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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Potomac, MD
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Potomac profile


Living in Potomac



Potomac is a medium-sized town located in the state of Maryland. With a population of 47,018 people and 13 associated neighborhoods, Potomac is the 16th largest community in Maryland.

Potomac home prices are not only among the most expensive in Maryland, but Potomac real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Potomac has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that Potomac has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 27.60% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Potomac is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Potomac’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

In Potomac, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 32.45 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average. One bright side is that local public transit is widely used, so it may be an option to avoid the headache of driving in the heavy traffic by leaving the car at home and taking transit.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the town are by private automobile, Potomac is somewhat unusual for a town of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the subway helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Potomac area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Potomac. 84.76% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

The per capita income in Potomac in 2018 was $102,878, which is wealthy relative to Maryland and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $411,512 for a family of four.

Potomac is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Potomac home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Potomac residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Potomac include German, Irish, English, Polish, and Russian.

In addition, Potomac has a lot of people living here who were born outside of the US (29.21%).

The most common language spoken in Potomac is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.