La Plata, Maryland

Population

Growing. Up 18.9% since 2020.

12,137

people, the 22nd-largest of Maryland's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Maryland's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

92.1%

of 7,863 jobs located in La Plata are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Rent

Median rent is up 65% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,559

a month. Maryland's median is $1,705.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $1,802 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Charles County.

• $1,052 Tract 8502.02
• $2,854 Tract 8502.01

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent is above what local wages can carry.

$990–$1,485

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,559 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

57% of the housing here was built before 2000.

• 1,291 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 11% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 57% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.2–1.9% to the 4,201 homes here.

10–79

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 2% more than Maryland's.

$428,400

median home value in La Plata.

• $428,400 La Plata
• $419,900 Maryland
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year