The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), has unveiled its Community Trends Report. This extensive analysis provides the most in-depth examination to date of demographic shifts, land use trends, housing conditions, and overall community characteristics in Montgomery County from 2010 to 2022. It encompasses 37 designated Community Trend Areas (CTAs) that span the entire 507 square miles of the county. Researchers scrutinized nearly 300 different variables and over 30,000 data points. An interactive online dashboard accompanies the report, featuring detailed profiles for each CTA, which makes the insights easily accessible for residents, government officials, and various stakeholders.
Montgomery County is home to more than 1 million individuals and features a diverse range of environments—from bustling urban hubs to established suburban areas and rural settings. These neighborhoods vary significantly in terms of amenities, affordability, and opportunities, all while undergoing different rates of growth and change. The Community Trends Report, created by the Research & Strategic Projects Division of Montgomery Planning, offers valuable insights into these differences and their implications for the county’s future.
“Effective planning necessitates a profound understanding of diverse conditions across various communities within the county. It’s crucial to recognize that solutions will not follow a one-size-fits-all model,” stated Carrie McCarthy, Chief of the Research & Strategic Projects Division. “This report provides residents, policymakers, and community leaders with a valuable tool to grasp local trends and make informed choices.”
On Thursday, January 22, 2026, members of Montgomery Planning’s Research & Strategic Projects Division presented this study to the Montgomery County Planning Board. You can watch a recording of the briefing.
Understanding Community Trend Areas (CTAs)
Montgomery Planning defined the geographic boundaries of the CTAs by reviewing various planning documents and U.S. Census Bureau data. This approach balanced the need to analyze a manageable number of communities with the availability of relevant and statistically significant information. Each CTA profile is structured around three main themes: place, people, and housing.
Countywide Patterns
While the report zeroes in on hyperlocal community trends, several countywide themes also emerged. These include:
Land Use and Built Environment
- Residential uses comprise 30% of the county’s land, with single-family detached homes making up 91% of that total.
- Since 2010, a total of 47,359 housing units have been constructed, with 61% of these being multi-family buildings. This reflects the rising trend of multi-family housing development compared to single-family homes.
- Commercial activities—including 71 million square feet of office space and 37 million square feet of retail—occupy less than 2% of the county’s land.
Demographic and Household Trends
- The population of residents under 18 has seen a modest increase of 5% from 2010 to 2022, while households with children grew by only 2%. In contrast, the number of residents aged 65 and older surged by 50%, highlighting a notable trend toward an older population.
- In 2022, 22 communities had a majority of residents identifying as people of color, an increase of four since 2010, illustrating the county’s diversity, with 59% of all residents being persons of color.
- Montgomery County continues to be highly educated, with 60% of adults aged 25 and older holding at least a bachelor’s degree, a factor that correlates with elevated household incomes.
- The average rent for housing has surged by 40% from 2010 to 2022, a rate that surpasses that of homeowners and is outpacing overall inflation during the same period.
A Fresh Perspective on Local Patterns and Changes
While Montgomery Planning regularly conducts studies for master plans and broader analyses, smaller or less-populated regions have often been overlooked in earlier assessments. The Community Trends Report addresses this gap by investigating geographic patterns and developments over time within the CTAs.
Key observations at the community level include:
- Numerous communities are experiencing an aging population, with the percentage of residents aged 65 and older doubling from 2010 to 2022 in seven CTAs located in the northern and western areas of the county, including Damascus, Germantown, and Travilah.
- While Wheaton, Takoma Park, and North Bethesda saw an increase in households with children from 2010 to 2022, many other areas witnessed a decline, with Damascus showing the most significant drop from 49% to 33% of all households.
- Communities are becoming increasingly racially diverse, with variations in racial makeup—Fairland, White Oak, and Burtonsville have higher percentages of Black residents, while North Potomac, Clarksburg, and Travilah feature more Asian residents, and Connecticut-Veirs Mill Crossroads, Flower Hill, and Glenmont have higher concentrations of Hispanic residents.
- Areas with the highest levels of educational attainment and average household incomes are typically found in the southwestern part of the county, such as Bethesda and Potomac, where over 75% of adults aged 25 and older possess at least a bachelor’s degree and average incomes exceed $250,000 as of 2022.
- Clarksburg experienced the most significant growth in single-family housing since 2010, adding 5,173 units. Noteworthy multi-family housing growth also occurred in Silver Spring and Bethesda, each adding more than 5,000 multi-family units.
- Home values vary widely across the county, with averages exceeding $1.3 million in Bethesda, Travilah, and Chevy Chase as of 2022. Leisure World, an age-restricted community predominantly comprising condos, reported the lowest average home value at $305,304, still above the national average of $261,584.
- In communities with more than 25% of renter-occupied households, the increase in average gross rent significantly surpassed the countywide average of 40%. Notable examples include Redland-Shady Grove (67%), Chevy Chase (57%), and Takoma Park (51%).
