economic base anchored by proximity to the Baltimore-Washington corridor, with significant employment in technology, cybersecurity, and government contracting.
Composed from the ARED governance burden registry — tier-native tax structure (state + county + city + special districts), never averaged. State (Maryland) — Maryland Real Property Assessment and Taxation: Property is assessed at its phased-in use value. The tax is calculated by multiplying the assessed value by the applicable state and local tax rates.
The economy is driven by a mix of professional services, healthcare, and government-related sectors, benefiting from its strategic location between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
The county is served by major corridors including I-95 and US-29, providing critical access to the broader Baltimore-Washington metropolitan transit network.
The Howard County Department of Assessments and Taxation conducts periodic property valuations to determine the basis for local property tax levies.
The county is served by the Howard County Public School System and various special utility and fire districts that manage local infrastructure and services.
The amenity base that shapes daily life and property demand in this county — what residents actually live with, and what the pipeline is adding.
A large regional park featuring a 54-acre lake, extensive trails, and recreational facilities that serve as a central community hub.
An iconic outdoor concert venue located in Columbia that hosts major national touring acts and cultural events.
Data retrieved from data.census.gov
applies when — Applies to residential parcels located within a development subject to a declaration of covenants or restrictions requiring mandatory membership in an association.
Imposes obligations on parcel owners to pay assessments, adhere to recorded covenants, and comply with association governance and disclosure requirements upon resale.
Real Property Article Title 11B.
Maryland utilizes a judicial-supervised process. Foreclosure actions cannot be filed until 90 days after a default. Homeowners have 30 days from the date of the Notice of Report of Sale to file exceptions to the sale.
Real Property Article § 7-105.1; Maryland Rules of Procedure.
Property is assessed at its phased-in use value. The tax is calculated by multiplying the assessed value by the applicable state and local tax rates. The Homestead Property Tax Credit limits the annual increase in taxable assessment for owner-occupied residential property to a fixed percentage (set by local jurisdictions, typically 10% or less) of the prior year's assessment.
Tax-Property Article § 8-103; COMAR Title 18.
≈ $63,800/yr on a $638,000 median
applies when — Applies to the transfer of residential real property of one to four single-family units, excluding specific transfers such as initial sales of never-occupied property, foreclosure sales, or transfers by fiduciaries.
Sellers must provide either a disclosure statement detailing known latent defects or a disclaimer statement selling the property 'as is' without warranties.
Real Property Article § 10-702, Annotated Code of Maryland.
Governance registry — every jurisdiction re-researches on a rolling 90-day cycle. Property reports compose these inherited burdens into a per-parcel ledger with conditional determinations. Informational only — not legal advice.