Ellicott City ranked best place to live in Maryland

The location ranked 13th in the United States

April 26, 2025- Busy downtown Ellicott City during SpringFest 2025. John Gillis/Freelance photos

Pedestrians cross one of the bridges across the Tiber Branch along lower Main Street at Tiber Park in Ellicott City. Tiber Park, part of the Ellicott City Watershed Master Plan, is still under construction. Four county properties were demolished but six were saved. A number of mitigation projects to divert floodwaters have lessened the risk to the Ellicott City historic district when heavy rains, like those predicted from tropical storm Debby, hit the region late Thursday into Friday. Staff FILE

Ellicott City earned the No. 1 spot in the U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings for Best Places to Live in Maryland, racking up a few other awards as well.

U.S. News uses internal resources and data from Applied Geographic Solutions, which develops a database and indexes using data from government and private sources. The data is categorized into five categories – quality of life, affordability, desirability, job market and net migration – and each category is weighted based on a survey in which more than 3,000 U.S. residents shared their preferences.

Not only did Ellicott City take the top spot in the ranking for Maryland, but it also earned the 13th spot on the national Best Places to Live list and came in seventh for best small cities to live in.

“With a rich history and unmistakable charm, it is no surprise that Ellicott City is ranked so highly by U.S. News and World Report as one of the best places to live in the United States. Whether perusing the shops on Historic Main Street or enjoying a delicious meal on Route 40 or enjoying nature at one of the picturesque parks, there is no shortage of things to do in Ellicott City,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said in a statement. “In Howard County, we pride ourselves in making Ellicott City a safe and welcoming place for visitors as well as an ideal place to live for residents.”

Howard County made one other appearance on the list of best places to live in the state, with Columbia coming in at number 4. Neighboring Montgomery County captured a third of the list of 15 places, with Bethesda, Rockville, Germantown, Gaithersburg and Silver Spring making the ranking. Bethesda finished behind Ellicott City nationally and in the small city list, ranked at 21 and 13, respectively.

“Columbia consistently ranks high in best places to live because it is a safe, walkable community with a vibrant economy that encompasses everything – food, entertainment and living spaces. Columbia’s diverse and welcoming community makes it an inviting and warm place for all,” Ball said in a statement.

The planned city attracts new residents from around the world, Ball said. The county continues to work on expanding Columbia’s reputation, he said, through the development of more affordable housing, public spaces and arts and entertainment areas in line with the Downtown Columbia Plan.

U.S. News evaluated more than 850 cities, a sharp increase from the 150 in previous years and published the top 250 cities in its online rankings.

“The expansion of the 2025-2026 Best Places to Live rankings gives consumers a more detailed view into what it’s like to live somewhere at the community level, enabling them to consider more options for potential places to settle down,” Erika Giovanetti, consumer lending analyst at U.S. News & World Report, said in a news release.

Consumers weighed different factors that were “stack-ranked” with measures like quality of life, value, desirability and job market, according to a news release. Data regarding the economy and infrastructure from the organization’s Best States list was also considered in this year’s rankings to provide a better understanding of the cities.

“While quality of life remains the top priority for many Americans – and has the heaviest weight in determining the Best Places to Live rankings – U.S. News slightly adjusted its weights to increase priority for a location’s job market amid heightened economic uncertainty,” Giovanetti said in the release.

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