Is Gaithersburg 'Livable'? High Employment, Housing Scores; Average Schools

How livable is Gaithersburg, MD? One website says "extremely."

Areavibes.com rates towns on seven criteria to come up with a score between 1-100. Gaithersburg scored a 79, making it "extremely livable," according to the site’s metrics. Bethesda was given a score of 84, making it "exceptionally livable," Rockville scored an 81, and Germantown received a 79.

Curious about the site’s breakdown? Gaithersburg received letter scores in the following subjects:

Employment: B+

Gaithersburg’s median household income is $76,046, 3 percent higher than the rest of Maryland, according to the site. United States Census data for 2010 estimates Potomac’s median income at $78,736. Residents commute, on average, around 35 minutes to work.

Housing: A

Gaithersburg’s median house value is estimated at $348,525, 0.22 percent higher than the rest of Maryland, according to the site. U.S. Census data for 2010 estimated Gaithersburg’s median home value at $390,100.

Education: C+

Gaithersburg’s high school graduation rate is 86 percent according to Areavibes, on par with the graduation rates of the rest of the state. 

Crime: C

As Montgomery County s, Areavibes gave Gaithersburg a C rating for crime, which the site says is 19 percent lower than the Maryland average. It's unclear where the site’s data originated.

Weather: C+

While optimal temperature and precipitation numbers are a little more subjective than employment rates and education rankings, Gaithersburg received an average score for weather. Areavibes gave the city a lower air quality ranking of 40, where a ranking of 1 is best. Still, average summer temperatures of 71 degrees is nothing to scoff at.

Cost of Living: D+

Gaithersburg’s lowest score was its cost of living. According to the site, the cost of living in Gaithersburg is 11.6 percent less than the Maryland average but is 10.5 percent more than the national average. 

What do you think of the site’s analysis? Is Gaithersburg “livable?”