Ranked from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
Driest Counties in Maryland
The least rainfall in the country. Dry is easier on a building than wet, but it moves the cost somewhere else: irrigation, foundation movement in shrink-swell soils, and in the driest counties the price and reliability of water itself. Figures are NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals from the weather station nearest each county seat, so they describe a thirty-year average rather than any single year.
Maryland ranked
| # | County | Annual rainfall | FEMA risk rating | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington County | 35.6" | Relatively Low | $275,900 |
| 2 | Allegany County | 39.2" | Relatively Low | $149,200 |
| 3 | Charles County | 41.0" | Relatively Low | $402,300 |
| 4 | Montgomery County | 41.3" | Relatively Moderate | $615,200 |
| 5 | Carroll County | 42.1" | Relatively Low | $406,400 |
| 6 | Somerset County | 43.3" | Relatively Low | $164,300 |
| 7 | Frederick County | 43.5" | Relatively Low | $437,700 |
| 8 | Baltimore County | 43.7" | Relatively Moderate | $330,000 |
| 9 | Baltimore city | 43.7" | Relatively High | $219,300 |
| 10 | Caroline County | 43.9" | Relatively Low | $272,400 |
| 11 | Anne Arundel County | 44.0" | Relatively Moderate | $450,300 |
| 12 | Queen Anne's County | 44.0" | Very Low | $441,800 |
| 13 | Howard County | 45.0" | Relatively Low | $576,700 |
| 14 | Prince George's County | 45.0" | Relatively Moderate | $404,300 |
| 15 | Calvert County | 45.3" | Very Low | $440,200 |
| 16 | Dorchester County | 45.3" | Relatively Low | $252,300 |
| 17 | Kent County | 46.0" | Very Low | $307,100 |
| 18 | St. Mary's County | 46.3" | Very Low | $390,900 |
| 19 | Cecil County | 47.1" | Relatively Low | $311,800 |
| 20 | Harford County | 47.1" | Relatively Low | $367,300 |
| 21 | Worcester County | 47.4" | Relatively Low | $348,100 |
| 22 | Talbot County | 47.6" | Very Low | $398,300 |
| 23 | Wicomico County | 48.0" | Relatively Low | $238,900 |
| 24 | Garrett County | 57.0" | Very Low | $217,000 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Driest Counties across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in Maryland