Gaithersburg, MD — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

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Montgomery County · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria · population 70,686

Gaithersburg, MD
Image: Wikipedia · Gaithersburg, Maryland
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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54
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Gaithersburg stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $528,705
1-year -1.9%
5-yr CAGR +3.0%
vs 5-yr peak -1.9%
Population +0.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2025-03$529k$345k$417k$489k$561k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
64/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
68/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$2,209/mo$1,663$2,004$2,346202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent116125100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 19.9
Lean buy

At a 19.9 price-to-rent ratio, Gaithersburg is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
40 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
53 · w22%
Distance from peak
78 · w18%
Population growth
52 · w16%
Rent YoY
45 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
50 · w10%
Long thesis

Gaithersburg has held up across the cycle: home values at $528,705 with +3.0% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Gaithersburg's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, with an estimated population of 70,686. It anchors the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. The median home value in Gaithersburg is $528,705 as of 2026-04, down 1.9% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.0% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Gaithersburg average $2,209 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+0.1%). The composite momentum score is 54 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Held the highs: currently -1.9% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
○The data is the data: Gaithersburg has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Gaithersburg (Wikipedia)

Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the third-largest incorporated city and the ninth-most populous community in the state. Gaithersburg is located to the northwest of Washington, D.C., and is considered a suburb and a primary city within the Washington metropolitan area. Gaithersburg was incorporated as a town in 1878 and as a city in 1968.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorJud Ashman
Area10.44 sq mi
Elevation350 ft
Settled (As Log Town)1765
Nickname"GBurg"
Motto"A ''Character Counts!'' city"
Density6749.06/sq mi
Named forBenjamin Gaither

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Montgomery County right now.

NWS active alerts (MD)Maryland Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Montgomery County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Gaithersburg

Rockville, MD55 · StableGreenbelt, MD51 · StableCollege Park, MD59 · StableBowie, MD60 · Stable

Run the numbers for Gaithersburg

ToolCan I afford Gaithersburg?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Gaithersburg rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Gaithersburg to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolGaithersburg cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
42° / 25°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
87° / 68°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
203
~56% of year
Annual precip
44″ rain
18″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Moderate
Tornado
Low
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Gaithersburg listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
68%
Moderate climate
Median household income
$98,500
Maryland state median
Top industries (state-level)
Government/DefenseBiotechHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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